April 15, 2005 | You don’t have to be a rabid hoops fanatic – heck, you don’t even have to know the difference between slam dunking and slam dancing – to have a great time with The Year of the Yao, a hugely entertaining documentary about the amazing Asian phenom known as Yao Ming. To be sure, the movie plays more like an officially authorized biography than an objective in-depth portrait. (What else would you expect from a project co-produced by NBA Productions?) But never mind: There’s more than enough drama on and off the court to sustain interest throughout this up-close and personal portrait of the first Chinese-born player ever to vie for superstardom in the National Basketball Association.
Co-directed by James D. Stern and Adam Del Deo, Year of the Yao follows the seven-foot, six-inch basketballer through the grueling games and cultural shocks that defined his first NBA season. The story begins with his June 2002 selection as a first-round draft pick by the Houston Rockets (depicted here as fallen-from-grace ex-champs desperate to ignite their faded glory). Quicker than you can yell “I love this game,” Yao, then 22, finds himself shoved into the harsh glare of an international spotlight. Back home, Chinese fans (and, of course, image-conscious bureaucrats) are eager for their homeboy to honorably represent all 1.2 billion of his countrymen. In the U.S., however, more than a few observers, including sports commentator and ex-Rocket Charles Barkley, cynically question whether the big guy can play with sufficient skill and intensity to master the NBA version of the game.
For a distressingly long period during pre- and early-season games, Yao lives down to worst expectations as he struggles to find a comfort zone with new teammates in an unfamiliar environment. Indeed, his early efforts to play “American style” (i.e., trash-talking, in-your-face aggressive) are so wobbly that the notoriously voluble Barkley impulsively promises to kiss the backside of a fellow TNT cable network commentator if Yao ever has a 19-point game. To his credit, Barkley fulfills his end of the bargain (a hilarious moment duly included in the movie) after Yao finally catches fire on the court.
Despite his extremely limited command of English – remember, this was his first season — Yao comes across as immensely engaging in his dogged determination and self-mocking humor. Year of the Yao stops well short of offering deep-dish psychological insights, but strongly suggests that Yao’s disciplined upbringing by proud parents (who accompany him to Houston) and his own self-directed work ethic give him strength to perform gracefully under the pressures fueled by high expectations of fans in China and Houston. Indeed, Yao even maintains his cool during his first much-hyped match-ups with his natural rival: then-L.A. Laker Shaquille O’Neal, the game’s dominant big center.
Without stinting on sports action and talking-heads commentary – everyone from Bill Clinton to Yahoo! co-founder Jerry Yang get to weigh in with comments on the Chinese-born phenom – the makers of Year of the Yao smartly focus on the symbiotic relationship between Yao and another rookie: Colin Pine, a Mandarin-conversant Baltimore native who was ready to attend law school when offered the opportunity to work as Yao’s translator. Early on, the affable, boyish-looking Pine freely admits he’s not a sports expert: “Chinese was my second language, basketball was my third.” But he’s a quick study.
The scenes showing how Pine faces his own challenges while helping Yao cope with the stresses of an NBA career (and such extracurricular activities as commercial endorsements) are the compelling heart and soul of this slickly polished documentary. In the funniest scenes, Pine introduces Yao to Taco Bell – which the basketballer finds less than satisfying – and explains the concept of road rage while driving Houston highways. Yao, it should be noted, also is a quick study.
