Fast Break
Seen it?1978 | 105 min | Documentary
Monday Morning Maybeearly ratingWhy it’s a Monday Morning Maybe
With a box office flop and almost no lasting buzz, this one could be a tough watch. Keep your phone handy.
Based on critics, audiences, awards, box office and buzz. Details below.Is it for you?
- Who'll love it
- Great for spy-story fans and sports fans (and people who swear they aren't). Nobody is quite who they seem. You don't need to know the game to feel the big moments.
- The mood
- Eye-opening.
- The pace
- Well paced for a documentary, at 1 hr 45 min.
- What might put you off
- Made in 1978: an older pace and style.
- Skip it if you want made-up drama tonight.
Evoking a cinema verite feel not found in most sports documentaries, Fast Break examines the 1977 Portland Trailblazers basketball team in a surprisingly personal and compelling fashion. Inter-cutting excerpts from the 1977 playoff / championship season, the film steps outside of the basketball court, and into the everyday lives of the Trailblazers, as well as their coach Jack Ramsey. Whether it’s biking the Oregon coast with star center Bill Walton, hosting a kids basketball camp with Dave Twardzik, or joking with Maurice Lucas at the pool – Fast Break lets the players speak for themselves: about basketball, life and playing in Portland. Fast Break, a film documentary about Bill Walton and the Portland Trail Blazers winning the 1976-77 NBA title and the aftermath of their accomplishment, is the greatest movie I have ever seen on the subject of professional team sports, basketball as a metaphor for life, and the perfect practice of Zen Buddhism in American society.
How it earned its rating
- CriticsNot counted
Not enough reviews on record yet
- AudiencesNot counted
Not measured yet: not enough ratings
- AwardsNot counted
Awards data unavailable, so this isn't counted
- Reach & staying powerWeak
Streaming release that reached a small audience so far
- Buzz & cultural impactWeak
Not enough engagement data yet
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Cast & crew
Directed by Don Zavin
- Don Zavin
- Bill WaltonSelf
- Jack Ramsey
- Dave Twardzik
- Maurice Lucas