Touches You

Powerful

Great Film overall

Although it has its amusing moments, in eneral the plot does not convince.

Kevin Bacon totally dominates this film. In fact, he's the only "name" actor in it. You won't recognize anybody else in here.The story is lightweight entertainment with the most notable aspect being the African music, which is very good and a small tour of Kenya, which is interesting, both with beauty and poverty.Bacon plays as basketball assistant coach, an ex-point guard, who goes to Africa to recruit this great player "Saleh" (Charles Gitangra Marina) for his team back in the States. The adventures of the trip pretty much are the story.One negative: another irreverent slam to get a few cheap laughs at the Catholic church. A nun in here uses profanity and gives Bacon a big kiss on the lips. It's one more example of trying to make clerical people appear worldly like the rest of us.

College coaches are known for going to great lengths to woo their recruits. They meet the family, the athlete, and try to present themselves as being just like them, with similar views and values. They kiss up to the parents while singing the praises of the fine institution which pays them. In Jimmy Dolan's (Kevin Bacon) case, his limits are tested when he finds a star player, Saleh (Charles Gitonga Maina) in a documentary video of an African school sponsored by an American. Once he sees Saleh, it's off to Kenya.In Kenya, Dolan meets with the predictable culture shock and skepticism/hostility from the locals, who wonder why a white guy from America would travel all the way to their land. He "befriends" the local nun/missionary, Sister Susan (Yolanda Vasquez), who advises him of the futility of trying to recruit the firstborn son of the tribe leader, who is duty-bound to his people. Enter an evil mining-company owner from a neighboring tribe who is trying to steal the Winabe tribe's lane, however, and the next thing we know, Dolan has joined the Winabe tribe (a swipe at American coaches who no doubt have bonded with their recruits in similar ways), and is their player-coach for the big game, a game where the Winabe land and Saleh's promise to play at St. Joe's if they win are on the line.Bacon captures Dolan's essence very well, as an unsympathetic character placed into a very sympathetic situation. The movie is his coming-of-age tale, as we watch him mature from self-centered assistant coach to full-fledged mentor.

I loved this movie and watch it over and over. A real classic with reluctant heroes, bad guys, comic relief and very pertinent underlying morals. No sex, vulgarity or graphic violence. Just a great plot, good acting, great directing and gorgeous scenery. It contains all the elements I love in a movie that run you through the gamut of laughter, anger, sadness and joy. Paul Michael Glaser did a tremendous job in capturing the essence of Kenya and it's people. We visited Kenya last year and now I even enjoy the movie more, if that's possible. I don't think it's meant to be a side splitting comedy. Kevin Bacon's performance was great. You really believed he was an arrogant basketball coach with a superior attitude. It's wonderful what going back to the cradle of civilization will do towards humbling even the most haughty. I highly recommend this movie to anyone who wants a taste of a good quality flick.

Basketball in Kenya makes it look unique. If you're looking to veg-out with a cute flick, it's OK. It uses a formulaic approach. And the ending is predictable.