Watch Heaven Is a Playground

Heaven Is a Playground is a drama film from 1991, directed by Randall Fried and starring LaTaunya Bounds, Terry Bradley, and Cylk Cozart. The movie is based on a book of the same name by basketball coach Rick Telander. The story revolves around a young man named Zack Telander (played by Bradley), who is a talented basketball player from Chicago. He travels to New York City to spend the summer with his aunt and uncle, who run a summer basketball program in a rough neighborhood of Brooklyn. The program, called "Heaven Is a Playground," is designed to keep kids off the streets and out of trouble by providing them with a safe place to play basketball.

Zack quickly becomes involved with the program and meets a number of other young basketball players from the neighborhood, including a talented player named Butter (played by Cozart) and a girl named Lisa (played by Bounds), who is involved with the program as a cheerleader. Zack and Butter become friends and teammates on the basketball court, and Lisa and Zack develop a romantic relationship.

As the summer progresses, Zack becomes more and more involved with the program, helping his aunt and uncle to run it and coaching the young basketball players. However, he also becomes entangled in the dangerous world of street hustlers and drug dealers who operate in the neighborhood. Zack and his friends become targets of the criminals, who want to exploit their talents for their own gain.

Heaven Is a Playground deals with a number of themes, including the role of sports in inner-city communities, the dangers of drug use and gang activity, and the importance of mentorship and positive role models for young people. The movie paints a gritty and realistic picture of life in a rough urban neighborhood, but also shows the resilience and strength of the people who live there.

The performances in Heaven Is a Playground are generally strong, with Bradley and Cozart both delivering solid performances as the central characters. Bounds is also good as Lisa, although her character is somewhat underdeveloped. The supporting cast, including many young actors from the neighborhood where the movie was filmed, also does a good job of adding authenticity to the film.

The cinematography in Heaven Is a Playground is fairly standard for a low-budget drama from the 1990s, with a lot of handheld camera work and natural lighting. However, the movie does a good job of capturing the energy and excitement of street basketball games, and some of the game sequences are quite thrilling to watch.

One of the strengths of Heaven Is a Playground is its depiction of the complex relationships between the characters. The movie shows how Zack and Butter's friendship is tested by their different backgrounds and goals, and how Lisa's involvement in the basketball program is affected by her turbulent family life. These relationships add depth and nuance to the movie's portrayal of inner-city life.

Overall, Heaven Is a Playground is a solid drama that explores important themes and features strong performances from its cast. While it does feel a bit dated in some ways, particularly in its cinematography and music choices, the movie's message about the power of sports and mentorship is still relevant today. Fans of basketball movies or gritty urban dramas should definitely give it a watch.

Heaven Is a Playground is a 1991 drama with a runtime of 1 hour and 46 minutes. It has received moderate reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 5.8.