
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: FRIDAY, January 14, 1994                   TAG: 9401140128
SECTION: EXTRA                    PAGE: 6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

DISNEY SCORES AGAIN WITH `AIR UP THERE'

Over the past few years, the Disney organization has had remarkable box office success with modestly budgeted sports movies.

"The Cutting Edge," "The Mighty Ducks" and "Cool Runnings" have taken unusual approaches to the genre without really testing the limits of their formula stories. "The Air Up There" is the newest entry in the series, and it's likely to be just as popular as the rest.

Oddly, the sport itself is the least interesting part of the film. Though basketball is at the center of the story, the African landscapes and the world of a fictional nomadic tribe are much more important and engrossing.

Jimmy Dolan (Kevin Bacon) is an assistant coach at St. Joe's, a big-time collegiate program somewhere in the snow-covered Northeast. In a desperate bid to redeem himself with the retiring head coach, Dolan heads to Africa on his own to recruit a player he's seen only on tape.

The continent is not what he expects. First it appears that the people he's trying to find - the Winabe - are ridiculed by their neighbors, the Mingori. Then he learns that despite their seeming innocence, these people are aware of the world beyond their country. After all, they've seen the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.

The hot prospect, Saleh (Charles Maina), is more than he seems to be, too. He is a prince of his tribe, and it's unlikely that his father (Winston Ntshona) would ever allow him to leave.

The obstacles that Dolan must overcome are not particularly original, but that's not a serious flaw. Max Apple's script is based on believable, likeable characters. Sister Susan (Yolanda Vazquez) is a flinty nun who speaks her mind, and Saleh is an appealing young man, well-played by newcomer Maina. As long as the story is focused on African culture, both in the village and in a nearby town, it works well. When it shifts to basketball, it relies on familiar sports cliches, and there's no real suspense to the conclusion.

That, of course, is the key to these films' popularity. If director Paul Glaser had looked more deeply into the differences between African and American cultures - how success is defined in the two worlds; what it means to win and what things are worth winning - "The Air Up There" might have been a small gem. As it is, Disney probably has another hit.

The Air Up There: ** 1/2

A Hollywood Pictures release playing at the Valley View Mall 6. 108 min. Rated PG for mild violence, a little rough language.

by CNB