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IMDbPro

Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

  • TV Movie
  • 2010
  • TV-PG
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
8.2/10
2.4K
YOUR RATING
Magic Johnson and Larry Bird in Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals (2010)
BasketballSports DocumentaryBiographyDocumentarySport

An exploration of the fierce rivalry between NBA superstars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson during their decade of dominance.An exploration of the fierce rivalry between NBA superstars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson during their decade of dominance.An exploration of the fierce rivalry between NBA superstars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson during their decade of dominance.

  • Director
    • Ezra Edelman
  • Writers
    • Aaron Cohen
    • Charles Olivier
  • Stars
    • Magic Johnson
    • Larry Bird
    • Steve Springer
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    8.2/10
    2.4K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Ezra Edelman
    • Writers
      • Aaron Cohen
      • Charles Olivier
    • Stars
      • Magic Johnson
      • Larry Bird
      • Steve Springer
    • 10User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 1 win & 2 nominations total

    Photos1

    View Poster

    Top cast32

    Edit
    Magic Johnson
    Magic Johnson
    • Self
    Larry Bird
    Larry Bird
    • Self
    Steve Springer
    Steve Springer
    • Self - LA Times
    Evelyn Johnson
    • Self - Sister
    George Fox
    • Self - High School Coach
    Bryant Gumbel
    Bryant Gumbel
    • Self
    Rick Robey
    • Self
    Mark Bird
    • Self
    Jim Jones
    • Self - High School Coach
    Bill Russell
    Bill Russell
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Jerry West
    Jerry West
    • Self
    • (archive footage)
    Charles Pierce
    Charles Pierce
    • Self - Boston Globe
    • (as Charles P. Pierce)
    Cedric 'Cornbread' Maxwell
    • Self
    Michael Cooper
    Michael Cooper
    • Self
    Arsenio Hall
    Arsenio Hall
    • Self
    Pat Riley
    Pat Riley
    • Self
    Ted Shaker
    • Self
    Brent Musburger
    Brent Musburger
    • Self
    • Director
      • Ezra Edelman
    • Writers
      • Aaron Cohen
      • Charles Olivier
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews10

    8.22.4K
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    Featured reviews

    10Jansaguttin1976

    The Magic Bird :-)

    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.
    10adrianaprsouza-63886

    Must-see Documentary

    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.
    8view_and_review

    How Magic & Bird Saved the NBA

    If you grew up watching basketball in the 80's then you knew all about the Magic v. Bird rivalry. My brother is a Lakers fan to this day because of Magic and the Showtime Lakers, and I'm sure there are many Celtics fans out there because of Bird.

    This documentary chronicles their upbringing and their rivalry that began in college. There are interviews from pros, fans, and analysts about the two. Their rivalry may have been exaggerated for the sake of the NBA, but it wasn't a myth, and the world benefited as a result.
    9uimail

    If you want to know more...

    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.
    Michael_Elliott

    Excellent Documentary

    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.

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    Storyline

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    Details

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    • Release date
      • March 10, 2010 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • 大鳥與魔術強生:不是冤家不聚頭
    • Production company
      • HBO Sports
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

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    • Runtime
      • 1h 25m(85 min)
    • Color
      • Color

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