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Rez Ball 2024

Set in rural New Mexico, the Chuska Warriors basketball team strives for a state championship while navigating significant challenges. After losing their star player, these young Native American athletes must confront personal obstacles and come together to pursue their dream. Their journey highlights the importance of resilience, community, and the passion for basketball.

Set in rural New Mexico, the Chuska Warriors basketball team strives for a state championship while navigating significant challenges. After losing their star player, these young Native American athletes must confront personal obstacles and come together to pursue their dream. Their journey highlights the importance of resilience, community, and the passion for basketball.

Does Rez Ball have end credit scenes?

No!

Rez Ball does not have end credit scenes. You can leave when the credits roll.

Ratings and Reviews for Rez Ball

See how Rez Ball is rated across major platforms like IMDb, Metacritic, and TMDb. Compare audience scores and critic reviews to understand where Rez Ball stands among top-rated movies in its genre.


Echo Score

The Movie Echo Score

69

Rez Ball delivers a moderately engaging underdog narrative anchored by culturally grounded themes. While critics and viewers praised its authentic performances and emotional resonance, many noted the plot’s predictability and occasional dramatic flatness. The film’s brisk pacing and spirited basketball sequences sustain interest, but heavy-handed moments and uneven focus limit its depth. Overall, the blend of inspiration and cliché yields a film that entertains but falls short of lasting distinction.

The Movie Echo Score Breakdown for Rez Ball

60
Echo Score

Art & Craft

In terms of visual craftsmanship, Rez Ball delivers serviceable but inconsistent artistry. The brisk direction and vigorous basketball sequences provide dynamic framing, yet sporadic dark lighting and reliance on slow-motion shots undermine visual clarity. Production design evokes the reservation setting authentically, but uneven editing occasionally disrupts cohesion. The overall craft feels functional but not fully realized.

80
Echo Score

Character & Emotion

Character and emotional aspects are a highlight for Rez Ball. The cast delivers nuanced performances, particularly in conveying self-determination and community bonds. Authentic acting draws out heartfelt moments, even amid occasional narrative distractions. Chemistry among leads enhances emotional resonance, providing an engaging core that sustains empathy throughout the film’s progression.

70
Echo Score

Story & Flow

In terms of narrative flow, Rez Ball presents an energetic underdog storyline tempered by familiar beats. The pacing remains brisk, and moments of cultural exploration enrich the plot’s setting. However, predictable clichés and uneven focus on subplots occasionally dilute engagement. Ultimately, the story entertains but falls short of offering significant originality.

55
Echo Score

Sensory Experience

In terms of sensory experience, Rez Ball offers spirited sound design and an energetic soundtrack that complement the action. Visual style captures the reservation’s atmosphere but is occasionally undercut by dim lighting choices. The editing rhythm supports the basketball sequences’ momentum, though inconsistent clarity in darker scenes hampers cohesive immersion. The sensory palette is engaging yet uneven.

60
Echo Score

Rewatch Factor

In terms of rewatch value, Rez Ball delivers modest appeal for subsequent viewings. The inspirational underdog theme and emotional highs retain interest initially, but predictability and heavy-handed moments reduce repeat engagement. While authentic performances and cultural details invite a second viewing, the familiar structure limits lasting appeal. The film rewards fans of sports dramas more than broader audiences.

Metacritic

69

Metascore

5.4

User Score

Rotten Tomatoes
review

94%

TOMATOMETER

review

80%

User Score

IMDb

6.3 /10

IMDb Rating

TMDB

65

%

User Score

Letterboxd

3.3

From 31 fan ratings

Movie Insider

0.00/5

Take the Ultimate Rez Ball Movie Quiz

Challenge your knowledge of Rez Ball with this fun and interactive movie quiz. Test yourself on key plot points, iconic characters, hidden details, and memorable moments to see how well you really know the film.


Rez Ball Quiz: Test your knowledge about the inspiring journey of the Chuska Warriors in Rez Ball.

Who returns as the captain of the Chuska Warriors after taking a year off?

Full Plot Summary and Ending Explained for Rez Ball

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Read the complete plot summary of Rez Ball, including all major events, twists, and the full ending explained in detail. Explore key characters, themes, hidden meanings, and everything you need to understand the story from beginning to end.


