User Reviews

The movie talks about an assistant basketball trainer called Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon) who watching a documentary observes a b-ball African sportsman .Then , he heads for Africa hoping to recruit him in the biggest US team . He's a giant and talented young called Saleh but he doesn't want to leave the tribe because being the throne's heir . The tribe is formed by natives Massai-alike . Then they make a wager playing one team against another . Besides , the protagonist will have to surpass hard proofs with purport in converting himself a brave warrior and can play in tribe's team.

The picture is an amusing sports comedy with agreeable and likable interpretation from its principal starring . Enjoyable plot , though sometimes is a little ridiculous and absurd and utilizes tired stereotypical ; however , the film is entertaining and funny . Besides , there is a slight exposition about habits and customs of the African tribes , where are seen how the cows are essential in their lives and particular ceremonies , rites , dances and marriage ceremony . Plus , it has an exciting and moving final tournament that is truly exciting ; and this ending climatic game results to be the highlight film.

Jolly and lively musical score , adding African sounds by David Newman . Glimmer and colorful cinematography by cameraman Dick Pope (Mike Leigh's photographer) , it is well reflected in the spectacular African outdoors. The motion picture was professionally directed by Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky and Hutch). The flick will appeal to basketball buffs . Rating : Acceptable , passable and bemusing .

Paul Michael Glasser's "The Air up There" is a fun film to watch, knowing full well what to expect. It doesn't break new barriers, or brings anything new to this type of film, but it is a totally harmless time in front of the television. Not having seen it in its commercial run, we had a chance to enjoy it the other night when it turned up on cable.

The best thing, as usual, going for this film is Kevin Bacon. Mr. Bacon makes anything he plays in an enjoyable experience. No matter what he does, he is totally believable, as is the case with his role as this coach, Jimmy Dolan, who will go to any extreme in order to get a good basket ball player for his team at Saint Joseph's.

His African journey gives Jimmy Dolan a first eye view of the poverty and hardship the young men in the remote village have to endure. He realizes the potential, especially in Saleh, the young man he wants to bring back to America.

Both Mr. Bacon and Charles Gitonga Maina, who plays Saleh, have an easy time together bonding in a hostile environment. Their inter action makes the film enjoyable. Also, the mostly unknown supporting cast compliment the movie.

Granted, this is a film to watch only for entertainment and to enjoy Kevin Bacon at his most charming self.

Kevin Bacon totally dominates this film. In fact, he's the only "name" actor in it. You won't recognize anybody else in here.

The story is lightweight entertainment with the most notable aspect being the African music, which is very good and a small tour of Kenya, which is interesting, both with beauty and poverty.

Bacon plays as basketball assistant coach, an ex-point guard, who goes to Africa to recruit this great player "Saleh" (Charles Gitangra Marina) for his team back in the States. The adventures of the trip pretty much are the story.

One negative: another irreverent slam to get a few cheap laughs at the Catholic church. A nun in here uses profanity and gives Bacon a big kiss on the lips. It's one more example of trying to make clerical people appear worldly like the rest of us.

I just watched this movie again, and I still love it from when I was a kid. (I know everyone loves some stinkers when they're kids, but bear with me.) This movie was as entertaining now as it was back then.

I know the plot can be predicted almost to the detail, but if that doesn't immediately and absolutely put you off it, it's a real treat. The acting and script are sincere, but even more so, the whole movie just has an innocent sincerity to it that's actually a rare find (even in a kids' movie). If this movie were a romance, it wouldn't hold up at all with this kind of sentimentality, but in a fun movie that's (technically) a sports drama, it really lends something to the whole affair that can put you in a good mood every time you watch it.

I'm sure part of this is Maina's performance, which is so sweet you can't help but like it -- this is coming from a usually-cynical moviegoer who dislikes "sappy" movies.

All in all, it's a charmer.

Kenya -1990s. St Joe's basketball team is famous but runs into a double crisis. For one, the acclaimed coach is going to retire and must name his successor. Moreover, the team is in dire need of a hoop star. Jimmy Dolan, ex-player and deputy coach, has therefore no choice but to find the star: his career is at stake. On a short video of a mission in Winabi (Kenya), he sees the star he needs. How to get there, to identify the player and to convince him to go back to the USA with him will however be quite a challenge! The spectator should not expect anything remotely intellectual or an even slightly probable description of Africa. But Kevin Bacon is good and the movie hilarious at times. A very entertaining, light movie, which beyond the classical story of friendship between two young men of different cultures (for once not too patronizing), shows quite interesting scenes of beautiful basketball and demonstrates a bit the incredible cult Americans make of sports in the environment of what is supposed to be tertiary education.

