The HBO documentary executive produced by LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Entertainment, What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali, debuted on Sunday at the Tribeca Film Festival.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua, the film explores Ali’s biggest triumphs and comebacks while telling the story of the greatest boxer of all time (in Ali’s own words). Since premiering at Tribeca, the reviews are pouring in from Hollywood pundits and they appear to be collectively positive for the HBO Sports production led in part by LeBron.
In the excerpt below, Nick Shager from Variety offered his take:
Muhammad Ali’s bark was as formidable as his bite, and “What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali” pays tribute to both, allowing the three-time heavyweight champ to narrate his own story via a combination of audio and video archival material. Directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day,” “The Equalizer”), this 165-minute documentary uses copious interview soundbites to highlight the pugilist’s unparalleled gift of gab — and, consequently, the way it served as his means of defiant self-definition.
Debuting on HBO in two parts (after premiering at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival), it’s a celebration that, if not quite definitive, proves a stirring work of nonfiction assembly. Comprised of old photos and film, TV, and radio clips, Fuqua’s project (executive-produced by LeBron James) does its best to approximate an autobiographical authorship, allowing “the greatest” to be his own storyteller.”
Caryn James from the Hollywood Reporter also weighed in on LeBron’s new film offering the following.
Watching Antoine Fuqua’s archival documentary about the career of Muhammad Ali is like entering a time capsule. What’s My Name is a chronological account that uses Ali’s own voice and image from talk shows, press conferences and interviews, in clips that range from famous moments, used sparingly, to the unfamiliar. How many of us have seen Ali riding a horse at his training camp? This two-part HBO film sharply defines why Ali was such an important figure in American life, a great heavyweight boxing champion whose presence came to include celebrity culture, race and politics.
What’s My Name: Muhammad Ali is scheduled to premiere on HBO on Tuesday, May 14 at 8 PM.
