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source: The Fab Five

I am not particularly a sports fan, yet I always find ESPN's "30 for 30" series to be fascinating and well made. "The Fab Five" is no exception, as it's very interesting...but also like some of these film, a bit sad. The film is about a group of five freshmen with Michigan University that managed to do the unthinkable when all five ended up starting for the team that same year. Normally, a college team in this era might have one freshman starter--but never before five! This story is about the history of this group of men who rose to ALMOST the top and then tumbled down quite unexpectedly. I would say more about all this but considering you might not be familiar with the story, I'll just leave it at this. Like other "30 for 30" shows, this one is expertly crafted and is very professional. My only complaint, and it is not a big one, is why was Ice Cube interviewed for the film? He wasn't one of the 'fab five' nor was he closely associated with them (at least you gather this when you watch the film). Interesting from start to finish and very sad in quite a few ways.

Fab Five, The (2011) *** 1/2 (out of 4) Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose, Jimmy King and Ray Jackson went to the University of Michigan and became known as the "Fab Five" but their great story would end in scandal and infamy. Most will remember Webber called a time-out the team didn't have, which helped lose the National Championship to North Carolina. Years later it would turn out that Weber was paid for being at the school and this resulted the the NCAA coming down on the program and clearing away all mention of the group and their accomplishments. I remember watching many basketball games as a young kid but the infamous championship game with the time out is the first one where the entire thing sticks in my mind. Even watching the clips today you can't help but tell yourself that this time Webber isn't going to call a time out but of course it plays out the same way year and year but you can't help but still feel the drama and shock. It should be noted that Webber refused to be interviewed for this film so that leaves a major gap in what should have been the definitive look at the Fab Five. Howard, Rose, King, Jackson and coach Steve Fisher are all interviewed and share their thoughts on how they all ended up at Michigan and what those two loses in the championship game meant. The director does a very good job at showing the history of the program and showing the impact these five freshmen had on the game. We hear about them changing the style and look of basketball but we also get to see some letters that Michigan "fans" sent where they were quite obviously racist and didn't appreciate these guys bringing a rap-style to the school. There's no question that the highlight of the film is that now infamous game against North Carolina and it's a shame Webber refused to be interviewed. It's a shame further because of the black cloud that hangs over him and the school and it's something that still hasn't been cleared up and it might not ever be. One of the other interesting ideas is hatred shown at Duke. Someone hating Duke isn't that shocking since people love to hate them but I was a little shocked to hear some of the comments coming from the players including Rose calling black players that went to Duke "Uncle Tom's". THE FAB FIVE isn't definitive due to Webber not taking place but it's still a highly entertaining look at these five freshmen who certainly left a mark on their sport.

This film was phenomenal. I was literally blown away by the impact it had on me. Growing up as a kid during all of this I remember vividly how wildly popular and influential The Fab Five was to American culture. They literally revolutionized basketball. Whether you like it or not. From the way they dressed, the way they walked, the way they talked, they way they played. Completely never seen before. The baggy shorts, the black socks, the ball heads in unison, the trash talking, the swagger, the pride, the flamboyance, it was hard to get any of this from professional teams much less FIVE FRESHMEN IN COLLEGE. Look at how the game is played today ON ANY LEVEL, look at how players dress, how they walk and talk about basketball. I guarantee you it's an uncanny resemblance or two to these guys. And this documentary captured that magic effortlessly. And made you feel how INCREDIBLE HUGE what they did was. They dealt with racism, exploitation, ups, downs, sensationalism, and vanity. It is truly a remarkable once in the a lifetime story. And this was truly a once in a lifetime movie. Incredible.

This documentary needed to be done. There is no denying the transcendent influence that the Fab Five have had on college basketball. They made baggy shorts and black socks cool. They embraced hip hop, trash talking and tattoos. They talked the talk, and more importantly, they walked the walk. It's quite astounding to comprehend what these guys accomplished on the floor at such a young age. During the '92 and '93 seasons, Michigan combined for more than 50 wins and made consecutive trips to the National Championship game -- all while relying almost exclusively on teenagers. In one particular regular season contest, 100% of the Wolverines' points were tallied by the ultra-talented freshman...amazing. Almost every college basketball fan would be able to name all Fab Five members with little effort, but most would struggle to name the starting rotation of the teams that beat them in consecutive national championship games. That's how popular these guys were/are. One of the most interesting portions of the program was when Jalen Rose (executive producer) called black players that attended Duke "Uncle Toms," yet his running mate for two years, Chris Webber, considered Duke and even took an official visit to the campus. For some reason this contradiction was never exposed during the interview process. Despite this vexing omission, I thought the remainder of the dialogue was done quite well. The honesty from the players, especially when describing their thoughts on Christian Laettner, was candid, and if anything else, entertaining. The final "Chapter" of this film explored the controversial relationship Rose and Webber had with a Detroit millionaire (his name escapes me at the moment). According to several sources, Webber and Rose were given monetary "gifts" from this man while in college. Under oath, Rose -- who apparently received far less cash than Webber -- admitted to his transgressions and has moved on from the incident. Webber, though, denied taking the $200,000 in question and was later charged with perjury and sentenced to hundreds of hours of community to service. To this day, his stance hasn't changed on the matter and the Final Four banners from his two seasons in Ann Arbor remain rolled up in a dusty library basement. SIDE NOTE: Chris Webber, Juwan Howard, Jalen Rose and Jimmy King were national top 15 recruits as seniors. Ray Jackson was Texas' top prep and ranked 48th. Even top-tier programs like Duke, North Carolina, Kansas, Kentucky and Ohio State rarely attract more than two top 20 recruits in a given class.