The Air Up There
“Jimmy Dolan went to recruit a new player. What he found was a whole new ballgame.”
Jimmy Dolan is a college basketball coach who wants a big promotion. To get it, he needs to make a dramatic find. He ends up deep in Africa, hoping to recruit Saleh, a huge basketball prodigy Jimmy glimpsed in a home movie. But Saleh is the chief's son and has responsibilities at home, since the tribe's land is threatened by a mining company with its own hotshot basketball team.
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Cast
13 people
Kevin Bacon
Jimmy Dolan
Known for
Sleepers
Tremors
Charles Gitonga Maina
Saleh
Also in
seaQuest DSV
Yolanda Vazquez
Sister Susan
Known for
The Final Cut
Anti Matter
Mabutho 'Kid' Sithole
Nyaga
Known for
Hotel Rwanda
Sean McCann
Ray Fox
Known for
Miracle
Little Bear
Dennis Patrick
Father O'Hara
Known for
Dark Shadows
Joe
Ilo Mutombo
Mifundo
Nigel Miguel
Halawi
Known for
White Men Can't Jump
Eric Menyuk
Mark Collins
Known for
The Babysitter
Keith Gibbs
Buddy Wilson
Known for
The Cable Guy
Celtic Pride
Miriam Owiti
Beisa
No other roles listed
John Matshikiza
Mingori Mining Company Clerk
Known for
Cry Freedom
Dust Devil
Paul Michael Glaser Director · Max Apple Writer David Newman Composer
Worldwide gross $21M · Budget $17M · United States release January 7, 1994
Box office
Budget
$17,000,000
Worldwide gross
$21,011,500
Gross vs. budget
1.2×
Production
NBB Unit One Film Partners
Production
Hollywood Pictures
Production
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment
Production
Interscope Communications
Production
Nomura Babcock & Brown
Production
Longview Entertainment
Production
Buena Vista Pictures
Studio
United States
Produced in
Languages
Original language
English
Spoken on screen
English · German
Release dates
United States · January 7, 1994
Theatrical
Australia
February 5, 1996 · Theatrical
Czechia
June 23, 1994 · Theatrical
Germany
December 15, 1994 · Theatrical
Spain
December 8, 1994 · Theatrical
United Kingdom
October 6, 1994 · Theatrical
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Some details come from TheTVDB.