Viewed in
2012
Formats
HDTV (w/ ads)
Premise
A documentary about the 1992 U.S. Men's Olympic basketball team, led by Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, and Larry Bird.
Loved
Nostalgia factor.
Liked
Addressing Isiah Thomas and other controversies.
Disliked
It's brevity.
Thoughts
I guess it's as good as an 80 minute NBA-sponsored documentary about a team facing minimal adversity could get.
As a budding NBA fan in 1992, I didn't have the full appreciation for the star power and legacy that was the "Dream Team". This definitely helped walk me down memory lane, from the league's top dawgs of that era, to images I had forgotten, to hilarious 1990's fashion. It was also cool to see the NBA landscape at that time, like young Chris Webber and Grant Hill.
Best parts were stuff the public had never seen, such as more awesome quotes by Barkley during press conferences. The holy grail of basketball footage was of course the famous Monte Carlo scrimmage game. Watching some of the best players ever getting in each others' faces just made me giddy. My other favorite scene was the video of John Stockton "unwisely" taking a stroll in Barcelona with his family, only to discover that nobody recognized him.
As a NBA historian, I'm glad it did not gloss over some of the not so dreamy parts, especially Isiah Thomas' egregiously unjustified exclusion from the team. In addition, it also didn't shy away from Barkley's elbow, the fact they lost their first game to a bunch of college kids, or Jordan and Pippen's homicidal undressing of Toni Kukoc.
Being a pretty hardcore fan, I wanted more. More highlights, more game footage, more practice footage. I never felt like there was enough to help me further appreciate that team's will-never-happen-again talent. Frankly, my inner basketball geek just wanted to watch that Monte Carlo scrimmage in its entirety, uninterrupted.
Likewise, the controversies could've been explored further, but maybe there wasn't much there to begin with. Magic's HIV situation was hardly addressed, but it was thoroughly explored in his own documentary, The Announcement.
The Dream Team was slightly better than a puff piece. It had a strong selection of vintage footage and glimpses into the most interesting characters. It never delved too deep into any chapter, but it didn't skip any either. If I were channel-surfing and this was re-running, I'm automatically planting my butt on the couch for a re-watch. A definite a must-see for fans.
