A documentary by Kristopher Belman. Featuring LeBron James. Rated G. Opens Friday, October 30, at the Cinemark Tinseltown

The skill and charisma of young LeBron James certainly wasn’t lost on documentarian Kristopher Belman, who had what it took to foresee James’s brilliant career and follow him and his grade-school teammates for seven years—long enough to see the hottest underage basketballer ever go directly from tenement living to NBA glory.

In the Akron, Ohio, area where this was shot, perhaps even more phenomenal was that our future superman was only one of four, later five, kids who were the core of the most well-oiled team in high-school basketball. The director, also from Akron, spent just as much time with players Sian Cotton, Willie McGee, Romeo Travis, and diminutive point guard Dru Joyce (whose father took over coaching the team and presides over More Than a Game with the eyes of a concerned preacher).

The sometimes rough-looking film is most engaging when examining family dynamics, and it’s a pleasure to follow an inner-city tale that is populated with supportive, caring figures (most of them men). LeBron’s history with his troubled single mother is hinted at, and this gives us some idea what’s behind some of the star’s iffy behaviour lately. Unfortunately, potentially deeper insights are buried by Belmont’s slick editing choices and the weepy soundtrack strings that pump up dime-store inspiration. At least we learn something substantial about our Fab Five, which is more than one can say about any white guys on their team. Their parents seemingly never bothered to name them, let alone hand out fascinating back stories.