Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

If you are fan of these two great basketball players and want to know more about them and their lifes this is a really good one to get that. You will end understanding how great was that era with these two legends and how amazing they were.

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.

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.

Well, this basketball documentary about Bird & Magic tries another approach than the amazing, fantastic, incredible comments from the NBA production. Here, it's more psychological with less highlights and more interviews! But, finally, I found it boring and as much « false » : it's like basketball which is a team sport can be reduced to only one player, even if he has extraordinary skills. All the more i must say that Magic exhausts me with his constant smile and laughs and i prefer without hesitation Bird who does his job and quits. The documentary is however interesting about their early career (rare footages) and make understand how those 2 players just fit with their city. Just imagine if Bird had played in LA and Magic in Boston ??? The other thing that we can understand is how their competitiveness and thirst for victories can never be quenched !!!

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.