Now on DVD: 30 FOR 30 SEASON II/VOLUME I
This post wraps up my capsule assessments of the newest boxed set of ESPN’s acclaimed sports documentary series, supplementing my thoughts yesterday on its first seven films.
BERNIE AND ERNIE
One of the strongest and most satisfying projects in the collection, Jason Hehir’s doc (pictured above) looks at the enduring, unlikely friendship between University of Tennessee and later New York Knicks teammates Bernard King and Ernie Grunfeld, men from disparate backgrounds and antipodal personalities. Largely King’s story, the doc reveals a quiet man who struggled with yet overcame personal and societal demons, and the affecting impact of his bond with the outgoing Grunfeld.
THIS IS WHAT THEY WANT
Another compelling offering in the set is Brian Koppelman and David Levien’s look at the controversial tennis star Jimmy Connors, as revealed through his stunning performance at the 1991 US Open. Fully – and at times amusingly – embracing his contentious personality, the film chronicles Connors’ ability to feed off spectators to unsettle opponents, and skillfully weaves the story of the transformation of the game from rarefied country club activity into a mass spectacle.
HAWAIIAN: THE LEGEND OF EDDIE AIKAU
I previously wrote about Sam George’s portrait of the surfing pioneer here.
NO MÁS
Exploring one of boxing’s legendary rivalries, Eric Drath’s often engaging doc revisits the fights between Sugar Ray Leonard and Roberto Duran in 1980. As signaled by its title, the film seeks to make sense of Duran’s bewildering, and title-costing, surrender, which blackened his career and overshadowed Leonard’s victory for years to come. Drath does an excellent job at conveying his protagonists’ competing personalities and animosity, but their hokey reunion feels incredibly forced and is thoroughly underwhelming.
BIG SHOT
I previously wrote about Kevin Connolly’s exploration of a notorious hockey scam out of Tribeca here.
FREE SPIRITS
Daniel H Forer’s entry to the series covers far more obscure territory, revisiting the short but strange career of the Spirits of St Louis, a free-wheeling team that played two seasons in the American Basketball Association before the league disbanded. While the diverting film indulges in too many anecdotes at the expense of a more cohesive story, it makes up for this with the revelation of the brilliant deal the Spirits owners negotiated before agreeing to the team’s dissolution.
ELWAY TO MARINO and THE BOOK OF MANNING
I frankly couldn’t make it through either of these. The first, directed by Ken Rodgers, focuses on the 1983 NFL Draft in excruciating detail, underscoring its apparent mythological import, and I imagine the access Rodgers has to the behind-the-scenes dealmakers would be riveting to fans, but for the absolutely uninitiated like myself, it’s inscrutable and unengaging. The second – technically not officially part of the 30 FOR 30 brand, but instead from ESPN’s SEC STORIED brand – is a strictly conventional biopic of the football family dynasty that, again, may very well appeal to gridiron fans, but failed to compel me to keep watching.
what (not) to doc 