One of the top sports documentaries I’ve seen in time, finally got around to clocking this brilliant feature-length from Bobbito Garcia and French cinematographer Kevin Couliau. Doin’ It In The Park: Pick-Up Basketball, New York City – to use it’s full-name – is narrated by Bobbito, his uniquely friendly Puerto Rican street-accent, breaking down his co-production as it evolves deeper in to each element that makes up this amazing subculture.
Bobbito aka Kool Bob Love cemented his name in the history books as a famed DJ on WKCR through the golden-era of hip-hop, and the Rock Steady Crew member has always stayed close to ‘street culture’ in his hometown of NYC, dedicating a great deal of it to playing pick-up games of basketball. As an editor / writer / photographer for his own streetball magazine and playing host and emcee for various streetball competitions over the years, there’s no doubting his credentials to put something like this together.
Travelling with Couliau, the pair hit up 180 courts across New York’s five boroughs in the process of making this documentary, injecting themselves in to the game as a side-note of digging up the history and diversity of New York pick-up. Considered the ‘Mecca’ for the game, there’s nowhere better in the world for them to examine the culture and global influence of street basketball.
So forget what you know (or don’t) about basketball. The pick-up form of the game is essentially ‘house rules’, with it’s own differences and complexities based on the courts and the players on it, as is the fashion, talk and crowds. It’s a whole separate world to what we know about team-sports, but one that’s incredibly hierarchical and educating in the process. The players are all characters, ladened with that form of overconfidence and dedication that it takes to get to the top of their world.
For those with a previous affinity to basketball at all, watching this will get you off of the couch. Even if you were and AND1 head from back-in-the-day, you’ve not seen anything this in depth or worthwhile before. There’s too many legends and name’s that even non-sports fan will recognise thrown up here, and you can’t help think that the co-directors’ skills on the court had something to do with the access they got.
Check the trailer below, then head over to pick the full-length up digitally, or check out more about the movement over on the official site: http://buy.doinitinthepark.com/