Disney/Buena Vista | 2009 | 84 mins. | NR
I have been a huge sports fan most of my life. I am a card carrying member of Red Sox Nation, covet each pass by Tom Brady, and waited for what seemed like a lifetime for the Celtics to be a competitive franchise again. While it should be obvious that I’m not a fan of the Los Angeles Lakers (It goes against everything I believe in), there’s no denying that L.A.’s Kobe Bryant is one of the most gifted players in the game of basketball today. As a sports fan who appreciates talent, I was eager to check out the ESPN basketball documentary, Kobe Doin’ Work.
Directed by devout Knick’s fan Spike Lee (Do the Right Thing, Malcolm X), Doin’ Work focuses on a “game in the life” of the L.A. Lakers star. Much of the film follows the first three quarters of a game against the San Antonio Spurs; a crucial clash in the race for the Western Conference title, during the 2007/2008 season. Spike Lee effectively covers Bryant on court and off, with the use of 30 cameras. A word to Spurs fans here: the focus here is on Kobe; you won’t see a heck of a lot of Spurs standouts Tim Duncan, or Tony Parker etc. Apart from the on-court action, we are privy to Kobe’s interactions with teammates, coaches and locker room moments.
Kobe Doin’ Work isn’t a typical sports documentary—we don’t learn about Bryant’s childhood, family, or development as an athlete—nor is it a rehash of an ESPN NBA broadcast. Though there is some commentary from ESPN’s analysts, Bryant’s own dialogue dominates the soundtrack throughout the Lakers/Spurs game. Fans of Kobe’s will likely enjoy every minute, while his detractors and the sports casual observers may get bored with hearing just his perspective on things. From a purely cinematic perspective, Lee’s shooting styling doesn’t always mesh with the fast pace of the in-game action. Basketball is a quick sport, where other players can be involved in a sequence with little warning; the emphasis on team play. So limiting the point of view to a single player can make it difficult for less knowledgeable viewers to grasp the most basic of things, such as who has the ball or who scored the last basket.
Those issues aside, Spike Lee and cinematographer Matthew Libatique (Iron Man) have effectively captured one of the NBA’s greatest shooting guards at the height of his career. While I might have liked to learn a bit about Kobe the man, in the course of this documentary, Doin’ Work gives the public an up-close and personal look at how he approaches his life on the court. Even as a diehard Celtics fan, I have to admit, I was drawn in.
The DVD of Kobe Doin’ Work includes an introduction by Spike Lee and deleted scenes that include the fourth quarter of the Lakers vs. Spurs game and a press conference. There is also a behind the scenes featurette, a Bruce Hornsby music video and a photo montage. It is also possible to watch the on-court action with or without censored commentary. The audio on the disc is provided in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound and with Spanish and French subtitles.
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