Stephen Curry: Underrated

A doc on Steph could easily be 3 hours but I loved the masterful way they weaved in his earlier years and the sheer dominance he's had in the NBA. While he's constantly being disrespected and under appreciated by the fan bases of those he's consistently beaten this was a beautiful glimpse of how an undersized kid became one of the greatest to ever play the game. A triumphant story of resilience, the joys of victory and the sheer agony of defeat. Even if you aren't a fan of basketball you will leave being inspired. Steph is one of one. His impact on the game will be felt for generations to come. Truly special.

Super interesting take on Steph and a great story to share with kids. Steph and the team did an amazing job of boiling down everything he's done into a tight narrative. I'd frame it as more of the children's book than the novel of the things he's done. It shows Steph as a person who plays basketball as opposed to a generational talent, and really seems to target core values he cares about and highlight the process and people that have made his career so incredible.

Some cool editing, new angles of the Davidson tourney run, and has a clear vision of what it's trying to do. For basketball fans you're not getting the Survive & Advance version of the tourney run or The Last Dance version of Steph as a competitor, but you do get glimpses in addition to Steph as a kid, a son, a student, a husband, a dad, and a teammate. It's also interesting because it's kind of a modern day throw back to the Come Fly With Me type of NBA superstar docs with a little more focus on showcasing the man rather than the athlete.

In a profession where size matters, professional basketball, Stephen Curry, continually overlooked and discounted because of his appearance, has completed confounded expectations. This moving and inspirational documentary is truly a David and Goliath story for anyone who has been counted out because they don't "look the part." It shows how someone who has been written off time and time again, rewrote not only the NBA record books, but his professional life story through belief, persistence, and hard work. Even for those of us familiar with his story, the film provides touching moments that remind us of how special (one of his favorite words) his journey truly is.

Great coverage of Steph Curry's early years and time at Davidson, where in his sophomore year the team won three straight upsets to make the Elite Eight in the NCAA tournament before losing to #1 Kansas by just two points. I loved seeing the old footage of the baby-faced assassin, and getting his and others' comments about these years.

Unfortunately, the documentary is ridiculously scant from there, skipping his junior year at Davidson altogether, and flipping through his years as a pro in just minutes. Seriously, I think the footage of his Subway commercial or him sitting in front of his computer working on his thesis to complete his degree later in life got more time. It was remarkably abrupt and aside from the disappointment I felt over that, missed the titular aspect of Curry's career: even in the NBA he has always been underrated, and still is to a degree underrated, even after all his success.

So much is left out here. We see Reggie Miller make an appearance at the beginning to read an NBA scouting report on Curry, then disappear. We don't see interviews with his teammates on the Warriors or coach Steve Kerr. We don't see how Curry's shot selection was viewed as shocking, but would come to quite literally change the NBA. We don't see anyone comment on his extraordinary off-ball movement, gravity on the court, and deep sense of selflessness, always making his teammates better, or how it compares to other superstars. Aside from rushed highlights mainly of the fourth championship run, we get very little of the big playoff moments, much less Curry's other exploits (402 threes in a season, unanimous MVP, etc). It was quite a letdown. I look forward to someone making a proper documentary about Curry and the Warriors dynasty years when his playing days are over.

Stephen Curry, one of the most accomplished, exciting athletes of our era, deserves better than this uninspired hagiography that just rehashes major events in his life. If you didn't already know, you would not learn from this film that he's one of our most articulate sports figures, one of our wisest, one of our most generous and charitable to causes including ones he's a prime mover for, and one of the most effective advocates of family and community values.

It's all done attractively, and the video clips from the earlier stages of Curry's life add something new, but the film pales next to the real Stephen Curry.