No man thought more of this documentary than Roger Ebert. Both he and Gene Siskel named this film the best movie of 1994 - the year of Pulp Fiction and The Shawshank Redemption, among other great ones. It was in the first book of Great Movies he ever released and it was the gold standard for greatness for the rest of his life. Ebert was no less aware of the overwhelming odds against both men in this documentary and he knew by far the odds they faced. Yet somehow he managed to find the move uplifting as much azs it was depressing.

It is perhaps the greatest documentary ever made because it doesn't do what so many other documentaries - the works of Michael Moore - do, it gets its message across with no narration just an objective lens and an eye to the realities of America. When it wasn't even nominated for Best Documentary feature it was the final straw against the Oscars who had just spent the last five years ignoring the most groundbreaking and popular documentaries - among them The Thin Blue Line, Is Paris Burning, and yes Roger and Me. Hoop Dreams was a game changer in that way and 30 years later only Errol Morris has ever been able to match it with his consistent ability and skill.