Viewed in
2011
Formats
HDTV w/ commercials
Premise
A documentary about the college football rivalry between Alabama and Auburn.
Loved
Seeing Bo Jackson again.
Liked
Cam Newton and Greg McElroy, powerful tornado segment.
Disliked
Timing.
Thoughts
Overall, it was a decent doc.
Bo Jackson is one of my favorite athletes of all time. So it was great to see him briefly talk about his college experience. Pity they didn't show more vintage footage of Jackson running amok.
Other figures that came off well were Newton and McElroy. Even under the interview spotlight, you can sense this unflappable leading personality persevering through controversy and dissection. Just watching him openly talk about his past, his successful rookie season in Carolina (so far) made so much more sense now. Meanwhile, McElroy's clear perspective made him into a very likable and sympathetic person among the fan madness.
Obviously, disasters are never fun. But I was impressed by the execution of the tornado tragedy segment. It was haunting and jarring, especially the interview of one player caught in it.
The rest of the documentary left much to be desired. Cramming over six decades of rivalry often left sections devoid of details. I was really annoyed by its style, such as the ubiquitous, funky pianist playing "Sweet Home Alabama" over and over again, and flashy interview shots that only showed half of the subject's face at odd angles.
An even bigger question was are they telling the story too soon? There were subplots with no resolutions. It highlighted Mark Ingram and Newton, but there's no guarantee these rookies will have significant NFL careers. I found it unconvincing to put a decade-long rivalry in proper context and perspective right now.
If you're a college football fan, Roll Tide/War Eagle might be fun to walk down memory lane, but I'm lukewarm about this uneven work.
What I would change
Not made this until at least some more time had passed, such as after Harvey Updyke's trial and the resolution in the poisoned trees of Toomer's Corner.
