Home of the Giants (2007)

Thanks for the memories!

Great Film overall

Good concept, poorly executed.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

School reporter Robert 'Gar' Gartland (Haley Joel Osment) is best friends with basketball star player Matt Morrison (Ryan Merriman). Gar is attracted to new student Bridgette Bachman (Danielle Panabaker) from California who doesn't understand the fascination with basketball in this Indiana school. Matt's older brother Keith (Kenneth Mitchell) who is estranged from their father gets out of jail early. Keith has a job for them to steal from a drug dealer. Matt pushes Gar to join in the caper. Things go wrong.I really love the noirish crime drama in the middle of the movie. I don't like the happy ending which really screws up the tone of the story. I like Matt's relationship with Keith. Haley Joel Osment has not grown into a great actor. I love the hard-boiled crime thriller so much that I'm willing excuse a lot deficiencies in the rest of the movie.

Home of The Giants uses a High School Basketball team and it's star to tell an amazing story, with one hell of a twist. Matt Morrison (Ryan Merriman) is the king of his High School and the beloved star of his High School Basketball team, but not all is as perfect as it seems. Matt's brother has just been released from prison and needs to pay back some dangerous men. Eric enlists the help of his brother to commit a simple robbery, which doesn't go the way they planned. While Basketball is always a part of the story, and has made Matt a local celebrity, this isn't a movie about Basketball, it's about a boy torn between his dreams and his dysfunctional family. Ryan Merriman stars and he just continues to amaze me with his athletic ability. Merriman started as the lovable pudgy kid in the early 90's TV show, the Mommies. Today, the once chubby child star does almost exclusively sports drama and is really impressive. Whether he's a Basketball player here, a Baseball player in 42, or a Football star in the 5th Quarter, Merriman is skillful and more than believable. Imagine getting to live out your sports fantasies, while acting on the big screen, Merriman clearly loves what he does and it shows. In this film he's assisted by the 25 year old screen veteran, Haley Joel Osment, whose still funny looking. Funny looking, but one terrific actor, Osment gives the film a separate dynamic and whole other back story, that just add to the brilliance of this film. Osment was nominated for an Oscar at age 12, and is still going strong, adding another terrific performance to his resume. Home of The Giants really has something for everyone which includes some great sports drama and an intense background story. This film was released independently and fell below the radar, but it is as well written and exciting as anything you'll see on the big screen, I can't recommend it enough.

I bought this movie for my daughter who is a big Ryan Merriman fan. We thought it was another of those made for Disney Channel type films but I was personally surprised to learn that its actually a pretty well done film noir. Yeah, there are undertones of coming of age and teen sports movies but this is essentially a twisting and turning dark noir tale. The two primary characters played by Merriman and Osmet find themselves in one heckuva gosh awful mess involving robbery, severed fingers, surprises in the night, betrayal, and violence. The way its all resolved will probably astonish you just a bit. I got to say this film is pretty darn unique. I can't think of anything else like. It may not be a great movie but its definitely worth watching and you don't get much good film noir anymore. However, be advised, this is not a film for young kids who enjoyed Merriman in "The Luck of the Irish", or even "Elevator Girl." There are also some funny scenes to balance out some truly suspenseful stuff. Check it out for something different

Written and Directed by Rusty Gorman and starring Haley Joel Osment "Home of the Giants' proves to be more than just a basketball movie - it's a thriller full of suspense and action drama.Haley Joel Osment is fantastic as 'Gar', Robert Gartland. Osment has successfully made the transition from cute to handsome. In "home of the Giants" he plays the role of a high school journalist who's best friend and 'hero', Matt Morrison (Ryan Merriman) is the school basketball team's star player. Both Osment and Merriman give excellent performances.The friendship of these best friends is pushed to its limits when they become involved with Matt's criminal brother Keith (Kenneth Mitchell).This coming-of-age film has plenty of twits and turns and will keep you in suspense right until the very end.