Above the Rim poster

Above the Rim

Strong Contender Wins well above average
1994 · Crime, Drama, Thriller · Jeff Pollack

62% across 89 head-to-head matchups puts Above the Rim comfortably above average — not untouchable, but better than the vast majority of films it faces. Tupac's screen presence and a street-level basketball story that never left the 90s. Bracket appeal runs through nostalgia for an era and a performer, not through the film's craft credentials. It sits in the top 10% of 1990s films. Fans decide quickly — 1.5s avg vs 3.5s platform average.

Synopsis

Story of a promising high school basketball star and his relationships with two brothers, one a drug dealer and the other a former basketball star fallen on hard times and now employed as a security guard.

Round 1
66.7%
28/42
Semifinals
67.9%
Where it thrives
Finals
42.1%

67%, 68%, 42%. Above the Rim has a gear for each round — the semis are strongest, but there's no round where the record dips below competitive.

Semi-Pro at 50% is as close to a dead heat as the platform produces. Every vote matters in this one. Love & Basketball is the easy matchup at 80%. The Basketball Diaries is the kryptonite at 0%. The gap between best and worst opponent says a lot about what Above the Rim can and can't handle.

Closest Rival

In Basketball Movie Madness Part II - The Snubs, Above the Rim dominates The 6th Man (67%) in round one, edges Air Bud 61–39% in the semifinals, edges Semi-Pro 50–50% in the final. The final is too close to call.

BingeBracket Record
62%
Win Rate
#2 of 32 in Crime #4 of 46 from the 1990s
Scores based on real fan votes in head-to-head brackets. 50% = wins as often as it loses — perfectly average.
Featured Tournament

Ranked #1 in Basketball Movie Madness Part II - The Snubs.

Deserved? Vote to keep it there.

Above the Rim #1
Air Bud #2
Blue Chips #3
The Basketball Diaries #4
Semi-Pro #5
Inside Moves #6
Love & Basketball #7
The 6th Man #8
Vote Now
About These Rankings

BingeBracket ranks films through head-to-head matchups in 8-film brackets — no star ratings, no reviews, just direct comparison. Browse tournaments, try Discovery mode, or explore the leaderboards. You can also .

← Browse All Movies