Pistol: The Birth of a Legend (1991)

Pete Maravich was an amazing player--a guy whose college basketball average was a shade over 44 points per game! In the pros, he was also an amazing player and I was fortunate enough to be able to see him play when I was a kid. Unfortunately, Maravich died during a pick-up game when he was only 40--dead due to an undiagnosed heart ailment. This movie about his experience playing first year varsity basketball is a homage to his talents, though I think the man probably deserved a bit better than this.The boy playing Maravich, Adam Guier, was terrific. His ability to handle the ball made him a joy to watch. So why am I a bit cold about this movie? Well, the script and especially the style of the film are a bit wanting. The film too often relies on hip music, montages and clichés. Additionally, while I am sure Maravich was incredible at this age, the film never shows him once missing a shot...not even once out of several dozen shots!! This all work together to create a film that might entertain kids but which also just cannot be taken very seriously. Not a bad film...just not a very impressive one either.By the way, the choice of the narrator was interesting. Tom Lester (Eb Dawson from "Green Acres") was chosen and it did make me laugh to hear him speaking as the grown up Maravich.

The guy from Chicago doesn't know what he's talking about. He is probably looking for special effects and watches too many star wars flicks. The movie is a great family film and I was captivated from beginning to end. The young Pete has a lot of talent too. The movie should motivate kids to shoot for the impossible and dreams can be realized as well. The movie was heartwarming and I liked the characters very much. The DVD also contains actual clips when he was a player and also has Pete's testimony as a born again Christian. He shares his faith and this is what is important to him. There are many other clips or extra's that give you a feel for what the man has accomplished and to understand how great an athlete he was.

I enjoyed this video. The movie-making quality is not the highest, and the acting is undoubtedly less than stellar. However, I found that this movie had a lot of heart. It is a much better family movie than many others out there, with no profanity and little violence. I'd recommend this movie to anyone who has an interest in Pete Maravich and his life.This movie was made to describe the basketball history of Pete Maravich, and shows a special relationship between Pete and his father, which I thought was refreshing. It's a joy to see a parent who did his best to establish common ground with his child so that they could relate to each other. So if you're interested in basketball, go ahead and check this movie out. You may find yourself charmed by the innocence in the story of the young Pete Maravich.

This film is one of the few & best movies made to portray any type of sporting legend! The Pistol follows the dreams, struggles & inspirations of a young Pete Maravich growing up to eventually become the master showman and basketball legend we all know him by today. As a kid myself (at the time i first saw this film) living in Australia who loved and played a lot of basketball, i was totally unaware that Pete Maravich even existed. After watching the film with all its captivating drills and challenges between Pete and his father, i was not only glad to have been introduced to Pete's story, but i will never want to forget it. With the films dazzling basketball scenes of a young pistol (played by Adam Guier) out-training and out-performing everyone in the basketball community, this movie carries a simple and memorable message of following ones dreams with the guidance of those closest to you. As a well travelled basketball player in Australia, i was surprised that many of the country's young and elite talents have not heard of Pete Maravich. This is unfortunate, as his real life story portrayed in this film is really inspirational and shows the appreciation Pete played in the history and shaping of todays game - worldwide. Perhaps a little conversation as well as some recommended viewing of the released DVD on my part will hopefully shed some light on the Pistol Pete story! or at least here downunder. I definitely recommend this film to anyone who has an interest in basketball and everyone else due to its family orientation as well. 10 OUT OF 10