The efforts of an assistant coach; not working by the rules, to get a basketball player somewhere in a remote part of Africa, are

best portrayed in this movie. The astonishing length to which

he is prepared to go with a knee out of order are really touching. The plot is quite emotional at some points especially when Jimmy decides to go in the play with the risk of losing the knee permanently.

Another film that Disney acquired as part of the Fox purchase, and added to Disney Plus with the addition of the 'Star' brand is "The Air Up There" a 1994 family sports comedy. Whilst it's not without some moments of entertainment, ultimately, I was rather bored by the whole thing.

Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon) the maverick assistant coach of a successful university team. Wanting to be installed as the head coach, he spots a potential player in the background of a video of missionary work in Africa. He flies to the village to try and recruit Saleh (Charles Gitonga Maina) but discovers that Saleh is Prince of the tribe and they are enduring a border dispute with the local mining town and their conveniently basketball obsessed mayor Nyaga (Mabutho Sithole).

I'm tempted to throw out the old "White Saviour" trope for this film, but really, I'm not sure it fits. Dolan doesn't really fix all the tribes' problems as much as just bring them to a head. But, whilst I'd never go as far as saying that I hated this one, it never quite rises above "alright" and struggled to hold my attention through it's run. It's really basic story, which is the problem, the classic sports movie narrative isn't deviated from much, it's not particularly funny or dramatic. Bacon is just coming to the end of the first phase of his career, and still has some of the gurning faces that made up his child and teenage roles. Charles Gitonga Maina is personable but isn't asked to do much from a dramatic standpoint.

It's not a terrible film, it's aging a bit now admitted but ultimately it's just wasn't interesting enough to hold my attention.

As someone who's never really been into sports, "The Air Up There" hardly seems like the sort of movie that I would like, but I did. When basketball talent scout Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon) goes to Kenya to recruit a new player, he ends up finding Saleh, a chief's son whose skills exceed what anyone could have imagined. But before he moves to the states, there are some things that both sides are going to have to deal with.

This movie is interesting mainly for two reasons: it's good to see a sports movie that's not all about machismo, and a movie that looks at Kenyan culture (not one that we usually get to see). The movie isn't really any kind of masterpiece, but it never pretends to be one. There are some scenes that look like they were thrown in for comic relief (namely the goat milk). Pretty interesting.

I don't know why, but when I am asked about bad movies I have seen, I often think of "The Air Up There". I know that technically, lots of movies are horrible compared to it, and I have seen worse acting. it's just that it's so bland, so predictable. In a word: mediocre.

Kevin Bacon stars in "The Air Up There," a family "comedy" that is nothing more than a few familiar faces and half-hearted laughs. It's another feel-good underdog story of which is not particularly memorable.

Kudos to Bacon for turning a pretty routine script into a watchable, even amusing movie with some OK moments and likable characters. Not as good as "Cool Runnings," but still worth catching if it's on Sunday afternoon or something.

3/5

Not great, but good.

What makes this movie above all is the delightful acting of the Africans, especially Mr. Charles Gitongo Maina. I read that he went on actually to play basketball at a US college, but his acting in this film was what made it believable. Kevin Bacon was fun to watch playing at a typecast basketball coach, although his physical presence belied the role. Without the physical presence of Maina, this film would have fallen apart, but his warmth and verisimilitude as an teenager torn between sworn duty and aspiration made this viewer a believer. Suspension of disbelief is a basic prerequisite to the enjoyment of this kind of moral tale, and Charles Gitonga Maina made it seem real. The film uses cliché throughout, but it is the acting of all the cast of characters which brings this small film alive. It is a film of bits and pieces but well acted bits make them endearing. It is not a great work of art, but it is filled with a genuineness which transcends itself, including some truly beautiful scenes and scenery and music. The style, grace and dignity of the African actors make the whole film a delight to watch. Speaking of its bits and pieces, the one truly discordant note in the whole story was the misuse of the quotes from Quran which really had no point or place or meaning in the story. It just perplexed me. It sticks out with a pointlessness in an otherwise heart warming story. The "Bismillah" was beautiful but out of another time and culture and milieu, and still leaves me wondering (?)

