NEW YORK _ The Michael Jordan documentary wrapped up Sunday and here's the final verdict: good, not great. Charles Barkley, not Michael Jordan.
The highest bar for recent documentaries is HBO's "Diego Maradona," which complemented its tremendous footage with a fearless and honest look at a megastar's vast indiscretions. "The Last Dance" spent more time (10 episodes) covering less. It was the Disney version _ a fitting ode to the greatest basketball player of all time, with little desire of attacking his human flaws with meaningful investigation.
Again, it was highly enjoyable and, for the '80s babies like myself, nostalgic. Oftentimes the classic games and footage are underwhelming, leaving us to wonder whether the finely-tuned modern athletes would simply physically overwhelm their predecessors. Not with Jordan. He would dominate today's NBA and tomorrow's. The documentary served as a reminder.
But as "The Last Dance" earns its widespread praise and a new generation learns Jordan was more than a sneaker, I do want to highlight four disappointing aspects about the ESPN production, with an emphasis on the last four episodes:
