Viewed in
2010
Formats
HD TV
Premise
Part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series, a documentary about highly recruited college football player Marcus Dupree.
Loved
The footage, the wealth of interviews.
Thoughts
What was so fascinating to me was all the themes his journey encapsulated. It was like watching Ricky Williams's eccentricity, LeBron James's high school fame, Josh Luchs damning portrayal of collegiate sports, and sports media frenzy, all rolled into one. If that was not interesting enough, director Jonathan Hock fit in the racial tensions/history/connections of Dupree's home town as nice bookends to the story.
To help tell this compelling story, Hock got tons of amazing footage of Dupree's high school and college days, detailed interviews from friends and family, and of course, direct conversations with the subject himself. Dupree came off as a fascinating kid, now a wise man who was open and at peace with all the positive/negative events that transpired earlier in life. Personally, I found his love for his brother to be the most touching part.
I also enjoyed the interviews with his "adversaries", coach Barry Switzer and agent Ken Fairley. It was good to hear their sides of the story. Their conversations added depth and complexity in Dupree's journey.
Lastly, I wanted to touch on the vintage footage. Watching him obliterate opponents All-Madden style truly justified the hyperbole that was given to his skills and talents. Equally fascinating (in a sad way) was watching his abilities diminish as his lack of conditioning and injuries took a toll.
As someone completely unaware of Marcus Dupree, this was a complete package that told an interesting story about an interesting athlete, while sadly reminding us that sometimes sports and life are not independent of each other.
What I would change
Nothing.
