Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals (2010)

**** (out of 4)

Exceptional documentary covering the rivalry between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson. The film covers their first meeting in high school, their battle for the NCAA National Championship and then their battles in the NBA. Throughout their battles on the court we get to see what made the two men who they become, what different things they were doing off the court and finally what brought the two of them together as friends. If you're a sports fan then you already know this story but it's really amazing what this HBO documentary is able to do because it's just so excellent that it really makes you forget what you already know and it makes you feel as if you're hearing these stories for the first time. The documentary is just so much fun and so touching that you can't help but get caught up in the excitement in these two men. The documentary starts off talking about Johnson and Bird's early lives and we learn where they got their drive to try and become the greatest of their era. This strong passion forced both of them to see the other as the rival and it's just fascinating seeing two people with so much passion and fighting for the same thing. If you know the story then you know many of the stuff discussed here but it's still very entertaining. This includes their first shot at a friendship while shooting a commercial and then there's the story of Johnson's announcement that he's HIV positive. Sport fans are really going to be impressed with this documentary but the film is so strong that even those who don't know Bird and Magic will still find this entertaining. This is certainly one of the most energetic and touching documentaries that's out there and it's well worth watching.

For all my youth, Magic was the one, with even ever seeing the man play, but after seeing this Documentary, ewrything changed, and Larry Bird became my favorit Sports Star. This is the one Documentary, and the one Sports Rivalry that Towers above any one in Sports History. Its a Must watch.

For basketball fans this is amazing. Spectacular simple and easy to understand. Only thing lacking is that it is maybe not perfect for people like me who never watched a single game. You get the basics and understand their life story and how important they were to the game. Yet the doc never tries to hype them up or explain smaller things like tactics or NBA history. Rather we just follow their careers. Some pundits here claim that Magic and Bird saved NBA which is what I have heard too. Yet it is never explained. We just see them compete and then talk about it in 2010. No monetary deals are mentioned, no team history, no win streaks explained, no team profit margins revealed. It's just 2 great athletes. Which is a shame because if they did save NBA then surely that part is essential to their stories. Instead it looks like any doc about any good athlete. They played well, got sick, stopped. What did they influence?

Also, while Magic is presented as an amazing player Bird is kinda at times presented as just this White guy who is good at basketball who was hyped up for being White. They for example only mention he was good at shooting by having a teammate explain how he saw it in training. But Bird is still one of the best 3 point shooters of all time and clearly did this stuff in games. From the doc it was not clear what he did or what his playing style was. With Magic they go into greater details. Also, it did seem like Magic was a much bigger star overall which at times they didn't explain so it seemed like he was a way better player. Bird didn't like to give interviews or meet new people so Magic was a bigger showman overall and maybe Bird alone would not have saved NBA as he would just be a boring good player. The fight with Magic made him an essence of NBA. A showman by just playing.

Honestly if you know what they did to NBA already and how much profit they produced and how they popularized the game then this is ideal for you. You will not see how famous they were or are just that they were great players with many fans. Maybe having modern players and coaches talk about them too would have made this clear. Like modern Celtics and LA Lakers players and fans. That would illustrate it all to people who don't follow the teams. It would make it clear that they changed the game. Instead you just have to know this before watching it.

It's avaiable on You Tube in TheNBAHistorian, an Official channel!

. Some may think one hour and a half of documentary about a rivalty in basketball would drag in some point but it doesn't and that's mainly because Aaron Cohen and Charles Olivier built a brilliant narrative. There are funny, dramatic, emotional and tense moments, we feel the roller coaster that is an athlete's life and these two have very interesting experiences. The film explores everything about Magic and Bird and shows how different they are personaly and professionaly. It covers their childhoods, their teenager years, how they got in the professional basketball, their careers and hobbies and when and why they retired. Always in order to make audience understand their personalities and choices in life... Nothing in the documentary is out of place. Magic is extrovert, really charismatic and fits the city life, Hollywood, fame, while Bird is very shy and simple, more apart from media. There is also an attention to the historical context in which they reached stardom, the Civil Rights era, when the different color of the players used to matter a lot to the fans and was a reason for fights inside and outside the court. Moreover, the material they have: pictures, match and advertising videos plus interviews is fantastic and beautifuly gathered by Charles Olivier. I loved the documentary because I fell in love with Magic and Bird and their incredible stories and relashionship so I can't recommend this film enough to anyone that enjoys sports and documentaries.

What a lovely and well done documentary. I didn't plan to watch it all but the story just made me sit back and soak it all in. I wish I could have seen these two play. I started following the sport when I saw Michael Jordan with the Chicago Bulls.