Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

General

Losing LeBron (review)

Review by Dean Galanis
Produced by Nicole Hart, Maria Menounos, 
Allyson Sherlock, Keven Undergaro
Directed by Nicole Hart, Allyson Sherlock 

A brief (just under an hour in length) but very engaging documentary about LeBron James’ leaving the Cleveland Cavaliers to play for the Miami Heat in 2010, Losing LeBron examines not only Cleveland’s reaction to the move, but the psychology of a city’s sports fans coping with the fact that none of their three professional sports franchises has won a championship in 50 years.

Losing LeBron follows a handful of fans during the first season after LeBron’s leaving.  A stand-up comedian, a sports writer, a father and his grown son just trying to make ends meet, a doctor, etc. all weigh in on The Decision.   The film examines – and provides an explanation – early on how even that title of LeBron’s ESPN live special, which featured LeBron’s announcement, was not only obviously arrogant and ludicrously egotistical, but also a cruel slap in the face to a city with a history of horrible sports moments, many of them perfect examples of defeat snatched from the jaws of victory.

Somewhat surprisingly, some Clevelanders don’t begrudge LeBron’s decision at all, figuring he wants success, has the talent to achieve it, and feels the need to be in the place where this success has the best chance to occur. Others don’t begrudge his choice, but are angry about the way he went about it.

But, as expected, most of the Cavs fans on display here are sickened and crushed by the move. There’s a “shred your LeBron jersey” event for charity, one fan is seen wearing a jersey with LeBron’s old number 23 but with the word “Judas” across the back, etc.

It’s easy to see why these fans felt so betrayed; many of them lead humdrum lives, sports being their main outlet for release. Many take a perverse pride in holding season tickets every year, even with the knowledge that the teams will probably suck; they feel they’re 
“true” fans because they suffer through season after season. But it’s obvious they were pinning their hopes for a Cavs championship on LeBron.

While there could have been further exploration of some of its themes, at 59 mins, Losing LeBron doesn’t wear out its welcome, and doesn’t feel incomplete. A slight but solid doc, Losing LeBron is a must for diehard sports fans, especially those from cities with long droughts between championships.

Losing LeBron is now available on iTunes, Amazon, Google/YouTube, PlayStation, Vudu and Xbox

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

DISCLAIMER

Forces of Geek is protected from liability under the DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) and “Safe Harbor” provisions.

All posts are submitted by volunteer contributors who have agreed to our Code of Conduct.

FOG! will disable users who knowingly commit plagiarism, piracy, trademark or copyright infringement.

Please contact us for expeditious removal of copyrighted/trademarked content.

SOCIAL INFLUENCER POLICY

In many cases free copies of media and merchandise were provided in exchange for an unbiased and honest review. The opinions shared on Forces of Geek are those of the individual author.

You May Also Like

Reviews

  Despite being originally released in 2002, Death to Smoochy is a black comedy time capsule of pre-9/11 American cynicism. Casting children’s television as...

News

The legendary Alien franchise gives birth to an all-new terrifying sci-fi horror thriller when 20th Century Studios’ Alien: Romulus arrives to digital retailers (Prime...

Reviews

  Written by Roger Mitchell Foreword by John Boorman Published by BearManor Media   Apparently Zardoz, the surreal and almost psychedelic 1974 Irish-American science...

News

Zoë Kravtiz’s (“The Batman,” TV’s “Pretty Little Lies”) directorial debut Blink Twice, from Metro-Goldwyn Mayer Pictures, will be available for purchase on Blu-ray and...