An inspiring story that works very hard to remind you it's an inspiring story at every opportunity. "Hoosiers" looks subtle by comparison -- and this is a documentary. "More Than a Game" traces the origins of LeBron James before he was an NBA superstar, when he and his high school teammates rose from being scrappy Akron, Ohio, kids to three-time state basketball champions.

With his first film, director and co-writer Kristopher Belman combines old home videos and TV news footage with fresh interviews with James, his buddies and their coach, Dru Joyce II. Feel-good speeches and proclamations abound, frequently accompanied by the swell of uplifting music. ("Our kids just had a never-say-die attitude," recalls the coach, speaking in one of many sports cliches, even though the tears in his eyes at the memories seem genuine.)

Too often, Belman also states the obvious; we could have figured out for ourselves, for example, that Joyce served as a father figure to James, who was raised in the projects by a single mother who gave birth to him at 16. The fact that James' talent and discipline allowed him not only to overcome his childhood hardships but thrive on a stratospheric scale is a compelling story in itself -- and to his credit, he's not the sole focus of the film, even though he's an executive producer.

"More Than a Game" also takes plenty of time to let us get to know his teammates, their back stories, and how they found a way to work together and win.

Copyright ©2025— Trib Total Media, LLC (TribLIVE.com)