Linsanity (2013)

Best movie of this year hands down!

Simply Perfect

Fresh and Exciting

Absolutely Fantastic

The film chronicles Jeremy Lin's life and basketball career--from his childhood days playing ball through the end of the 2012 basketball season. To do this, Lin himself is interviewed as well as his friends, family and a variety of other sources. This documentary is about Lin--a journeyman NBA player who briefly was a HUGE sensation when he played for the New York Knicks. Despite his bouncing around to a few other teams since this incredible season back in 2012, the story is worth seeing for many reasons--particularly due to Lin's size and his humble pedigree. A 6'3" Asian-American who graduated from Harvard is NOT the sort of guy you'd expect to even play in the NBA--let alone spur on the fans like he did in the 2012 season.This is an enjoyable film overall. The only real negative is that Lin is still young and exactly where his career will go is a great unknown--and so when the film ends, there isn't exactly a sense of where he and his career are going next.

Jeremy Lin is Linsanity. He seemed to be this silent hero in America. His laid back character and nothingness seemed to contribute to our day and age. Within the film shots of this story, there seemed to be a story within a story. Was this movie about Jeremy Lin or was it about basketball or the American Dream or was this whole story about God? Was Jeremy Lin mentally ill or selfish? Was his euphoric state of zoning while he was winning on the basketball court nothing more than a hallucination in the waking sense and was he not only thinking about himself versus the whole team when he prayed to God and let God take over in what Jeremy Lin mentioned as an out of body experience. Is not God to help all team members and opponents and do we not live a life where selflessness versus selfishness is considered to be more holy? Jeremy Lin seemed to lose himself in a religious trance on the basketball court however was the game about Jeremy as an individual or as player in Gods Master Plan? If Jeremy Lin perceives himself merely a player in God's Master Plan for him, does that mean he is merely a puppet and God pulling the strings? Would it not be more human to combine God with self so that man has a say in his own unique narrative? An independent journey laced with divinity.

This story is insane because the phenomena of Linsanity happened despite all of the odds being against it, and this documentary highlights many of those hurdles that didn't get covered by the national press. The story goes way beyond his years at Harvard and dives into the core of Jeremy Lin, which is the foundation of his family and faith. Those two pillars were established in the very early years of his life, even before he picked up a basketball, and were elements that carried him through the low points of his life and helped him push through to the heights that he did achieve."Linsanity" is a must-watch movie because it highlights the real life struggles that are so often 'photoshopped' out by some image-conscious PR firms. Jeremy Lin had struggles and he overcame and that was a recurring theme throughout the documentary.Even those who are following Jeremy's career now see that pattern playing out as he deals with being benched this season, after being the Houston Rockets starter in 2012-2013.You will come away inspired, there is no doubt about it. Some people may be turned off by the obvious faith in God that Jeremy has, but the director is obviously trying to capture what Jeremy himself felt was key to sparking the Linsanity of 2012.

I have no idea how this film can get such a low overall review score. It is by far one of the best films I've seen in the past two decades. What makes it even more exciting is that director Evan Leong and his team started filming way before all the Linsanity hype. Jeremy Lin's story is not just about basketball, it illustrates determination, work ethic, and true resilience in realizing one's dreams. I would recommend this film to people of all ages. It's unfortunate that it is only playing at select theaters, however, I noticed that Amazon and some other sites have an online stream available for purchase - Even though I have seen the film at the Canadian Premiere screening, I am going to watch it again without a doubt. A great underdog story showcasing one of the greatest - yet most humble - players in the NBA. Keep on inspiring Jeremy Lin.