The Air Up There
The Air Up There
PG | 07 January 1994 (USA)
The Air Up There Trailers

Jimmy Dolan is a college basketball coach who wants a big promotion. To get it, he needs to make a dramatic find. He ends up deep in Africa, hoping to recruit Saleh, a huge basketball prodigy Jimmy glimpsed in a home movie. But Saleh is the chief's son and has responsibilities at home, since the tribe's land is threatened by a mining company with its own hotshot basketball team.

Reviews
Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic
Freaktana A Major Disappointment
Bluebell Alcock Ok... Let's be honest. It cannot be the best movie but is quite enjoyable. The movie has the potential to develop a great plot for future movies
Juana what a terribly boring film. I'm sorry but this is absolutely not deserving of best picture and will be forgotten quickly. Entertaining and engaging cinema? No. Nothing performances with flat faces and mistaking silence for subtlety.
MAStalling I loved this movie and watch it over and over. A real classic with reluctant heroes, bad guys, comic relief and very pertinent underlying morals. No sex, vulgarity or graphic violence. Just a great plot, good acting, great directing and gorgeous scenery. It contains all the elements I love in a movie that run you through the gamut of laughter, anger, sadness and joy. Paul Michael Glaser did a tremendous job in capturing the essence of Kenya and it's people. We visited Kenya last year and now I even enjoy the movie more, if that's possible. I don't think it's meant to be a side splitting comedy. Kevin Bacon's performance was great. You really believed he was an arrogant basketball coach with a superior attitude. It's wonderful what going back to the cradle of civilization will do towards humbling even the most haughty. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants a taste of a good quality flick.
786isa 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 (?)
MovieAddict2016 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.3/5Not great, but good.
jdowling 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.