Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything
- 2023
- 1h 53m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
1.5K
YOUR RATING
The film focuses on understanding the player's genius, illuminating his past through archive family footage and charts his rise to fame from his early teens and the mental challenges he has ... Read allThe film focuses on understanding the player's genius, illuminating his past through archive family footage and charts his rise to fame from his early teens and the mental challenges he has overcome in the pursuit of perfection.The film focuses on understanding the player's genius, illuminating his past through archive family footage and charts his rise to fame from his early teens and the mental challenges he has overcome in the pursuit of perfection.
Mark Allen
- Self
- (archive footage)
Dominic Dale
- Self
- (archive footage)
Steve Davis
- Self
- (archive footage)
David Gilbert
- Self
- (archive footage)
Alex Higgins
- Self
- (archive footage)
John Higgins
- Self
- (archive footage)
Lauren Higgins
- Self
- (archive footage)
Jack Lisowski
- Self
- (archive footage)
Stephen Maguire
- Self
- (archive footage)
Doug Mountjoy
- Self
- (archive footage)
Judd Trump
- Self
- (archive footage)
John Williams
- Self
- (archive footage)
Featured reviews
Ronnie is undoubtedly the greatest ever snooker player and is a funny character away from the table - one memory that stands out is Ronnie asking how much prize money for a 147 break and then going onto smash it - no one but the rocket could do this.
Some of his accomplishments in the game will never be repeated or beaten and I feel this documentary took the wrong path - it focused very heavily on Ronnie's demons rather than his unbelievable achievements in the game.
It is an important part of the story of the rockets genius to see his struggles but the doc went in the wrong direction and felt unfinished at the end.
Some of his accomplishments in the game will never be repeated or beaten and I feel this documentary took the wrong path - it focused very heavily on Ronnie's demons rather than his unbelievable achievements in the game.
It is an important part of the story of the rockets genius to see his struggles but the doc went in the wrong direction and felt unfinished at the end.
We all know Ronnie is a special breed. I used to dislike him, I thought he was arrogant, immature and obnoxious. But then I started watching him play and developed a respect for him as a sportsman. Only after that did discover enough about this tortured soul that changed my mind about him.
He is still the little boy who is looking for approval from his larger than life father. And thought that being successful was the key to happiness. He found out it wasn't.
This documentary captures his struggle perfectly. A man driven to find the horizon that is always moving away. It shines a light into his nature and those who orbit him.
It's entertaining, masterfully photographed and edited, with a beautiful score. A huge payoff in the finale too.
He is still the little boy who is looking for approval from his larger than life father. And thought that being successful was the key to happiness. He found out it wasn't.
This documentary captures his struggle perfectly. A man driven to find the horizon that is always moving away. It shines a light into his nature and those who orbit him.
It's entertaining, masterfully photographed and edited, with a beautiful score. A huge payoff in the finale too.
This for me is one of the best biographical documentaries I have ever seen. It gives an in depth insight into the mental toughness it takes to stay on top of "your game" in the pinnacle of sports, it delves into a "young Ronnie" growing up and the special bond he had with his father , he could quite easily have hung up his cue due to a family crisis involving his father, but the emotional turmoil he endured during this crisis acted as a catalyst and lit a fire inside him. The movie jumps back and forward in time leading up to Ronnie and his attempt at a record equaling 7th world championship. Ronnie Wood and Damien Hirst , close friends of "Ronnie O' Sullivan " give some great insights into his mindset. This documentary is an absolute must for any Snooker fan and proves that even celebrity cannot mask you from a mental health issue.
I love Ronnie O Sullivan. Just like I loved other snooker mavericks Alex Higgins and Jimmy White. And this documentary was for the most part an intriguing portrayal of the angst that goes along with the genius. But why oh why does the film have to show Ronnie lying down in a psychiatric like bed to make his point? Not his idea surely? It was incredibly contrived and made me sigh every time I saw it. The viewers do not need gimmicks to try to understand the inner turmoil that the great man has undoubtedly had to face through his 30 year brilliant and at times difficult career. Sometimes you only need the snooker and the talking heads to tell the story. You don't need contrived gimmicks. An 8 out of ten is marked down to 6 for dumbing this otherwise excellent documentary down. A big mis-step in my view. Left me annoyed.
I'm a pool and snooker player and I grew up watching Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry. They were incredible to watch and clinical in the way they played the game and mastered the mental control needed to win at high level.
Then along came Ronnie O'Sullivan and, my god! He made the game into his own art form. If you've played the game and watched it you recognise an X factor to this guy which sets him apart.
He's an inspiration to me, how he plays with feeling and instinct and with pure natural talent. The flow of his game. But most of all, as is brilliantly portrayed in this documentary, his ability to overcome his demons on the big stage again and again is remarkable. The film shows that the most mercurial talents are the most captivating to watch. It also really gives you the sense of the intensity of performing in an often claustrophobic arena, the camera constantly on your face looking for any reaction.
The documentary is well-paced, and covers most of the ground contained in the books about Ronnie. There is however an elephant in the room - that Ronnie doesn't even mention his children. Surely that has to be a massively important part of any father's story. I'm sure it's because he wants to shield them from exposure, but I still find it an omission which makes the story incomplete.
That's the only reason I didn't give it a 10!
Then along came Ronnie O'Sullivan and, my god! He made the game into his own art form. If you've played the game and watched it you recognise an X factor to this guy which sets him apart.
He's an inspiration to me, how he plays with feeling and instinct and with pure natural talent. The flow of his game. But most of all, as is brilliantly portrayed in this documentary, his ability to overcome his demons on the big stage again and again is remarkable. The film shows that the most mercurial talents are the most captivating to watch. It also really gives you the sense of the intensity of performing in an often claustrophobic arena, the camera constantly on your face looking for any reaction.
The documentary is well-paced, and covers most of the ground contained in the books about Ronnie. There is however an elephant in the room - that Ronnie doesn't even mention his children. Surely that has to be a massively important part of any father's story. I'm sure it's because he wants to shield them from exposure, but I still find it an omission which makes the story incomplete.
That's the only reason I didn't give it a 10!
Did you know
- TriviaDirector Sam Blair was careful to win over O'Sullivan's father and spent a year getting to know his mother, Maria, before proposing an interview. Even then, their conversations were held without cameras, and in the film his parents' voices play over the top of old home video and Polaroid pictures.
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Language
- Also known as
- The Edge of Everything
- Production company
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Gross worldwide
- $35,735
- Runtime
- 1h 53m(113 min)
- Color
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