Kobe Bryant's Muse

Kobe Bryant's Muse is about what I expected. I must admit, I only developed an interest in the late legendary basketball player after his relatively recent untimely passing. He is indeed one of the greatest players to have ever played the game, and this movie does a good job of portraying some of the biggest obstacles he faced in his professional and personal life. I feel like I know more about his struggles on and off the court after watching this documentary.

The film's driving plot amidst the non-linear storytelling outlining Kobe's career and love for the game is his recovery from a torn Achilles tendon injury at the tail end of the 2012-2013 NBA regular season. The injury came to be the first of many that would ultimately lead to his retirement in 2016, the year after this film was released. This is an interesting although not entirely original approach. However, too much emphasis is placed on the injury, making the movie drag.

As stated by other reviewers, literally the only person interviewed is Kobe himself. This is a fresh approach to the sports documentary genre, although it would have been nice to have gotten other perspectives as well from people who watched Kobe grow. While he goes into great detail about his relationship with his wife Vanessa, his relationships with notable teammates (i.e. Shaq, Pau Gasol) and coaches (i.e. Phil Jackson) are left almost completely ignored.

From a cinematographic perspective, the movie offers an intimate portrait of the basketball legend. However, certain scenes of Kobe shooting baskets all alone that are supposed to be artistic and graceful come off as slightly boring. On the other hand, the editing, music, etc. Are all quite professional and in good taste.

Overall, while this film offers a glimpse into the factors that contributed to Kobe's passion for the game and incredible work ethic, I was hoping for more. In the context of his death, this movie could have explored much more. His achievements as an athlete and his overall legacy seen underplayed. But of course, none of the filmmakers at the time of this movie's production knew he would not be with us much longer. I would recommend this film to die-hard Kobe fans wanting to know more about the struggles he faced. I personally would not watch it again though.

This is a great documentary film. He reveals his vision for a better career and a better life. You understand his dream and determination to be the best he can be. It shows the daily grind of practice and training. The tough physical therapy that pro athletics endure to make a recovery from a major injury. How he was suffers from poor personal choices and learned to become a better man. There was a time in my life when I despised Kobe Bryant. I saw him as a young cocky basketball star that didn't deserve the right to be a role model. After he won his 4th and 5th titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, I learned to respect him. After watching this film, I'd like to see him play and maybe even get the chance to meet him.

I don't watch a ton of documentaries but I try to catch them when they concern things or people I'm interested in. So when I heard about the Showtime documentary involving Kobe Bryant, I knew I wanted to check it out. I have been a fan of him for a long time and specifically remember dropping 70-80 points with him in NBA 2k so I've been looking to find out more about his personal life and his road to being one of the greatest players in NBA history.

Most documentaries take the approach of finding many people close to the central figure in the story, and getting several interviews to comment on that particular person. Instead with 'Muse', we only get Bryant's story from his perspective. At first, I thought this would take away from the credibility of the piece, but it turns out it added to the emotional gravitas of the film. I will say when the film got less serious and focused on basketball, I would have liked former players, columnists, or coaches to shed some light on the Black Mamba. The film focuses a lot on his rehabilitation of his Achilles tear in the 2013 playoffs. It's an interesting approach and it's a great example of a man doing everything he can to keep fulfilling his dream. Kobe is a rare type of a player and person in the NBA. Him and Michael Jordan are two of the most competitive and relentless players the league has ever seen, and this documentary was a good template in showing those particular qualities.

Luckily the film used a lot of archive footage showcasing Kobe during his early years as a high school phenom in Philadelphia all the way up until his several championship years with the Lakers. It was also nice to see him open up about his personal problems throughout the film. You don't usually get to see that side of athletes and I'm glad they didn't set out to make Kobe a godlike creature, although anyone who scores as easily as he does is near godlike. So 'Muse' showed multiple facets of Kobe's life and gave us the best in depth look at his career yet. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes Kobe or just loves basketball, and the road to becoming great.

+Kobe opens up

+Archive footage

+Different approach to doc

-Still wanted more interviews with other people involved

8.1/10

As a documentary filmmaker I must say that this is a very well made film. From a filmmaker view the film did a great job at providing a clear storyline. I really enjoyed going from present to past, interlocking the injury recovery of Bryant and his life. The black and white color choice was a great one for the present part of the film. I hadn't really been a fan of Kobe Bryant because he was so good that he just came across as a very cocky individual. After watching this film and learning of all that he was going through in his career and personal life I can now say that I am a fan of Kobe as a person. I felt that he did a very good choice on being honest in his thoughts. I do feel that the sexual assault part of his life was danced around and those that don't know of that will be a little confused when that part of the film is discussed during the year of 2003. For him being as honest as he was with everything else, I do feel that there would have been a stronger impact on the film if he hadn't danced around that part, but had attacked it straight on as he did with everything else. This left me inspired to be a better person and to understand why the Kobe Bryant I have seen play basketball always was so cocky. A must watch.

I can't hold back my tears when I watch this.

Kobe. GOAT. Mamba. The glory. That's what the media likes to call him in order to generate popularity.

But the Kobe in front of the camera here is the most raw and Kobe-like Kobe. A superman who's a human with badges on his front and scars on his back. The lonely kid sitting in the corner. The dreamer who believes in his dreams. The passion. The drive... That's what most people associate with when they mention Kobe.

But what cracks me into tears is when he said "I failed miserably." That's what truly makes a man great, the ability to see through his own weakness and failures and recover from that. That's what we do.

The pain and sacrifices right in front of your eyes. I can't stop my tears. This is the real Kobe. This is the real superman.

The director did an amazing job. Action speaks louder than words. This is the beauty of a motion picture. No words. Just background music. A physical therapist is working on Kobe's foot. Drop down a box of marbles. Kobe has to pick them up with his injured foot. I can't stop my tears.

Raw. Very Kobe. Nothing to envy about. The emotion. The highlight. The pain. The struggle. Behind his 30K pts and 5 rings. Thank you Kobe.

With love, Your fans