<strong><span class="subhead">More Than a Game</span></strong></p><p>****</p><p><strong>PG (brief mild language, incidental smoking); 105 min.</strong></p><p>First things first: Don’t go into the moving documentary <em>More Than a Game </em>thinking it’s about star Cleveland Cavaliers basketball player LeBron James in particular or b-ball in general. Well, it <em>is</em> about those things but, more fundamentally, it’s about friendship, family and fighting through tough times.</p><p>Begun as a student project by first-time director Kristopher Belman, <em>More Than a Game, </em>through archival footage and contemporary interviews, follows James and his childhood pals Dru Joyce III, Willie McGee, and Sian Cotton from their days as kids playing at a spartancourt in Akron, Ohio, through their phenomenal high-school careers.</p><p>But behind the headlines, there was struggle. From Joyce’s conflicts with his coach dad and James and McGee growing up without dads to criticism from some when these African-American boys chose to go to mostly white St. Vincent-St. Mary High School instead of a predominantly black public high school, it wasn’t all glitz and glory. (They wanted to go to St. Vincent-St. Mary to work with coach Keith Dambront, who played a pivotal role in their lives.)</p><p>Belman doesn’t just rely on talking heads. He shows off an impressive visual sense even though he’s largely dealing with pre-existing footage. For a guy who’s not even 30 and has never previously directed a feature, <em>More Than a Game </em>— which rightly has been compared to <em>Hoop Dreams </em>— is more than just another sports movie.</p><p>— Cary Darling