The Hooping Life

For decades, kids have played with hula hoops. Director Amy Goldstein's The Hooping Life concentrates on teenagers and adults who have made “hooping” a significant part of their lives. Art Linkletter, promoter of hula hooping in the 1950s, explains in archival footage that Australian kids got the party started before the phenomenon spread to the States. Suzy Melin, the widow of toymaker Wham-O founder Spud Melin, recalls telling her husband that the gyrating was too suggestive to catch on, but he set out to prove her wrong. Anah, an L.A. resident who got into hooping through the jam band circuit, finds store-bought hoops too flimsy, so she makes her own out of insulation tubing. Now she teaches workshops and performs at parties and promotional events. Karis, who lives in New York, participates in similar gatherings, except he adds a gender-bending twist to his routines, which brings him to the attention of John Cameron Mitchell and the Scissor Sisters. For Jeff, a ward of the state, hooping keeps him out of trouble. He credits an afterschool program in East L.A. for introducing him to the pastime, noting that, “It takes your mind off of a lot of things.” The most recognizable subject here is NBA player Shaquille O'Neal, who loved to hoop in his younger days. Other speakers credit hooping with helping them to heal from sexual abuse and depression, which may sound like a lot of credit to give a simple plastic circle, but it's hard to find much of a downside in such a harmless practice. An entertaining and offbeat documentary, extras here include a behind-the-scenes featurette, “how-to” segments, and stills galleries. Recommended. (K. Fennessy)