The LA Lakers are one of my least favorite NBA teams. I dislike their colors, I dislike their attitude and I dislike the fact that they beat my favorite teams time and time again. However, I can't deny that watching Kobe Bryant play is magical and that he truly is one of the best players in the league currently. Hate or love the team, Kobe is mesmerizing. Because of this I was really excited when I first heard that Spike Lee was doing a documentary on him. I thought a talented film-maker like him would do a great job portraying Kobe in a more human light, bringing in basketball lovers alike, regardless of their feelings on the Lakers. I was wrong.
Kobe Bryant Doin Work was almost the same as watching a Lakers game, except worse, because Kobe's voice in the constant voice-over made it hard to see the magic he always brings to the court Instead of having my breath taken away by his shots, I found myself rolling my eyes almost the entire time. Kobe Bryant acts less like a player and more like a coach, constantly talking to his teammates not only while sitting on the bench or during a timeout but on the court during the game as well. And he does not stop at congratulating a player on a good shot, block, assist or rebound but instead tells them what to do, when to do it and how to do it. Personally, I could not stand to be on a team with such a player and honestly I'm not so sure how everyone on the Lakers feels about his role. Though the documentary sometimes shows other players responding to Kobe, for the most part all you see is him barking at a teammate and there being silence in response. During the voice-over even Kobe himself says "I didn't realize I talk that damn much".
And its not even the fact that he is so talkative, but it is also what he says. Though this was during a voice-over so its questionable whether or not he would ever say this to someone's face, at one point in the document Kobe goes ahead and says that he "swagger jacked" another players' move. Now if that isn't cocky, I don't know what is. Not to mention the constant taunting of the other team, calling certain players old, telling them they aren't ready for him, etc. Sure NBA players are entitled to feel superior and have a big head, but when someone has the kinds of numbers that Kobe does, you would think he would let his stats do the talking and cut down on childish threats. And though I'm sure he is not the only one to display such behavior during a game, I would like to think that there is at a least a handful of players who remain humble and let their skills prove it all.
Beyond Kobe's annoying live commentary during the game, and a much too behind-the-scenes look into his mind, given by the constant voice-over, the theme of the documentary itself sucks. When I first heard of it I imagined it to be Kobe's life story. I thought I would learn about him as a young boy, how he got into the NBA and how he has changed year by year. Of course I expected there to be clips of him playing but what I was not prepared for was 90+ minutes of a Lakers/Spurs game and a cheesy ending of Kobe, his wife and two daughters exiting the arena after a big win. I understand everyone makes mistakes, and I would never let someone's choices regarding their personal lives influence how I see them as players but to end the documentary on such a family-oriented and heartfelt note seems ridiculous to me as everyone knows the cheating scandal that once surrounded Kobe and the marital problems he had shortly after. If Spike Lee made the decision to make this documentary solely about one game, it is beyond me why he thought ending it on such a cliche note would be a good idea.
I didn't like Kobe (as a person) before I watched this documentary, but I now have even less positive feelings towards him. The slight arrogance I saw in him before has turned into a case of full-blown cockiness and I'm pretty sure that now all I will think about when I watch him play is what he may be saying to the other players on the court with him, both belonging to his team and otherwise. In a way I'm glad this documentary did not sway me to be a Lakers fan but at the same time I was really looking forward to knowing the real Kobe Bryant and gaining more respect for him. The may Lakers win a lot of games but this documentary certainly failed at bringing them more fans. Better luck next time Spike Lee.
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