Linsanity
Theatrical release poster
Directed byEvan Jackson Leong
Produced byChristopher Chen
Allen Lu
Patricia Sun
James D. Stern
Sam Kwok
Brian Yang
StarringJeremy Lin
Narrated byDaniel Dae Kim
CinematographyEvan Jackson Leong
Music byThe Newton Brothers
Production
companies
Arowana Films
408 Films
Distributed byKetchup Entertainment
Release dates
January 20, 2013 (Sundance)
March 14, 2013 (CAAMFest)
October 4, 2013 (US release)
Running time
88 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
Mandarin
Box office$298,178[1]

Linsanity is a 2013 American documentary film about the rise of Asian-American basketball player Jeremy Lin. The film was directed by Evan Jackson Leong.

The film traces Lin's life from his childhood in Palo Alto, California to his rise to prominence in 2012 with the New York Knicks in the National Basketball Association (NBA).[2] It shows him overcoming discouragements and racism and achieving success through his faith and desire.[3] The New York Times wrote that it also offered a rare view of Christianity among Asian Americans.[4] Leong had filmed Lin since he was a star college basketball player at Harvard University and during his early struggles in the NBA.[5] The film is narrated by actor Daniel Dae Kim.[6] The documentary shows Lin predicting in 2011 that he would "become a rotation player, become a starting point guard and then win an NBA championship."[7][8] He eventually won an NBA title with the Toronto Raptors in 2019.[7]

Release

Linsanity was shown at opening night of CAAMFest in 2013 in San Francisco.

Linsanity premiered to a sold-out screening at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival on January 20, 2013.[2][5] The Los Angeles Times wrote that it received a "rousing response, easily making it one of the most crowd-pleasing documentaries to play the festival this year."[2] Linsanity was the opening night film for the CAAMFest film festival in San Francisico, where it opened to a sellout on March 14.[9][10][11] It made its Asian premiere on March 30 in a sold-out screening at the Hong Kong International Film Festival.[3][12] The film also opened the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival on May 2.[13]

The film's distribution in the United States was being handled by Creative Artists Agency, while Fortissimo Films obtained the international distribution rights.[14] Ketchup Entertainment, a Los Angeles-based distribution company, picked up US distribution rights for Linsanity on July 24, 2013. Stephen Stanley of Ketchup negotiated the deal with Nick Ogiony and Dan Steinman of CAA, Gregory Schenz at Endgame Entertainment and Helen Dooley at Williams & Connolly.[15] The film was shown at art houses, and was subsequently made available for download and DVD.[4]

Reception

Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 65% based on 26 reviews, with an average rating of 5.60/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Linsanity offers a compelling enough look at its basketball star subject for fans and curious viewers, even if it never really delves below the surface."[16] On Metacritic, the film has a score of 52 out of 100 based on 13 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[17]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Linsanity (2013) - Box Office Mojo". www.boxofficemojo.com.
  2. ^ a b c Zeitchik, Steven (January 20, 2013). "Sundance 2013: In 'Linsanity,' Jeremy Lin's extraordinary journey". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 26, 2013.
  3. ^ a b Gonzalez Jr., Miguel (March 27, 2013). "Documenting 'Linsanity'". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on April 2, 2013.
  4. ^ a b Freedman, Samuel G. (November 15, 2013). "Off the Court, a Film's Lens on Asian-American Faith". The New York Times. Archived from the original on May 26, 2020.
  5. ^ a b Alexander, Bryan (January 25, 2013). "Jeremy Lin to attend Sundance Film Festival". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 15, 2013.
  6. ^ Lauer-Williams, Kathy (March 25, 2013). "Freedom's Daniel Dae Kim narrates "Linsanity"". The Morning Call. Archived from the original on May 18, 2015.
  7. ^ a b White, Jonathan (June 16, 2019). "Jeremy Lin predicted NBA Championship win back in 2011 during 'Linsanity' documentary". South China Morning Post. Archived from the original on July 1, 2019. Retrieved August 25, 2021.
  8. ^ @SportsCenter (June 15, 2019). "Jeremy Lin spoke it into existence. (h/t PZinger6/Reddit)" (Tweet). Retrieved August 25, 2021 – via Twitter.
  9. ^ "Linsanity Comes to CAAMFest Opening Night". AsianWeek.com. January 31, 2013. Archived from the original on February 7, 2013.
  10. ^ "CAAMFest Concludes 11 Days of Inspired Storytelling and Innovation in Film, Music and Food". AsianWeek.com. April 1, 2013. Archived from the original on April 1, 2013. Retrieved May 16, 2017.
  11. ^ Kung, Michelle (March 15, 2013). "'Linsanity' Hits the Big Screen". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on March 21, 2013.
  12. ^ Chan, Yuan-Kwan (March 28, 2013). ""Linsanity" – 2013 Hong Kong International Film Festival Review". Meniscus. Archived from the original on April 27, 2013.
  13. ^ King, Susan (April 1, 2013). "'Linsanity' opens 29th Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 8, 2013.
  14. ^ Chau, Elizabeth (February 12, 2013). "Fortissimo Films secures the global rights to Linsanity". asiapacificarts.usc.edu. Archived from the original on February 22, 2013.
  15. ^ McNary, Dave (July 24, 2013). "Jeremy Lin's 'Linsanity' Documentary Gets Distribution". Variety Magazine. Archived from the original on August 21, 2013.
  16. ^ "Linsanity (2013)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved July 21, 2022.
  17. ^ "Linsanity Reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved July 21, 2022.

External links

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