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Parents' Guide to

The Rebound

By Brian Costello, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 13+

Inspiring docu about wheelchair basketball players; cursing.

Movie NR 2016 76 minutes
The Rebound Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

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

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What's the Story?

THE REBOUND follows the Miami Heat Wheels on their quest to become champions of the National Wheelchair Basketball Association. Mario finds meaning and purpose as a member of the team as he struggles to reconnect with his estranged family. Jeremie "Phenom" Thomas spends his time off the court determined to be a successful recording artist. Orlando is working toward getting an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Texas at Arlington to earn a degree in civil engineering. Together, the Heat Wheels have triumphed over their own individual adversities and, when faced with budget cuts, work as a team to ensure they have the funding to compete in their playoff games across the country. Will this be the year they win?

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say: Not yet rated
Kids say: Not yet rated

While this is certainly a "feel good" sports documentary, this overused term doesn't really do this movie justice. The ultimate message comes through not in genre classifications or even in the words of the players. The message comes through the strongest in how the players on the Miami Heat Wheels play the game. There are so many times when the players are knocked on their sides while fighting for the ball during a rebound, falls that look and sound like they could knock the wind out of anyone, and yet, they immediately and quite literally bounce back up and get back in the game. It's an extraordinary thing to see, so much so that the awareness of the players as "wheelchair athletes" fades into the background and instead, they're simply athletes.

These bounce-backs from the paint are the perfect representation of the larger story and message this documentary tells. The players' difficulties and challenges are real, but there's a resilience that drives them to get back up and out there. And how these players are applying what they have learned through basketball to other facets of their life, and how they truly believe that anything is possible with enough work, determination, and perseverance, is what really comes through. The Rebound is a sports documentary that's so much more than a Rocky-style montage or ESPN highlight reel.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about sports documentaries. How does The Rebound compare to other documentaries centered on a team or an athlete?

  • What positive messages emerge, and how does the movie convey those messages?

  • What are some of the assumptions about wheelchair athletes that are challenged in this movie? How does the movie use interviews and footage of the athletes competing to challenge those assumptions?

  • What character strengths does the movie demonstrate?

Movie Details

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