The Other Dream Team
The Other Dream Team Image
Metascore
69 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 14 Critics What's this?

User Score
9.8 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 6 Ratings

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0 out of 10
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  • Starring: Arvydas Sabonis, Jonas Valanciunas, Rimas Kurtinaitis, Sarunas Marciulionis
  • Summary: After leading the USSR to a gold medal (and victory over the U.S.A.) at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, Sarunas Marciulionis and Arvydas Sabonis were poster boys for their oppressor’s sports machine. Four year later, after the fall of the Soviet Union, they emerged as symbols of democracy, helping their country break free from the shackles of Communism, and willing newly independent Lithuania to the medal stand at the Barcelona Olympics. The Other Dream Team documents the Lithuanians’ experiences behind the Iron Curtain for 50 years, where elite athletes were subjected to brutalities of Communist rule. As they hid from KGB agents and feared for their lives, Lithuania’s basketball stars always shared a common goal - to utilize their athletic gifts to help free their country. (The Film Arcade)… Expand

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 14
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 14
  3. Negative: 0 out of 14
  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: Peter Hartlaub
    Oct 11, 2012
    100
    It would have been enough for The Other Dream Team to simply pay tribute to the tie-dyed underdogs, but the filmmakers strived for more. Adding detailed historical context, the quirky feel-good story becomes a tragedy and a lesson. And that makes the victories resonate even more.
  2. The Playlist
    Reviewed by: Kevin Jagernauth
    Sep 27, 2012
    83
    Moving, rousing, funny and at times even haunting.
  3. The New York Times
    Reviewed by: Jeannette Catsoulis
    Sep 27, 2012
    60
    Augmented by a trove of archival footage reaching back to the 1930s, Jesse Feldman's buoyant cinematography merges political history and sports mania into a triumphant timeline.

See all 14 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

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Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3 out of 3
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 3
  3. Negative: 0 out of 3
  1. cinemanatomy
    10
    The audience I just saw this film with broke out into applause at the end of it. Through the story of these four basketball players, you're not just learning about the modern history of Lithuania, you find yourself developing a deep sense of pride in a country you've probably never traveled to. I'm not a history buff, I'm not a basketball fan, but I absolutely loved this film.… Expand
  2. jerrycurlan
    10
    Outanding film - and how refreshing to see a massive group of independence movement protesters who can do it with dignity and class rather than as a collection of violent mobs. Great to see Sabonis and the rest of the big 4 Lithuanians from the 88 Soviet team get a chance to do it as an independent country in 92.… Expand
  3. MarcDoyle
    9
    A fantastic athletic/historic documentary - add a point or 2 to my score if you were at least a teenager in the late 80's and like either basketball or the Grateful Dead. It's pretty amazing what these players went through as late as 1991 - going from breadlines to the penthouse, but fearing a permanent trip to Siberia if the wrong party leader looked at you the wrong way.… Expand

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