Apple TV + “They Call Me Magic”: A TV Review

Erwin “Magic” Johnson is one of the greatest basketball players in history, a champion at all levels and the owner of a level of athleticism that redefined the position of the defender so anyone could replicate his attribute set. Off the court, he was a pioneering entrepreneur who made his mark on sports franchises, real estate and commercial activities, particularly in the black community. After being diagnosed with HIV in 1991, he was publicly informed about the disease, which at the time was considered a death sentence.

These points are presented adequately and convincingly (if you need convincing) by Rick Famuiva they call me magicianApple TV+ is a four-part documentary that features solid footage, a good list of talking chapters, and at least a few installments, in a certain elegant spirit.

But they call me magician He has a big, overwhelming problem, and unfortunately, that problem is Earvin “Magic” Johnson.

With a blessed smile that has been shining in Tinseltown for more than four decades, Magic has a personality that is one of the main reasons he remains so beloved. However, like everyone who watched his brief talk show the magic hour He knows that what is designed in solid wood and even in board meetings and even in public speeches, is not always visible on the screen. Magic picks and chooses its moments and there’s a time they call me magician When it is a lively and specific narrator. But there are similar cases, especially in the second half of a long-time doctor, when he avoids and lacks enthusiasm and interest.

The first two hours focus on Johnson’s youth and basketball career. The early part, which runs until the end of the 1980 NBA championship, is basically the first season. time to winWith many overlapping stories and figures -Larry Bird, Pat Riley, Michael Cooper, Karim Abdul-Jabbar, Paul Westhead- it’s worth noting that Jerry West appears in several segments without throwing a glass out a single window.

Johnson’s parents, an assortment of his siblings, several teammates, a reporter who gave him an indelible nickname, and his future wife, Cook, are rarely revealed in basketball-focused chapters, but how can they be? The “magical” character is one that Erwin Johnson has played since the 1970s and has never shied away from becoming popular.

His admiration for his hardworking father and the blue values ​​he introduced are well attested. He attended high school and was a star and winner from day one at the same university. And while he held out in his first preseason under Abdul-Jabbar, he was a star and a winner from day one in the NBA. This is a recipe for minimal dramatic conflict. These years are represented by many jazz and soundtrack images from the 70s and 80s of Los Angeles, whose motivation can be described as: “Every time someone mentions a song, we play it”.

The biggest problem in the first half of the documentary is Johnson’s self-inflicted relationship with Cookie, which included several broken marriages and about 15 years of mixed messages and a prolonged love affair, which Johnson admitted was his fault because, well, like . He could not? It’s not as fascinating or fun as Famuiva thought, and it was a very strange decision to question every part of the documentary separately for almost everyone. I can’t assume that Magic and Cook aren’t sitting together in these few stories, but they call me magician Avoid friction as much as possible.

This becomes impossible in the second half, involving the magical diagnosis of HIV, several attempts to come back and then his business career. It’s immediately obvious that “Magic,” the perfect showman, was happy to talk about high school triple-doubles or multiple NBA Finals with Celtic, but when it comes to more difficult topics, “Erwin” than people describe . Calmer and more introverted, he holds hands. Memories of the day of the press conference to reveal his diagnosis are mostly left to other people. His health talks have been reduced to a general general meaning. There’s a big and strange gap between how Johnson describes his pre-marital social life in the documentary, many of whom “come home from a game”, and how he viewed that life post-diagnosis.

I think Johnson felt like he was talking enough about his depravity in the 90s. But if you’re in a seemingly complete documentary about his life, you shouldn’t act like you’re saying something new about your love for Dr. Jerry Bass. or the 1980’s Championship Clincer Game Center. , But then we talk about other topics. Not if you want to give the audience the impression that you’re actually participating. If viewers aren’t already privy to Johnson’s previous stories, they’ll feel either Magic was too boring or the truth was too boring. If you know the stories but want to hear them more introspectively, there’s nothing like it here.

Items are polished. Isaiah Thomas and Magic discuss the transition from friendship to rivalry in superficial tones, and if you know the really ugly accusations that leak between them, it’s white nonsense.

Some things are ignored by Magic but still apply to other people. It’s stupid! For example you have Jimmy Kimmel to mention the magic hour As one of the worst TV shows ever made, but Kimmel doesn’t specify those ratings and Magic doesn’t say a word. I’ll just use this as an example. I’m just a little curious the magic hour.

Magic doesn’t ignore some things, but he’s completely stunned. EJ, along with Johnson’s son Cook, steals the last minute, talking excitedly about how he grew up gay as the son of Magic Johnson. The magician, who doesn’t want to give any depth, admits he could have been more supportive and says he’s proud of EJ.

And then some things completely disappear. Of course, it can be shown that Magic Johnson has spent the last 20 years exclusively opening theaters and the Starbucks franchise, and I totally agree that those accomplishments far outweigh his less successful and sometimes clumsy attempts to coach and manage the Lakers. But it all happened in real life and is not mentioned as additional thoughts in the documentary. Johnson’s loss as flexible pivot can be overcome if Famuiva doesn’t simultaneously lose his sense of rhythm, which is on the long list of great and important things Magic Johnson has done.

there are many good things they call me magicianBut four hours is a lot of time to spend on a documentary that is very opaque with its most fascinating sections. Magic Johnson, a basketball star, a business pioneer and an inspiration to millions, deserved something much greater than Magic Johnson being able to contribute to a documentary.