The Game is all that matters. It is filled with endless fascination, boundless energy and skill, and oodles of surprises. The Game is what we play sports for, and no one can ever convince us otherwise. Few documentaries go all out to catch the dynamism, the contradictions, and the thrill of the Game. This one does, and Ward Serrill captures and conveys the excitements and the passions of basketball as played by high school girls.

It is hard to be a player but even more of a stretch is coaching. You have to love not only the Game but all the mystery that goes with it. You have to give until there is no more to give. You have to appreciate all the players, even the ones who wish they could play better than they can. In this documentary, Bill Resler is a towering and crazy coach of Seattle's Roosevelt High School's Roughriders. One thing he's got is passion, and he tries to psych his players. During one year, the girls are ordered to see themselves as a pack of wolves. Another year, they are a pride of lions. "Look in their eyes," he admonishes them. Always, he inspires the Roughriders to play their best. That is an intangible asset in a coach.

Resler finds himself blessed when Darnellia Russell arrives at school and during her freshman year dazzles everyone with her skills on the court. She's a natural. She understands intuitively that the heart of the Game is the heart. It is the command post that makes heroes on the court. It creates the magic of teamwork and the beauty of individual excellence. It cannot be programmed or assessed rationally.

Sometimes Resler goes too far and crosses the line with his zeal to win. Sometimes Darnellia gets too caught up in her moods and her need to be free. But this coach and this basketball player make beautiful music together in this thrilling documentary. Why? Because they both give themselves up to the Game.


Special DVD features include a commentary by director Ward Serrill; deleted scenes with optional audio commentary; the making of The Heart of the Game; Beyond The Heart of the Game including interviews with Chris "Ludacris" Bridges, Coach Bill Resler, and Darnelia Russell.