Kobe Doin' Work

Kobe Doin' Work is a 2009 documentary film directed by Spike Lee. It focuses on then professional basketball player Kobe Bryant before, during, and immediately after one game of the 2007–08 Los Angeles Lakers season against the San Antonio Spurs. Bryant granted filmmaker Spike Lee and 30 cameras total access to his life for one day. Bryant agreed to wear a microphone throughout the day capturing in-game, bench, and locker room conversations.[1] Lee's cameras were also given unprecedented access to the Laker locker room. Kobe: Doin' Work premiered on ESPN on May 16, 2009.

Kobe: Doin' Work
Directed bySpike Lee
StarringKobe Bryant
Narrated byKobe Bryant and Spike Lee
Composer(s)Bruce Hornsby
Country of originUnited States
Original language(s)English
Production
Producer(s)Spike Lee
Butch Robinson
CinematographyMatthew Libatique
Editor(s)Barry Alexander Brown
Running time84 minutes
Production company(s)40 Acres and a Mule Filmworks
ESPN Films
DistributorESPN
Release
Original release
  • May 16, 2009 (2009-05-16)

Plot

Kobe Doin’ Work is an 84-minute exploration of Kobe Bryant's work ethic, his in game mentality, and the bluntness that made Bryant a great competitor.[2] Lee uses multiple cameras, sound from the in-game broadcast, the Staples Center, a microphone worn by Kobe himself, and a follow-up narration while he watched the footage to illustrate every detail of Kobe's performance, strategy, and inner thoughts.[3]

Bryant shot 6 of 14 from the field, scored 20 points, and played 32 minutes. The game was a crucial game in the end of the regular season, as the Los Angeles Lakers hoped to keep first place in the Western Conference with a record of 55-25. In an NBA.com 2009 Q&A (now archived) Spike Lee explained in an interview why he chose Kobe Bryant as the subject for this documentary: "I'm a big basketball fan. It was obvious. He was having an MVP-type year, in which he did win the MVP. Also the Lakers looked like they were going to take it to the Finals. And I wanted them to beat the Celtics. I hate the Celtics. But the Celtics won. But I don't think I was taking a gamble by choosing Kobe." Also, according to Spike Lee, "He (Kobe) said several times how much fun it was just doing it."

The 84-minute documentary ran on ESPN commercial free.[2] The documentary also focuses on Bryant and the team in huddles and during time-outs. The cameras also get full access of coach Phil Jackson in the locker room with the team during half-time.[4] Bryant provided the voice-over for the documentary on February 2, 2009, hours after he scored 61 points against the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, (then a single-game record at the arena, which has been broken since). Spike Lee said that he was excited for Bryant to do the commentary following a game at Madison Square Garden, but no one expected a 61-point performance from Bryant. "I know that if he had a terrible game the commentary would not have been the same. Guaranteed. But Kobe said he made a point to make sure not to lose the game or he would hear it from me."[2] Bryant indeed said in an after game interview that he was going to give the game his all in order to show Spike Lee a thing or two about Bryant's skills on the court against the Knicks. "On a lighter note, I'm going to review this documentary I'm doing with Spike Lee tonight after the game and I didn't feel like sitting next to him and hearing him talking trash about the Knicks, so that was added incentive as well. Seriously. He's going to get an earful tonight."[2]

Reception

Rotten Tomatoes gives the film a 57% audience score,[5] while IMDB reports 6.4 stars out of 10 based on 1,395 user ratings.

Notes

This film bears a striking resemblance to the 2006 sports documentary Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait (French: Zidane, un portrait du 21e siècle),[6] as well as to a much earlier film: Football As Never Before (German: Fußball wie noch nie), a documentary made in 1970 by acclaimed German filmmaker de:Hellmuth Costard about Manchester United footballer George Best.

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References
  1. "Kobe Doin' Work (TV Movie 2009)". imdb.com. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  2. "Kobe Bryant". ESPN.com. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  3. "Spike Lee". Biography. Retrieved 2019-03-05.
  4. "Kobe Scores 61". NY Daily News. Retrieved 2013-05-13.
  5. "Kobe Doin' Work (2009)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
  6. "Kobe Doin' Work (2009)". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-04-12.
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