I saw this movie was produced by the NBA and thought it would be some typically slick merchandising PR, but I was pleasantly surprised. It's not overly thoughtful, but given the fact that it's done by the NBA, it offers a fairly insightful look into the life of Yao Ming and to a great degree his translator, Colin Pine. It tracks them and we get a good look at Yao's dry humor which has revealed itself over his stellar five plus years in the league. We see the crucial role which Pine plays in Yao's first year, perhaps more in helping Yao familiarize himself more culturally with the country. Yao seems to understand a fair amount of English from early on (those of us hoops fans remember his ability to understand spoken questions from reporters) even if he is less confident answering in English (as I can attest is a common occurrence from having taught English in a foreign country) but the cultural adaptations are more pronounced and Pine seems to be a great help to Yao, simply in offering moral support, and quite simply, a friend to a man in a new country. Yao is endlessly patient and puts up with all kinds of celebrity and fawning attention. The people in the basketball organization for which Yao works come across very well, understanding, before the media and many fans did, that Yao could really play. They are very supportive and generous and do what they can to make the big man feel at home. Watching basketball as much as I do, I remember this comradery and watching Yao, realizing that for such a big man, he had a very sensitive touch around the basket and very soft hands which would serve him well in the NBA.
That said, you don't need to know a thing about basketball or Yao Ming in order to enjoy this film. It's essentially the story of a man adapting to some serious culture shock, in the midst of about the brightest klieg light imaginable from the media, and doing it about as gracefully as possible.