I liked this film a lot.

Not Kevin Bacon's best work (in fact he's rather poor in this film) but the supporting cast are great. The locations are brilliant, the action (mostly basketball) is fine.

I would definitely recommend this film to a friend!

This movie is just very easy to like, it has got a very simple plot, music is great, movie looks absolutely fantastic, acting is much better than you would expect, it has fairly low ambitions, i think it achieves the goal very well, it was very fun to watch

When college basketball coach Jimmy Dolan loses the hottest new recruit by beating him in a game of one on one and damaging his pride he loses his job and looks for a way to get back. He sees a brilliant African player on a home movie and travels to Kenya to recruit him. However Saleh is the Chief's son and has his own problems as a mining company is trying to get control of the tribe's land.

Bacon is not really a lead actor but someone who can give a good performance in co-lead or support. Here he has a film to carry on his own and struggles with it. Mainly it's due to the formulaic nature of the plot – lets be honest, even from the plot outline above I bet you could guess how's it going to end. However that doesn't mean it's not enjoyable – just not very good. It has plenty of nice laughs and the basketball action is fun and will directed if not realistic.

Despite the formula the cast mainly do quite well, but really it never manages to get above the sort of formulaic sports comedy that we see so often. However it is entertaining and I did enjoy just switching off my brain and letting it go in one ear and out the other.

Instantly forgettable and very by the numbers but some good laughs, good locations and good basketball action make it an entertaining enough film to just veg out in front of. Not great but passable.

Basketball in Kenya makes it look unique. If you're looking to veg-out with a cute flick, it's OK.

It uses a formulaic approach. And the ending is predictable.

Kevin Bacon is a good actor. He has shown that he has gained considerable experience over time and has picked various films to be in that people always remember him from. But like many other actors, they choose to be in films that are somehow odd concoctions that are questionable to how they were even given a green light. This is one of those strange films. It has plot, but its direction is intriguingly out of place at times. Also for a movie starring Kevin Bacon, it really doesn't showcase him. There's a lot to at look at for what worked and what could've been improved over its flaws.

Viewers are introduced to Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon), a selfish, cocky headed recruiter to St. Joe's basketball team. He's been working for several years and feels that when his boss retires, his seat is already set for him. Turns out though, according to his boss, he still "doesn't have what it takes" to lead. Then, out of the blue Jimmy finds what looks like could be a potential recruit for the team, but is quickly shot down from his superior. So being the rebel that he is, he decides to find this recruit anywho on his own. Surprisingly, later on his superior has no problem with what he did. He disobeyed a direct order, which means punishment not reversal of the expected reaction. That's very cliché and unrealistic.

The recruit that Jimmy is looking for is an African, specifically in Kenya named Saleh (Charles Gitonga Maina) who has quite a bit of length to his height. Seriously, this guy is TALL. Saleh is apart of a Kenyan tribe called the Winabe and Jimmy hopes to earn their trust. And how better to do that than take part in their traditions and culture. Another cliché aspect to the plot's writing. This is not the first time this kind of experience has been shown, especially with African tribes. Why is it always with the African tribes? Apparently a number of these scenes were supposed to be funny when in fact they come off either unfunny or uncalled for. This movie is rated PG and yet people are cursing, blurting out sexual slang and even a scene with blood involving a knife. How is that acceptable? Who rated this movie?

This also demonstrates the incompetence of the director and writer. The writer Max Apple, who only worked on two other productions in his life, didn't make a screenplay with much cleverness or distinguished traits. Most, if not all of it is generic and out of place. Worser so, is that Paul Michael Glaser has flimsy directional skills; especially for accepting Apple's screenplay without even suggesting more rewrites. A big chunk of the story's first two acts focus on Jimmy trying to earn the tribes trust which is out of his own selfish motivations. Who cares, there are other things that could've been looked upon, than it taking up the majority of the running time. Musically speaking, David Newman's score was appropriate to the setting and tried to make it as up beat as possible but it had nothing memorable. The camera work by Dick Pope was acceptable too. A number of shots contained a lot of African terrain and helped at least give the film some scope.

