Rez Ball Movie Review: Eventually falls prey to formula, but a winning formula at that

The underdog sports drama is a genre where it is very easy to stick to the working formula. You have the underperforming team or player to root for, the stronger opponent who is a bully, an ego conflict between two players, the no-nonsense coach's climax speech, and then, of course, the tournament finals.

Rez Ball, based on a type of basketball, begins promisingly. We meet not one but two underdogs, Jimmy Holiday (Kauchani Bratt) and Nataanii Jackson (Kusem Goodwind). Fortunately, they are supportive instead of just going at each other, in typical Hollywood fashion. These two have a tender relationship, and through a scene on the basketball court, we understand how they operate in synergy. The game sequences are shot beautifully. We buy the moves and the throws, particularly through camera movements that traverse through almost frozen players. There’s more than enough conflict established to keep us intrigued. Jimmy has issues with his mother (Julia Jones), Nataanii has had a familial tragedy, their coach (Jessica Matten) is going through a breakup, and so on.

Director: Sydney Freeland

Cast: Kauchani Bratt, Jessica Matten, Julia Jones, Kusem Goodwind, Zoey Reyes

What happens when a tragedy strikes Holiday and his basketball team, Chuska Warriors, a Native American team, forms the basic plotline of Rez Ball. The way the news of this tragedy gets unveiled is brilliant. And it occurs at a great time in the film, around 25 minutes into the 110-minute runtime. The rest of the film is about how this tragedy is overcome, and unfortunately, it is as formulaic as it can get. 

All the tropes mentioned earlier are present, and they take place exactly as and when you expect them to. However, how much these films play with these tropes and how well they make us feel for the players decides the overall experience. Rez Ball turns flat and generic after a point. We almost never see the aftermath of the tragedy seeping into the characters, except for some throwaway lines. What makes this team tick and why they deserve to win aren’t explored. The multiple conflict points established aren’t fully realised. And the dialogues get more and more generic. (“A great player is one who makes others play better,"  “The higher you go, the greater you fall.”) Perhaps the film is aware of this: at one point, it just skips to the ninth straight loss of the team. When a character changes their mind at the end, the film doesn’t bother to explain. The reason seems to be: You know these things happen to people in a sports drama, right?

At other points, the film seems hell-bent on making itself resort to tropes. The other players in the team seem pretty cordial with each other at the beginning, but they suddenly become mean and hurl abuses. The screenplay seems to be asking us: How else will you go to the scene where they realise they need to work together as a team and not as individuals? There’s a great conceit about the players using their native language to their advantage, but it doesn’t come back until the last scene. The rest of the players, apart from Jimmy and Nataanii, have nothing going for them other than 'guy who is a social media addict’ or ‘guy who is at loggerheads with Jimmy.’

However, despite being formulaic, this is thankfully a winning formula. Even with these issues, as the film tags along one template scene after another, we still root for it. Maybe, it is the satisfaction of seeing an underdog win. Or maybe, it is the joy of watching well-choreographed sports scenes. When the climax takes place, you can’t help but feel happy and hopeful. But, isn’t that a minimum expectation? When you have a set-up with so much potential, it feels like a letdown. Why run when you could have flown?