Tribeca Film Festival: Kobe doin' voiceover

I'm tempted to call Spike Lee's hotly-anticipated documentary, "Kobe Doin' Work," a second-rate Spike Lee Joint, but that's not right because the truth is that it's hardly a Spike Lee Joint at all. The film, which premiered last night at the Borough of Manhattan Community College down by Chelsea Piers, is essentially a rebroadcast of an April 13, 2008, NBA game between the Los Angeles Lakers (led by the eponymous star of the film, Kobe Bryant) and the San Antonio Spurs, only slightly condensed, shot from somewhat unusual camera angles (via 30 cameras under the oversight of cinematographer Matthew Libatique), and with the addition of Bryant's in-game commentary (via a wireless mic) and post-game analysis (via faceless voiceover narration derived from a chat with Lee, a huge fan of Bryant's rival New York Knicks).

For some of even the biggest sports fans -- and there were plenty of them in attendance, from a large ESPN contingent, to professional athletes, to professional-sports buffs like myself -- the film proved a tedious affair. Things might have been different had it focused more on Bryant's life off the court, which is something we are not accustomed to seeing and which might have offered us some insight into the good, the bad and the ugly of what happens to a person when fame and fortune are bestowed on them at the age of 17. Instead, we see Bryant in his natural habitat, on the basketball court, and we are shown exactly what we expect to see, and what Bryant would undoubtedly like us to see: a thoughtful strategist, a team-first player and an all-around good guy.

"Kobe" does not compare very well with another recently-premiered documentary about a famous athlete, James Toback's "Tyson." Whereas Toback managed to get an athlete who was famous for acting before thinking to be introspective, and interspersed clips of events from his subject's past with his interview in the present to offer additional perspective (not to mention a reprieve from monotony), Lee seems to be doing no more -- and probably even less -- than he usually does from his courtside seats at NBA games. At least there, he mixes things up, gets loud and gets involved.

"Kobe Doin' Work" debuts on ESPN on May 16.

Photo: Kobe Bryant in "Kobe Doin' Work." Credit: Tribeca Film Festival

Comments

[SK]

This sounds a lot like "Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait". It's interesting, but missing the off-court/pitch interviews discussion. The musical score in "Zidane" was pretty cool though (Mogwai). I wonder what Spike has for "Kobe".