Sweetwater

Most sports fans know the story of Jackie Robinson breaking the color barrier in Major League Baseball. And most NBA fans know the story behind AIR - certainly Bulls and Michael Jordan fans of a certain age do. But I did NOT know the story about Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, and neither did my 87-yr. Old dad who played against the Globetrotters in his younger years.

Sweets' break into the NBA happened a mere 2-3 years after Jackie R.'s into MLB. Jackie's style of play didn't change baseball; Sweets' style of play definitely changed NBA basketball!

Not sure why there are no trailers or ads for this movie filling up our movie and TV screens, but it is an entertaining movie with a good cast, too.

*Highly recommend*

I couldn't believe I didn't know about this story. I have been avid basketball fan for 40 years. It's a great story told very well. I liked how the film was shot and kudos to cinematographer. You will be entertained and better for knowing this story. Swear really was an Iconoclast and has gotten very little play for his play, if you will. I hope this kovie brings his feats, play and wisdom to the fore front. The film really keeps you entertained with some drama and lighthearted moments. I have seen other Martin guigui. The director of the movie, other films and he has a unique style of developing a story. You won't be disappointed.

Truly beautifully made film, a true story of a great sportsmanship and devoted people, who practically changed the world in their own way. This film is very inspiring and masterfully shot.

The sets, the costumes, cinematography, and the choice of cast is excellent - starting from the lead character and all the wonderful star actors we do not see too often in new movies.

One of theist important aspects in film, at least for me is the score. Practically every other scene has a theme, beautiful music in the background which makes the scenes more intense.

I definitely would recommend to watch it!!

Sweetwater was a very interesting film as it had moments of depth and heart. Then about 60% of the film there was a lot of cheesy moments that pretty much derail the film. The story is a real life one but still in a the lense of a movie is really hollow and predictable. The only thing I did not see coming was how the film ended because I had never followed the real life story before about Sweetwater. When you watch this movie you would be asking yourself why wasn't this movie just released on lifetime instead of through Hulu. Still there were moments that I really enjoyed even though there is a major problem with the casting here. Sweetwater gets a middle of the road 5 stars out of 10.

"Sweetwater" is based on the true events of Nat "Sweetwater" Clifton, basically the first African American player to join the NBA. It is written and directed by Martin Guigui. This movie has a lot of potential for a great story, unfortunately, the film plants the seeds for a compelling narrative that it never fully harvests.

This movie has some serious pacing problems. It is about Nat Clifton joining the NBA, but we don't see an NBA game played until the 90-minute mark of a 118-minute movie. Every scene feels like it is milking it for every second of emotional impact that it could possibly have. The music swells, the camera swings, as if something of great cultural importance is being said. This happens so often it makes the audience numb to the experience. Each scene seems to last twice as long as it needs. It comes across very melodramatic at times, which can almost be unintentionally funny.

Talented actors like Jim Cavizel and Richard Dreyfuss likely were able to film all their scenes in one day. Cary Elwes does a fine job as always. Despite the fact that he is doing a cartoon voice, at least Elwes is good at doing voices.

The examples of racism throughout the movie feel over the top. As SNL would say it, the characters are "Cartoonish Super Racist". It makes it feel like a problem that is disconnected from the harsh reality that it is. People can't relate to these characters, seeing themselves in their decisions and saying to themselves, "I should avoid making those same mistakes."

The basketball action isn't shot in a very exciting manner. Sometimes basketball shots are out of frame, there a lot of cuts that make it hard to follow what's going on.

There are a lot of scenes that go nowhere. This is a movie that could have greatly benefited from a montage. Something to give the story some flow and energy.

With all those complaints out of the way, at the movie's core is a sweet and inspirational story. All the actors put in good performances, the music is nice and it's an interesting part of NBA history. It takes a good shot, but the basket does not go in.