Tedfoldol everything you have heard about this movie is true.

Jakoba True to its essence, the characters remain on the same line and manage to entertain the viewer, each highlighting their own distinctive qualities or touches.

Guillelmina The film's masterful storytelling did its job. The message was clear. No need to overdo.

Scarlet The film never slows down or bores, plunging from one harrowing sequence to the next.

Michael_Elliott The Air Up There (1994) ** (out of 4)Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon) is a basketball coach who comes under pressure and needs to find a recruit that is going to help his team and his own career. He heads to South Africa where he finds a giant of a man and the coach must convince him to play basketball.THE AIR UP THERE is the type of film that wants to offer up some cheap laughs in a rather cheap story. If you're a fan of Kevin Bacon then you might want to check this film out since he is good in the role of the coach but sadly the oerall impact of the film is quite minor as there's nothing awful here but at the same time there's nothing too good or memorable either.I think the biggest problem with the film is its screenplay, which is pretty standard stuff as we get the coach in trouble, he gets his top recruit and then we have the various dramatic messages that have to come out about building character. The film also falls well short in its attempt at humor and by the time the film is over it just runs on way too long for its own good.

keith-774 Sometimes I wonder about reviewers. Too many reviewers here focus on the fact that The Air Up There isn't Academy Award material. Tough bananas you party poopers! The Air Up There is one of my favorite popcorn movies. What's a popcorn movie? It's a movie you can enjoy mid-afternoon with your family when you want to avoid the rest of the world for a couple of hours (the modern descendant of matinée movies). The fictional Winabi tribe and African actors and actresses were absolutely charming playing a tribe whose life is considerably simpler than the average American family's. They're happy! and that makes connecting with them when simple crises arise much simpler. The movie is your standard underdog-takes-the-day movie with moral messages about prejudice, commitment, greed, duty, and family. A fun and enjoyable watch for people looking to rest for a moment. And what can I say to the gratefully few miserable, self-important reviewers on this list but, "lighten up!"

breakdownthatfilm-blogspot-com Kevin Bacon is a good actor. He has shown that he has gained considerable experience over time and has picked various films to be in that people always remember him from. But like many other actors, they choose to be in films that are somehow odd concoctions that are questionable to how they were even given a green light. This is one of those strange films. It has plot, but its direction is intriguingly out of place at times. Also for a movie starring Kevin Bacon, it really doesn't showcase him. There's a lot to at look at for what worked and what could've been improved over its flaws.Viewers are introduced to Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon), a selfish, cocky headed recruiter to St. Joe's basketball team. He's been working for several years and feels that when his boss retires, his seat is already set for him. Turns out though, according to his boss, he still "doesn't have what it takes" to lead. Then, out of the blue Jimmy finds what looks like could be a potential recruit for the team, but is quickly shot down from his superior. So being the rebel that he is, he decides to find this recruit anywho on his own. Surprisingly, later on his superior has no problem with what he did. He disobeyed a direct order, which means punishment not reversal of the expected reaction. That's very cliché and unrealistic.The recruit that Jimmy is looking for is an African, specifically in Kenya named Saleh (Charles Gitonga Maina) who has quite a bit of length to his height. Seriously, this guy is TALL. Saleh is apart of a Kenyan tribe called the Winabe and Jimmy hopes to earn their trust. And how better to do that than take part in their traditions and culture. Another cliché aspect to the plot's writing. This is not the first time this kind of experience has been shown, especially with African tribes. Why is it always with the African tribes? Apparently a number of these scenes were supposed to be funny when in fact they come off either unfunny or uncalled for. This movie is rated PG and yet people are cursing, blurting out sexual slang and even a scene with blood involving a knife. How is that acceptable? Who rated this movie?This also demonstrates the incompetence of the director and writer. The writer Max Apple, who only worked on two other productions in his life, didn't make a screenplay with much cleverness or distinguished traits. Most, if not all of it is generic and out of place. Worser so, is that Paul Michael Glaser has flimsy directional skills; especially for accepting Apple's screenplay without even suggesting more rewrites. A big chunk of the story's first two acts focus on Jimmy trying to earn the tribes trust which is out of his own selfish motivations. Who cares, there are other things that could've been looked upon, than it taking up the majority of the running time. Musically speaking, David Newman's score was appropriate to the setting and tried to make it as up beat as possible but it had nothing memorable. The camera work by Dick Pope was acceptable too. A number of shots contained a lot of African terrain and helped at least give the film some scope.Possibly the only character with enough true saving grace to the film is Charles Maina as the Winabe basketball recruit. Saleh as an individual has more charm than any other character in the entire running time. With his selfless personality and genuine smile, it is difficult not to enjoy him when he's on screen. It's shocking actually because again, Kevin Bacon stars in it too, yet he comes off just as generic and boring as the rest of the cast accept Charles Maina. Even weirder is that Maina didn't go on to be anything bigger. How come? The man acted respectively, why shouldn't he be given another chance? It's not a terrible film, but there's nothing that hasn't been presented before. See it for Charles Maina's performance.Even with Kevin Bacon on board, this sports comedy isn't all that funny or entertaining. The only actor to stand out is Charles Maina. The rest of the cast (including Bacon) are average at best with a weak script and misguided direction.

aaginadi I loved this movie. It is one of my favorite movies of all time. Charle Gitonga Maina (Saleh) is absolutely gorgeous! My favorite line is "Are you very sad Jimmy Dolan?" I say this to my husband whose name is Jimmy also, whenever he is upset or mad at me. It always makes us laugh. I have watched this movie at least 25 times although my husband swears it is 125! The little kid that is looking through the window in the clinic is so darn cute, too I loved it all!The man that runs the town is someone you would love to hate and I am glad when Saleh's brother leaves him. The pawn shop part of the movie is very good. I also liked Saleh's father.It is an excellent family movie, I encouraged my grand kids to watch it. Kevin Bacon is a good sport in this movie, it made me like him.