Ball Don't Lie (2009)

Synopsis: BALL DON'T LIE plays out over one day in the life of Sticky (film newcomer and streetball legend Grayson "The Professor" Boucher), a skinny 17-year-old high school junior and basketball prodigy... BALL DON'T LIE plays out over one day in the life of Sticky (film newcomer and streetball legend Grayson "The Professor" Boucher), a skinny 17-year-old high school junior and basketball prodigy from Venice, California. Burdened with emotional scars from early life tragedy, a callous foster care system, and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder, Sticky manages to transcend his limitations whenever he has a ball in his hands.

It is in Lincoln Rec Center, a legendary gym run by the quirky, temperamental Jimmy (Harold Perrineau) and known as a birthplace to great players, where Sticky hones his hoops skills as the lone white face on the court. It's a dangerous environment filled with shattered dreams, deluded life-visions and frustrated egos. There are no shortcuts here and fisticuffs are often the norm. On the surface, Sticky has no business at Lincoln, but his immense heart keeps driving him back to improve his game. Over time, he has gone from suspicious stranger to family member on this seasoned hardwood.

Sticky's girlfriend Annie has her birthday today and Sticky has until nightfall to buy her the perfect gift – a $350 necklace. Standing in his way is the age-old problem: He lacks funds. His plan is to get his workout in and then uncover the means to buy the gift.

A series of the day's manhood-testing pick-up games spawn flashbacks to defining moments from Sticky's past. He struggles with painful early memories of an unhinged, prostitute mother (Emilie de Ravin) and her abusive boyfriend (Nick Cannon), a situation that forced him into the foster system. He recalls a nurturing time with kind and wealthy Francine (Rosanna Arquette), only to have this mother figure snatched away by cancer. He dredges up his rejection by a barren couple (Ricardo Chavira and Dania Ramirez) that caused him to begin to wall himself off from any kind of human contact.

While Sticky navigated one unfair and untenable situation after another, he did manage to locate a few mentors in highly unlikely places. Julius (Chris "Ludacris" Bridges), a social worker at his group home introduces him to basketball and accidentally creates a potential star. As Sticky's game improves, he discovers Lincoln Rec and meets Dante (Cress Williams), a former overseas pro who watches his back and gives him well- intentioned, sometimes misguided, worldly advice.

As Sticky worries about getting Annie her gift, he flashes back to meeting her. The relationship with Annie, a classmate in awe of his moves on the court, ignited swiftly and burned hot. Sexual intimacy came fast, and while Annie quickly became one of the most important people in his life, Sticky is still unable to completely give himself over to her. Annie struggles with Sticky's indifference, her feelings further complicated by her growing anxiety that she may be pregnant with his child.

At the end of the day, after being roughed up on the court at Lincoln and still with no money for Annie's gift, a desperate Sticky takes Dante's advice and robs a man on the street. This victim turns out to be a bad choice. The man chases Sticky down and, in the ensuing scuffle, shoots Sticky in the hand.

A concerned Annie finds Sticky in a hospital room. The gravity of the situation hits Sticky and he suddenly feels the full weight of all the years of neglect on his young shoulders. In the cold, sterile corners of this room, Sticky will finally raise the courage to confront childhood demons. In this moment, he is able to lay his self-blame to rest, crumbling his tough, defensive wall in the process. Most importantly, for the first time, Sticky is able to both literally and symbolically reach out for Annie, thus trusting himself and his fragile psyche with another person. It is this successful connection with another, enabled by his biggest and most important mentor, the game, that Sticky can overcome life's ills and truly make himself a man. --© Official Site [More]

Starring: Grayson Boucher, Kim Hidalgo, Rosanna Arquette, Emilie de Ravin

Starring: Grayson Boucher, Kim Hidalgo, Rosanna Arquette, Emilie de Ravin, Harold Perrineau, Nick Cannon, Mykelti Williamson

Director: Brin Hill

Director: Brin Hill
Screenwriter: Brin Hill, Matt de la Peña

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