Possibly the only character with enough true saving grace to the film is Charles Maina as the Winabe basketball recruit. Saleh as an individual has more charm than any other character in the entire running time. With his selfless personality and genuine smile, it is difficult not to enjoy him when he's on screen. It's shocking actually because again, Kevin Bacon stars in it too, yet he comes off just as generic and boring as the rest of the cast accept Charles Maina. Even weirder is that Maina didn't go on to be anything bigger. How come? The man acted respectively, why shouldn't he be given another chance? It's not a terrible film, but there's nothing that hasn't been presented before. See it for Charles Maina's performance.

Even with Kevin Bacon on board, this sports comedy isn't all that funny or entertaining. The only actor to stand out is Charles Maina. The rest of the cast (including Bacon) are average at best with a weak script and misguided direction.

Your standard fish out of water story...except...

It is constructed out of movie notions. This is unexpected from Glaser, who ranks among the hammiest of actors, and is known for seeing things in character based/TV realities.

Bacon needs to score a recruiting coup (Glaser needs a hit movie). He is inspired by a 'movie', to undertake the quest, which is the movie. Along the way, he takes on a personal movie task of his own, which dovetails the two 'movies' together (he 'makes the cut' and joins the tribe). Clever stuff.

I suspect that the producers seriously whittled this down, so the movie ideas would fit through what they perceived as half-open minds...it's a shame that young people can't be allowed to figure out the narratives for themselves. Glaser acknowledges this, by defending the tribe from the white missionary/elites, who are compelled to 'save the savages' from a hoodwinking.

The natives out in the bush are noble, and the town natives are ignoble, guilty of the worst kind of frontier crime: cattle rustling, an old, old movie theme.

So, without delving too deeply into the annals of "worst-to-first" sports movies, or counting off the multitude of "cultures in contact" stories, let me simply say this about the movie, "The Air Up There:" it succeeds, quite well in the mind of this critic, at what it sets out to accomplish. It is thematic, formulaic, and a tad predictable in parts, but none of that degrades its overall quality as a film. In fact, despite this movie getting lost somewhere in the recent history of film (and being overshadowed by similar movies such as "The Mighty Ducks"), I genuinely believe it to be the best movie of that genre, maybe ever, but certainly of this era.

Now, I'm aware some of you might raise eyebrows at that statement, but let me elaborate; Not only is the scenery absolutely breathtaking, but all of the artistic design, costume styling, and cinematography is beautiful. On top of that, the story is engaging, regardless of one's ability to forecast the ending at any point. Additionally, the mere fact that themes such as maturation, redemption, independence, loyalty, "progress," and family all play central roles in this film, should qualify it is a deeper work of art than countless (sports) movies of today.

Most significantly, this film contains something else that is occasionally lost in similar movies: DECENT ACTING. Say what you will about Kevin Bacon, or even this movie, but without a doubt, Kevin gives a wonderful, believable performance. He excellently displays the passion that is a prerequisite to be an athlete or coach in highly competitive sports such as College Athletics. Furthermore, the character Jimmy Dolan exhibits a wide gamut of emotions over the course of the story, and Mr. Bacon plays this perfectly. Interestingly, the best performance of the movie (and there are plenty of good ones: 'Kid' Sithole as Nyaga, Wilson Ntshona as Urudu, and Dikembe Mutombo's brother, Ilo, as Mifundo) comes not from Bacon, but from Charles Gitonga Maina, who inexplicably, has only appeared in one episode of SeaQuest DSV since this movie was made. He is immensely likable, charming, and completely believable as a star basketball player (after all, he was a world class sprinter in real life!) from a humble village. Truly, his performance is absolutely spectacular, even when placed within the context of the other stellar performances in the movie.

Is this movie perfect, devoid of all stereotypes and patronizing cinematic techniques? No. And yet, nothing is lost because of that fact. As it was over a decade ago, it remains a wonderful, adventurous, heart-warming movie, one that deserves a far more solid place in cinematic history than it has been relegated to. I, for one, love this movie, and usually watch it a couple times a year, enjoying it every bit as much with each successive viewing (in fact, I feel the truth of the matter is, I enjoy this film MORE with each successive watching, as I continue to find noteworthy facets every time).