For the first time in several years, the Chuska Warriors, a high school basketball team comprised of Native Americans from the Navajo reservation in Chuska, New Mexico, begins their season with an opportunity to compete for the state championship title. This resurgence is notably marked by the return of their former captain, Nataanii Jackson, who had taken a year off after the tragic loss of his mother and sister. In his absence, Jimmy Holiday had taken on the role of captain. Meanwhile, Coach Heather Hobbs faces intense pressure to perform this year, as her position is at stake should the team fail to secure victories.

The Warriors kick off their season with a winning game, but things take a turn when a reporter brings up Nataanii’s family tragedy, triggering overwhelming dark thoughts for him. When Nataanii fails to appear for a crucial match against the competitive Santa Fe Coyotes, the team suffers a heavy defeat. In a shocking blow, they later learn that he has taken his own life, leaving the Warriors to grapple with the devastating loss of their star player.

Jimmy, who shared a lifelong bond with Nataanii and had sensed his friend’s struggles, is particularly shattered by this news. His mother, Gloria, is unable to provide solace, dismissing the tragedy as merely part of the Native experience.

In a bid to regroup, Coach Hobbs brings in her high school basketball coach Benny Begay to help guide the team. On the personal front, Gloria reaches out to Nataanii’s father, Ronald, to secure a job cleaning his garage due to her own struggles with multiple DUIs, and he encourages her to attend AA meetings.

As Coach Hobbs introduces Benny to the team, he emphasizes a return to traditional practices, starting the first practice with a smudging ceremony. However, the team continues to face challenges, losing nine consecutive games, and talk begins to swirl about Coach Hobbs’s potential dismissal. Gloria’s constant negativity weighs heavily on Jimmy, who becomes frustrated by her lack of support, leading her to abstain from attending games out of fear of witnessing further losses.

To promote team unity, they participate in a bus trip for an exercise that involves herding sheep. The initial attempt fails due to individual efforts, but inspired by the need for teamwork, Jimmy devises a collaborative strategy that successfully corrals the sheep.

Spurred on by this experience, Jimmy suggests integrating Navajo language into their plays. To grasp this unfamiliar concept, he recruits Krista, his work manager, and soon the team is creating new plays labeled in their native tongue. They study these plays during their bus rides to future games, which soon propels them into a winning streak.

Despite a short-lived defeat that leads them to lose the district title after 14 days of victories, the team advances to the state championship. After winning their first three matches, they find themselves in a tense final against an undefeated Santa Fe team, who have also learned Navajo and can counter their linguistic advantage. The match reaches a nail-biting climax where, with mere minutes to go, Santa Fe’s captain fouls Jimmy, awarding him three free throws. He sinks two of them, clinching the championship title for the Warriors.

In the aftermath, Jimmy is celebrated not just for the victory but also receives multiple college offers, while Coach Hobbs is given opportunities of her own yet chooses to remain with the team another year. Ultimately, Gloria confronts her past and offers Jimmy the encouragement he desperately needs, marking a significant step toward healing for all involved.

Uncover the Details: Timeline, Characters, Themes, and Beyond!

Watch Trailers, Clips & Behind-the-Scenes for Rez Ball

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Watch official trailers, exclusive clips, cast interviews, and behind-the-scenes footage from Rez Ball. Dive deeper into the making of the film, its standout moments, and key production insights.


Official Trailer

Indigenous Joy

Bringing the Navajo Language to Rez Ball

How REZ BALL Will Change The Game | TIFF 2024

Q&A with Jessica Matten, Julia Jones & Sydney Freeland | TIFF 2024

Trash Talk with the Cast of Rez Ball

Why REZ BALL Is More Than Just A Basketball Movie | TIFF 2024

Breaking Down the Boys vs. Girls Scrimmage

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month with the Cast

Movie Themes and Keywords

Discover the central themes, ideas, and keywords that define the movie’s story, tone, and message. Analyze the film’s deeper meanings, genre influences, and recurring concepts.


native americanbasketballhigh schoolteenage boyyoung boynew mexicocoming of ageschoolchildunderdogballarenacoming of age dramabasketball sportteenage girlyoung girlteenageryoungbasketball playerbasketball teamfour acesloss of sisterreference to gatoradetitle spoken in dialoguereference to t mobileopen casketsuicide18 year old manhangovertattoo on facecisternsheeparrestreference to kobe bryantreference to nicolas cageteenage parentshired for a jobreference to batman and robinapplying for a jobbuzzer beateralcoholics anonymousarrest warrantreference to the wnbaslam dunkjailhungoverfuneralmuralindian reservationhighschool basketball

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