The Year of the Yao (2004)

When a movie has you begging for it to end not even half way through it's pure crap. We've all seen this movie and this characters millions of times, nothing new in it. Don't waste your time.

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

If you like to be scared, if you like to laugh, and if you like to learn a thing or two at the movies, this absolutely cannot be missed.

Blistering performances.

Year of the Yao was a spectacular movie. While most fans who have follow Yao's path from China to America would not learn much new information, the way the film captured the intensity of the time was magnificent. All that pressure that Yao was facing at the time became so tangible when watching the movie - seeing Yao carry the dreams of an entire nation as he came into the NBA. All in all, the movie was very inspirational. The numerous hardships Yao had to endure, from the expectations of his homeland to his first few extraordinary clumsy games to the match up with the "Shaq" instills us a sense of possibility, of how people can rise to any challenges and win.

I saw this movie was produced by the NBA and thought it would be some typically slick merchandising PR, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's not overly thoughtful, but given the fact that it's done by the NBA, it offers a fairly insightful look into the life of Yao Ming and to a great degree his translator, Colin Pine. It tracks them and we get a good look at Yao's dry humor which has revealed itself over his stellar five plus years in the league. We see the crucial role which Pine plays in Yao's first year, perhaps more in helping Yao familiarize himself more culturally with the country. Yao seems to understand a fair amount of English from early on (those of us hoops fans remember his ability to understand spoken questions from reporters) even if he is less confident answering in English (as I can attest is a common occurrence from having taught English in a foreign country) but the cultural adaptations are more pronounced and Pine seems to be a great help to Yao, simply in offering moral support, and quite simply, a friend to a man in a new country. Yao is endlessly patient and puts up with all kinds of celebrity and fawning attention. The people in the basketball organization for which Yao works come across very well, understanding, before the media and many fans did, that Yao could really play. They are very supportive and generous and do what they can to make the big man feel at home. Watching basketball as much as I do, I remember this comradery and watching Yao, realizing that for such a big man, he had a very sensitive touch around the basket and very soft hands which would serve him well in the NBA. That said, you don't need to know a thing about basketball or Yao Ming in order to enjoy this film. It's essentially the story of a man adapting to some serious culture shock, in the midst of about the brightest klieg light imaginable from the media, and doing it about as gracefully as possible.

I thought that overall this was a great movie. And that's coming from a guy who doesn't know much of anything when it comes to basketball. Both people who know basketball and those who don't will enjoy this film. It's not only about basketball, in fact, not very much so but more about the life and the transition from China to the US for Yao Ming. It's a great story and the way the story was told makes it much more exciting than your average documentary. You're really able to get into the movie and get a glimpse of what Yao' life was like for him in his first year in the NBA. Again, this is a great movie that's not only intended for basketball fans but anyone really.

Year of the Yao was a nice peak into the world of Yao Ming, as well as the life of an NBA player in general. The ribbing between Yao Ming and his teammate Cuttino Mobley is amusing, and the fact that Yao speaks in proverbs at times is funny, if only for it being unintentionally stereotypical.Yao comes off as an amazingly humble, gentle man, who deserves all the success in the world, and who you actually want to see overcome these tremendous hurdles placed in front of him.The finish is almost anti-climatic, with the Rockets failing to qualify as the 8th seed in the playoffs, but the goodbye between Yao Ming and his interpreter (and friend) Colin Pine is a touching moment. The game footage is entertaining, especially if you're a Rockets fan, and I defy anyone to come away from this movie without tremendous respect and adoration for Yao Ming. From casual fan to NBA fanatic, I think every viewer will find something enjoyable in this movie.