Sunset Park (1996) User Reviews (9)

Middlin' basketball picture

[lastliberal · 5/10 · 14 March 2007]

OK, so it is not the best basketball pic I have seen. That honor goes to Hoosiers. I can watch Gene Hackman over and over in that film and never get tired. But, having said that, it is not a bad film either.

Rhea Perlman, whom I haven't seen since what, Officer Honey in that Canadian Bacon flick, really didn't ad much to the film. She knows nothing about basketball and just took the job as a stepping stone to another losing career.

The real star of the film is Fredro Starr, who gets the team together. The team is talented so the coach Doesn't have to do much more that get them playing as a team. She is more social worker than coach and it all comes together as the team starts winning.

It also stars Terrance Howard, who went on to do some great work after this (Best Man, Hustle and Flow, Ray, Crach).

Not a great film, but not a complete waste of time.

Straight forward high school basketball movie

[scantsquad · 7/10 · 13 November 2019]

The movie had a different title in the uk for it's vhs release. It was called 'coach' or 'the coach' never released in uk on dvd as far as i know. It's straight forward movie. I actually found rhea pearlmans acting to be quite stale, maybe she's not suited for this type of movie. The rest of the cast do just fine. Not much of a storyline to be had, even under the synopsis of high school ball movie with the occasional shooting, fight, lovers tiff, drugs, wins and everything else cliched. The soundtrack is solid and i'd still rather have it than not have it in my collection. Won't be watching again for another 20 years probably.

This is far from a classic but is worth a watch

[kevin_robbins · 6/10 · 13 January 2023]

Sunset Park (1996) is a movie that I recently watched for the first time in a long time on Tubi. The storyline follows a teacher whose boyfriend robs her and leaves town leading to the end of her dreams of retiring from teaching and opening her own restaurant. She sees an opening at her school for the men's basketball coaching position and decides to take it even though she knows nothing about basketball. She will need to learn the game and earn the respect of her players if she has any hope for success.

This movie is directed by Steve Gomer (All Saints) and stars Rhea Perlman (Cheers), Fredro Starr (Save the Last Dance), Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow), Carol Kane (The Princess Bride), Anthony C. Hall (The Client), Guy Torry (American History X) and Hattie Winston (Beverly Hills Cop III).

I adored this movie when it came out when I was in high school and didn't realize how over the top the scenarios were and how wildly unrealistic this movie felt. I adored the soundtrack and the "Sunset Park what time is it" chant. The acting is very mediocre but it was fun seeing Terrence Howard in this. He delivered a solid performance. The settings are well shot and there is a gritty feel to this film. I did enjoy the cheesy ending and this had a "made to TV" feel to it.

Overall, this is far from a classic but is worth a watch. I would score this a 6/10 and recommend seeing it once.

inspiring, sometimes funny, but we've seen this sort of thing before (SPOILERS)

[vchimpanzee · 23 March 2003]

Rhea Perlman is a short white woman who knows little about coaching basketball, but she gets hired anyway to coach a pathetic all-black boys' basketball team at a tough inner-city New York City high school. At first it is clear she is not up to the job and the players don't respect her, but she is determined and eventually turns the team around, earning the players' admiration. Once the team starts winning games, she helps the players out in other areas of their lives, sometimes getting in over her head. At the beginning of the movie, Perlman wanted to get out of education and open a restaurant. Would the players change her mind?

Overall, I liked the movie, though I got worried about two-thirds of the way through when one of the players got in trouble with the law and it appeared the movie would not recover. Perlman was likeable but tough, and a number of players were easy to like after I got used to them. There was apparently lots of bad language, most of which was edited out in the version I saw.

*********** SPOILER ****************: Lots of movies like this go for the stereotypical happy ending where the team wins the big game. They come close, but it takes a lot of courage to go for a happy ending when the team loses at the end--even though it was the championship. This movie succeeds in that, but after the big letdown, it takes work to get there.

Nope!

[kenyaekofi · 1/10 · 7 February 2021]

I hated this movie. Sunset Park is another movie that should be called out as a white savior movie! This movie was very sickening. All the minorities would be fighting each other all the time and one of the black people known as "Shorty" tried to kill someone.🤦🏽 Next it seemed like Shorty and the coach who literally became a informed coach within a few days had a lot of sexual tension like all of these white savior movies. This coach managed to get this bad basketball to the championship game and when they lose she gives a motivational speech to them and tells them she's not leaving the school. Then they rap together. No to this movie 100 times over.

Sunset Park, what crap is this?

[Ysman · 1/10 · 16 February 1999]

OK get past the ludicrous idea of Carla Tortelli as an inner city basketball coach who knows nothing about basketball and you still have a unbelievably poor cliche ridden sports movie that is probably the worst I have ever scene. Rhea should thank her lucky stars that her husband has enough money to produce bombs such as this. Do yourself a favor, don't waste the 99 minutes of your life that it would take to view this film.

A Really Good, Honest, Completely Un-Corny "Hoop Dreams"-like Movie

[EP-C · 10/10 · 26 April 2001]

I really liked this film a lot and I'm extremely disappointed that so many people seem to disagree. I have to admit, I wasn't too interested when I first heard the synopsis -- but "Sunset Park" isn't cornball or predictable like the storyline (or some of the other reviewers) seem to suggest. It's actually a very nuanced, complex, honest, funny, intelligent film. Scenes almost never end the way you expect them to. The coach is NOT a knight in shining armor like so many of the teachers you see in those heroic, one teacher can save the world movies. She is real and complex and has hang-ups and problems (mostly involving men and failure). The basketball players are also all amazingly convincing as genuine adolescent athletes. Their acting is flawlessly natural, almost documentary-like. Their characters have depth and humor and wit. I really became attached to them by the end of the movie and wanted to know more about them and their lives. I can honestly say I didn't want the film to end -- it's a pity that there probably won't be any sequels.

Excellent Movie

[alcon_s · 10/10 · 7 September 2006]

I thought Sunset Park was an excellent movie about high school basketball. The actors did a good job playing roles that honestly were younger than their actual ages. A lot of sports teams have players that disagree with one another and bicker a lot over small stuff. The Sunset Park players were no different and I thought their depiction of this was well done. The scenes were filmed well and I felt like I feel when I am in NYC. I've watched this film 4 times and each time I enjoy it. I also like this movie b/c it takes me back to my early college days when things were really fun.

Also, on the soundtrack, Aaliyah has a hot joint called "Are You Ready". Check for that.

it was a'ight...

[whoTheFuqRyou · 28 June 2004]

Sunset Park left me with a half-satisfied appetite, My one problem was that some of it wasn't filmed in Brooklyn itself and it kinda felt like the bad news bears type of movie BUT, there was good humor mostly from Terence DaShon Howard(Biker Boyz, Dead Presidents) as the smoked out power forward whose name "Spaceman" fits real well especially the part about his hairstyle. Then there's Talent and Antwon Tanner(Never Die Alone, Brother, The Wood) who go line-for-line in some really funny moments. The relationship between the young players is pretty realistic and it really shows when they're on the cheese-bus. De'Aundre Bonds(Tales From The Hood, The Wood) isn't too shabby and has one particular scene that I favored and was able to understand. Also the movie has good cinematography, good music and an un-cliched ending(even tho' sometimes cliches don't ruin films)

Sunset Park could've been a lot better than it was but then again it wasn't all cheese neither and can be put up with, either way it doesn't exceed Above The Rim...