Linsanity

Produced by 408 Films and Arowana Films, 2013. PG. 89 minutes. 

Any basketball fans out there? If so, you will probably know exactly what the title means. For those who do not, the word is a play on the name of an unusual basketball player who, without a lot of playing time as a pro, has built a fairly sizeable and very loyal following. 

Why unusual? For one thing, Jeremy Lin’s parents are Asian immigrants. There have been few Asians in the NBA’s history. For another, Lin is an active, outspoken Christian and an all-around fine young man who has had to overcome some serious obstacles to reach his goals. 

“Linsanity” is a well-crafted documentary that showcases Lin well. Not much of a sports fan, I thoroughly enjoyed the movie — but there are enough scenes from basketball games to engage basketball fans. My one disappointment with this film is a couple of words that, though used regularly on network television, seem out of place in a movie like this. If your youth pastor can “bleep” out these words, the DVD would be excellent to show to the youth group.