Michael_Elliott The Air Up There (1994) ** (out of 4)Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon) is a basketball coach who comes under pressure and needs to find a recruit that is going to help his team and his own career. He heads to South Africa where he finds a giant of a man and the coach must convince him to play basketball.THE AIR UP THERE is the type of film that wants to offer up some cheap laughs in a rather cheap story. If you're a fan of Kevin Bacon then you might want to check this film out since he is good in the role of the coach but sadly the oerall impact of the film is quite minor as there's nothing awful here but at the same time there's nothing too good or memorable either.I think the biggest problem with the film is its screenplay, which is pretty standard stuff as we get the coach in trouble, he gets his top recruit and then we have the various dramatic messages that have to come out about building character. The film also falls well short in its attempt at humor and by the time the film is over it just runs on way too long for its own good.

breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com Kevin Bacon is a good actor. He has shown that he has gained considerable experience over time and has picked various films to be in that people always remember him from. But like many other actors, they choose to be in films that are somehow odd concoctions that are questionable to how they were even given a green light. This is one of those strange films. It has plot, but its direction is intriguingly out of place at times. Also for a movie starring Kevin Bacon, it really doesn't showcase him. There's a lot to at look at for what worked and what could've been improved over its flaws.Viewers are introduced to Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon), a selfish, cocky headed recruiter to St. Joe's basketball team. He's been working for several years and feels that when his boss retires, his seat is already set for him. Turns out though, according to his boss, he still "doesn't have what it takes" to lead. Then, out of the blue Jimmy finds what looks like could be a potential recruit for the team, but is quickly shot down from his superior. So being the rebel that he is, he decides to find this recruit anywho on his own. Surprisingly, later on his superior has no problem with what he did. He disobeyed a direct order, which means punishment not reversal of the expected reaction. That's very cliché and unrealistic.The recruit that Jimmy is looking for is an African, specifically in Kenya named Saleh (Charles Gitonga Maina) who has quite a bit of length to his height. Seriously, this guy is TALL. Saleh is apart of a Kenyan tribe called the Winabe and Jimmy hopes to earn their trust. And how better to do that than take part in their traditions and culture. Another cliché aspect to the plot's writing. This is not the first time this kind of experience has been shown, especially with African tribes. Why is it always with the African tribes? Apparently a number of these scenes were supposed to be funny when in fact they come off either unfunny or uncalled for. This movie is rated PG and yet people are cursing, blurting out sexual slang and even a scene with blood involving a knife. How is that acceptable? Who rated this movie?This also demonstrates the incompetence of the director and writer. The writer Max Apple, who only worked on two other productions in his life, didn't make a screenplay with much cleverness or distinguished traits. Most, if not all of it is generic and out of place. Worser so, is that Paul Michael Glaser has flimsy directional skills; especially for accepting Apple's screenplay without even suggesting more rewrites. A big chunk of the story's first two acts focus on Jimmy trying to earn the tribes trust which is out of his own selfish motivations. Who cares, there are other things that could've been looked upon, than it taking up the majority of the running time. Musically speaking, David Newman's score was appropriate to the setting and tried to make it as up beat as possible but it had nothing memorable. The camera work by Dick Pope was acceptable too. A number of shots contained a lot of African terrain and helped at least give the film some scope.Possibly the only character with enough true saving grace to the film is Charles Maina as the Winabe basketball recruit. Saleh as an individual has more charm than any other character in the entire running time. With his selfless personality and genuine smile, it is difficult not to enjoy him when he's on screen. It's shocking actually because again, Kevin Bacon stars in it too, yet he comes off just as generic and boring as the rest of the cast accept Charles Maina. Even weirder is that Maina didn't go on to be anything bigger. How come? The man acted respectively, why shouldn't he be given another chance? It's not a terrible film, but there's nothing that hasn't been presented before. See it for Charles Maina's performance.Even with Kevin Bacon on board, this sports comedy isn't all that funny or entertaining. The only actor to stand out is Charles Maina. The rest of the cast (including Bacon) are average at best with a weak script and misguided direction.

aaginadi I loved this movie. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. Charle Gitonga Maina (Saleh) is absolutely gorgeous! My favorite line is "Are you very sad Jimmy Dolan?" I say this to my husband whose name is Jimmy also, whenever he is upset or mad at me. It always makes us laugh. I have watched this movie at least 25 times although my husband swears it is 125! The little kid that is looking through the window in the clinic is so darn cute, too I loved it all!The man that runs the town is someone you would love to hate and I am glad when Saleh's brother leaves him. The pawn shop part of the movie is very good. I also liked Saleh's father.It is an excellent family movie, I encouraged my grand kids to watch it. Kevin Bacon is a good sport in this movie, it made me like him.

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 (?)