TV REVIEW: Netflix docu-series "The Last Dance" will have you jumping like Jordan
I’m not much of a sports guy, but Netflix’s Michael Jordan docu-series is riveting.
Michael Jordan is one of the few athletes to transcend a particular sport and become a pop-cultural icon, comparable to Disney, Superman and McDonalds. I knew that before I hit play on the first episode – everyone does. However, as someone chronically disinterested in not just the NBA but sports in general, I didn’t think that would ever be an “in” for me. And yet, The Last Dance — an intimate never-before-seen look at MJ’s time with the Chicago Bulls and their six-time championship run — had me forgetting my phone, feeling relief when there was still 24 minutes of an episode left, and getting profoundly irritated when I had to wait for the next instalment to drop.
I can’t express how sad I am that it’s all over now. Crisp presentation and immaculate editing supercharge electric material, not the least of which includes some cold-hearted politicking off the court and MJ’s superhuman talent on the court.
The Last Dance wasn’t merely a source of well-constructed curiosity; to wit, in one of the final episodes, it detailed MJ’s infamous “flu game” in which he pushed through an intense bout of food poisoning and carried the Bulls to a crucial victory. This particular segment moved me to tears and made me feel ashamed of all the times I called it quits when I knew I could have taken that extra step. Anytime I do some mundane task now I cannot help but think, “Would MJ be satisfied with this effort?” The obvious answer is that MJ couldn’t give a shit less, you idiot. But that the question is even raised in my mind makes me try harder. In between episodes, I found myself unironically – embarrassingly – enjoying circa. 2006 YouTube videos of MJ playing set to R. Kelly’s “I Believe I Can Fly” (Ughhh, I know). I was even powerless before the truly shoddy and crass commercialism that is Space Jam.
MJ was inspired, undoubtedly inspirational -- and quite the hard-hearted prick. This makes The Last Dance a genuinely meaty conversation piece for rubes and aficionados alike; is the price of all-time greatness worth it? Only MJ knows the answer in this case, but a jaw-dropping segment where, overcome with emotion, he details what winning means to him, it can be surmised that it’s worth it if you’re as psychotically competitive as Michael Jordan.
Rounding out the interesting players taking us on this wild ride through the 90s is smooth and self-assured Scottie Pippen, wild man Dennis Rodman and humble scraper Steve Kerr. The storytelling through their little segments is perfect. They and others have their own unique energy and charisma and keep the drama alive when MJ’s affectless vibe threatens to dreary up the whole thing. The Bulls’ coach Phil Jackson gets some decent spotlight too. His zen approach to the team and to the game – heck, to life -- provided an interesting counterpoint to MJ’s win-at-all-costs single-mindedness. Touchingly, Jordan had refused to sign up with the Bulls again if Phil Jackson wasn’t going to be the coach.
Compulsively watchable and slickly packaged, The Last Dance is well worth your attention, sports fan or not.
