Movie1994·US·1h 47min

The Air Up There

Name: The Air Up There
Genre: Comedy, Family
Released: 1994-01-07T00:00:00Z
Duration: 107 min
Rating: 6.21
Cast: Kevin Bacon, Paul Michael Glaser, Charles Gitonga Maina, Yolanda Vazquez, Mabutho 'Kid' Sithole

Jimmy Dolan went to recruit a new player. What he found was a whole new ballgame.

Comedy Family

6.2/ 10

167 votes

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Premiere

Jan1994

Studios

Hollywood Pictures Interscope Communications Longview Entertainment NBB Unit One Film Partners Nomura Babcock & Brown PolyGram Filmed Entertainment

Box office×1.24

Budget$17M

Gross$21M

About

Synopsis

The Air Up There (1994) is a family sports comedy you can watch online on iFILM. Jimmy Dolan is an assistant basketball coach chasing a promotion, and his career has stalled. One spectacular recruit could fix everything — a player nobody in the college game has seen.

Dolan (Kevin Bacon) spots a towering young Kenyan named Saleh on a grainy home movie, dunking like it's nothing, and flies to Africa to talk him into coming to the States. But Saleh is a chief's son with duties at home. A mining company wants the tribe's land and brings its own basketball squad to settle the matter, so the real contest ends up being decided on a dirt court.

Paul Michael Glaser directed, and Kenyan newcomer Charles Gitonga Maina took the lead role of Saleh. The film is earnest and predictable, and its idea of "wild Africa" hasn't aged well, yet Bacon and a final game with clear stakes give it a stubborn charm. Stream The Air Up There (1994) online on iFILM.

Cast