Father and child sit together smiling while looking at a smart phone.

Want more recommendations for your family?

Sign up for our weekly newsletter for entertainment inspiration

Parents' Guide to

The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Inspiring true sports story with bullies, discrimination.

Movie G 2008 104 minutes
The Pistol: The Birth of a Legend Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

Community Reviews

age 9+

Based on 1 parent review

age 9+

The Pistol!

THE. BEST. FILM. EVER. This movie shows the father/son relationship between Pete Maravich and his father, Press. download it on thepistolmovie. com

This title has:

Great messages
Great role models

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (1 ):
Kids say (1 ):

This film adheres to the conventions of the underdog/coming-of-age sports movie while imparting through words and action the positive values needed to be a success not only in sports, but in life. Rather than focusing on Maravich's stellar career as a professional basketball player, this movie tells the story of Maravich's first year on his high school varsity team, and the challenges and difficulties he had to overcome as the youngest starter on a team.

The result is a testament to the values of confidence, dedication, and persistence put into action. Pete's father preaches these values; Pete practices them, with incredible results. For those who have seen many sports movies like these, there isn't anything new phere, but for those who remember Maravich's career as a pro, or for younger basketball players with dreams of their own, this is an enjoyable movie that shows the challenges everyone must face when trying to be the best.

Movie Details

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate