'The Last Dance'-A Review from A Non Sports Fan
Unless you've lived under a rock, there are two things in this world that everyone knows about, Coronavirus, and ESPN's 10 part documentary series "The Last Dance." Its inescapable popularity ponders the question if this is a documentary worth checking out if you don't care about sports. The answer is that it depends. If you have an attached nostalgia to the Chicago Bulls like me but are a casual fan who couldn't even name everyone on the team other than Michael Jordan, Scotty Pippen, or Dennis Rodman, then this Documentary can undoubtedly appeal to you. Furthermore, if you're a red-blooded sports enthusiast, you'll love this series. Say you're not a sports fan, nor did you ever care about the Chicago Bulls dynasty, then you probably won't find any interest in this tale of one of the most ubiquitous teams ever to grace the planet. As someone who's as casual as the bandwagon beer drinker attending a ticker-tape parade for the world champs, let me explain within the confines of a filmmaking angle, why I found "The Last Dance" to be an engrossing feat of storytelling.
Film is the closest element humanity has towards time travel. Viewing the never released, beautifully rendered film stock of the 1991-1998 Chicago Bulls locker room is an astounding vessel to the era of my childhood. The 13 inch CRT television playing on the ceiling in the clubhouse, the echoes of the players touting uncensored expletive jokes at one another, the texture of the white brick walls, these details bolster through the screen like a vivid memory from my past coming back to life. Reminiscent of what Peter Jackson did by recreating 100-year-old war footage with "They Shall Not Grow Old," director Jason Hehir transports us back to the 90s, painting a portrait of the legendary team that's devoid of narcissistic commercialism. Despite the Chicago Bulls' dynasty, this is, in the end, the story of Micahel Jordan. It's a story of a man who's done hiding behind a fabricated image of the perfect figure, making you question if you genuinely want to be like Mike.
Like a church confessional, we are introduced to Michael Jordan as a man. One with flaws like any of us. Having that status of what is argued to be the greatest basketball player of all-time carries an impossible load of baggage that can rob you of your humanity. Sitting in a chair within the confines of a lush mansion, we see Jordan appearing like the athletic version of Charles Foster Kane. With a drunken half glass of scotch, his eyes yellow like a pint of beer and a cigar that would make Castro blush, the audience views the sculpture of a worn individual. In what is probably the series most iconic moment, Jordan keeps himself from bursting into tears, confiding, "look I don't have to do this, I'm only doing it because it is who I am. That's how I play the game; that's my mentality. If you don't want to play that way, don't play that way. Break." Squatting forward in his chair away from his mark, we see Micahel Jordan as a man who's haunted by his demons. To become the best Jordan made himself the team tyrant.
A bully who would show everyone up, not so he could hog the spotlight, but so the team could win at all costs. It was to accelerate everyone to his level of accomplishment. Those who seemed absent from Jordan's story were his family. Only with an incredibly brief interview clip from his daughter Jasmine, do we see a little of Michael's personal life. Was Jordan's unraveling an admittance of guilt for his lack of caring for the ones he loved due to his competitive nature? Was he truly as vicious as everyone in the Documentary says he is? These questions are raised amongst Jordan's unbridled interview. Painting M.J. in this light didn't make me despise him, but rather love him more, seeing as, like anyone, he's a man full of scars. The weight he had to carry was admirable. His conscious burdened with a duty many in this world couldn't handle—a true man of physical and psychological strength.
Although Micael Jordan is the film's protagonist, the examination of the other Bulls' lives is harrowing to witness. Steve Kerr had a traumatic family incident relating to one that Michael had with his late father's infamous murder. We get to understand Dennis Rodman on a human level, allowing us to accept his eccentricities rather than mocking them. The team's general manager Jerry Krause is a complicated individual who was partially deserving of the backlash he received yet is a sympathetic figure that was the best in his business. Every fellow bull, coach, or manager are fully articulated, fascinating characters who revolve around the aura of Michael Jordan's persona.
Told within a non-linear structure jumping between championship years, "The Last Dance" did a marvelous job keeping me engaged towards its thematic revelations for each season. Having to juggle between hundreds of thousands of hours of footage is a herculean feat alone. Having to do so with eight years worth of nostalgic iconography coupled with the responsibility of having to please a massive fan base plus casual viewers alike is an astounding achievement in editing deserving of an award. With its compilation of adrenalin rush trailer music, multilayered confessionals, and dramatic structure, "The Last Dance" is an editing powerhouse. ESPN has a knack for delving into the 90s past. First, with its Oscar-Winning, "O.J.: Made in America" now they've done it again with this film. There may be some fans who won't be happy that some aspects from the Bulls' infamous eight seasons weren't included; unfortunately, you can't please everyone. Considering this is a 10-hour documentary epic, "The Last Dance" is a resounding achievement in sports history that will appeal to casuals, 90s enthusiasts and hardcore sports fans alike, bringing them together like one big team.
DON’T SEE IT! Recommended, SEE IT!
Verdict: SEE IT!