In summation, I implore you to do yourself a favor: the next time you're feeling depressed, inadequate, or entirely stressed, rent or buy this movie, and watch it. I guarantee, you won't be able to make it to the end without a smile finding it's way onto your face.... :D

Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon) is going for the biggest recruit of his lifetime and it's going to take more than some campus visits, cheerleaders, and lobster dinners to land him.

The Air Up There is a lot of things and I'd be lying if I didn't say it's also a little exploitative. They did reduce the exploitative nature of the film by making Jimmy Dolan's recruiting mission more about learning about himself than landing the big fish. Still I think this movie is more of a glimpse at how far college coaches will go to net a major recruit, especially at a major program. We hear about recruiting violations and recruiting scandals all of the time: false promises, sexual favors, under-the-table money, and more.

In The Air Up There Jimmy Dolan is willing to pull out the same tricks to bring in Saleh (Charles Maina) except they don't have the same effect in Winabi, Kenya. In somewhat sloppy fashion the movie melded into a touching one about family, tradition, culture, and integrity: some of the more important virtues. You can say The Air Up There was about the recruit recruiting the recruiter.

The Air Up There (1994)

** (out of 4)

Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon) is a basketball coach who comes under pressure and needs to find a recruit that is going to help his team and his own career. He heads to South Africa where he finds a giant of a man and the coach must convince him to play basketball.

THE AIR UP THERE is the type of film that wants to offer up some cheap laughs in a rather cheap story. If you're a fan of Kevin Bacon then you might want to check this film out since he is good in the role of the coach but sadly the oerall impact of the film is quite minor as there's nothing awful here but at the same time there's nothing too good or memorable either.

I think the biggest problem with the film is its screenplay, which is pretty standard stuff as we get the coach in trouble, he gets his top recruit and then we have the various dramatic messages that have to come out about building character. The film also falls well short in its attempt at humor and by the time the film is over it just runs on way too long for its own good.

Jimmy Dolan (Bacon) is an assistant basketball coach looking for the next big star for his university college basketball team. After seeing a video of his school's missionary work in Africa (where a giant young Kenyan man is playing basketball in the background of the video, and playing very impressively), Jimmy travels to Kenya to visit a tribe called the Winabi, looking to recruit this young player, named Selah. After meeting the young talent, Jimmy finds out that not only is Selah the son of the tribe's chief, but that Selah is set to become the next leader of the tribe (Selah is always guarded by at least one Winabi warrior, if not several). So, Jimmy has 0 luck in winning the chief over when he asks about Selah coming to play basketball for him,, so Jimmy decides to do whatever he can to win the chief/tribe over.

Also, the Winabi tribe are constantly at odds with the town of Mingori, ran by a fat slimeball named Nyaga. The Mingori want the land that the Winabi live on, bc it's very rich in copper. The Winabi have no intention of selling their land,, so the Mingori have tried many times to "persuade" the Winabi.

Will Jimmy be able to win over the Winabi chief?

Will the Winabi be able to fend off the Mingori?

I cannot believe this came out almost 30 yrs ago!! W/o a doubt, this is one of my favorite live action Disney movies of the 90s. Low budget, but great fun. (A lot more language than I remember there being. Nothing more than you hear in primetime tv,, but still.)

Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon) is a college basketball recruiter and assistant coach. He was a college star until a knee injury during his senior year. When a recruit challenges him, he can't resists. He embarrasses the kid who walks away from signing. It's a blow to Jimmy's ambition to be the head coach. During a banquet, the coach announces his retirement. There is also a video of a mission he supports. Jimmy notices a giant playing ball in the background of the video. He ignores his assignment and goes to Africa. Saleh turns out to be the chief's son with expectations to stay home for the cattle herding tribe. The land is threatened. Sister Susan sees Jimmy's self-serving motives. There is also a well-funded team with outsiders intending to buy up the tribe's land. When Jimmy makes an off-handed challenge, the chief ups the ante by betting all of the tribe's land.

It's a bit of white savior but it's more of a native savior. Jimmy is broken and he is fixed by his immersion into the culture. Some of it is cheesy Hollywood. None of it can be taken seriously. However, there is a good lesson learned. It's a harmless feel-good movie.