I always appreciate a great sports movie. Nothing gets the juices flowing like rising up and rooting for an underdog to overcome the odds and get that win they righteously deserve. In the mid 2020’s, though, I have been curious where those underdog stories are going to come from. Turns out, Rez Ball’s underdog story is definitely one we haven’t experienced before…meaning, a new group of underdogs to root for, nice!
Navajo Native Americans live in Chuska, New Mexico. The town lives by its Chuska Warrior basketball team, led by two great friends, Nataanii (Kusem Goodwind) and Jimmy (Kauchani Bratt), a one two punch. This season they’re ranked #2 in the state, facing down the powerhouse white school with the 5 star recruit as you might expect. But other things are going on as well on the reservation: the boys’ coach Heather (Jessica Matten) is applying anywhere and everywhere to jump to college/WNBA jobs, and Jimmy’s gotta pick up some extra shifts at a local fast food place, because his mom Gloria (Julia Jones) is on the emotional mend as a recovering alcoholic and can’t find steady work. Plus, Nataanii has buried a bunch of feelings about the loss of his mom/sister to drunk drivers a year ago, which are starting to resurface in dark ways.
The specificity of Rez Ball’s obstacles gives the movie it’s power. For those who don’t know, drunk driving and poverty levels are much higher on Native American reservations than they are compared to the regular population. This pervasive situation can be felt all over Chuska, and manifests in different ways. For Jimmy’s fellow fast food worker Krista (Zoey Reyes), it means helping others, and as a result, the community to rise out of this together. Coach Heather and mom Gloria have opposite feelings: Heather wants out, to escape the generational burden of these problems before it consumes her. Like it already has Gloria, who has succumbed to her tragic fate, and Nataanii, who’s on Gloria’s path from his own tragedies. And then there’s Jimmy, somewhere in the middle of all of this, figuring out what his personal path forward is going to be. We’ve seen an alcoholic parent, a depressed town, a dead relative, an ambitious coach, and other tropes of the genre before, but inside Chuska and their Rez Ball play, this particular situation breathes some new life and perspective into an old story, making it easier to connect with Jimmy and the Warriors as they take on all comers in the New Mexico basketball tournament.
As for the sports stuff, what you expect to happen does. We get Rez Ball’s version of a strange team bonding experience, team conflict, then team togetherness just in time for the big game. Fortunately, the game and sports takes the backseat to the more interesting stuff in the town, and acts as a quasi metaphor like all good sports movies do. I wouldn’t say you’re going to be roused out of your seats to applaud like in Hoosiers or Rudy, but you will feel all the feels when a teammate who’s down on their luck comes back to hit a big shot. Or make a big free throw after getting the jitters earlier. And with Lebron’s involvement (he’s a producer), you know the on court talking is going to be as accurate as possible. Turns out the Navajo are just like any other high school basketball players: wanting Jordans, trash talking, looking for a pretty girl in the crowd, etc.
So good on you Lebron. Keep finding good sports stories like Rez Ball, and I’ll keep coming back for more. Just not another Space Jam please? I definitely canceled my Max subscription after I saw it.