They Call Me Magic

Whether as a companion piece to Winning Time or a standalone experience, They Call Me Magic is a worthwhile look back at one of the NBA’s greatest all-time players and personalities.

Think of it as a more satisfying companion to HBO's "Winning Time," or more focused alternative to ESPN's comprehensive Bulls chronicle "The Last Dance."

Yes, there are parts of They Call Me Magic, especially in the first half, that are a little manufactured to continue a love affair that basketball fans have been having for four decades now, but those shallow segments are overwhelmed by ones that are richly true and vulnerable. Magic was a leader on the court. Earvin has been one everywhere else.

They Call Me Magic is slickly made but totally unambitious, and the story is accordingly shallow. Wearing that other hat, though, the childlike hat of someone who came of age just barely after Magic’s heyday, to be able to see him in action, to watch the rivalries play out, and to learn about his and the NBA’s ascent just before Michael Jordan launched them to the stratosphere—this is never anything less than a familiar thrill.

“They Call Me Magic” is both an engaging look at the impact this charismatic, endlessly newsmaking figure had on his era and an occasional glimpse into the mentality of a performer.

There are times in They Call Me Magic when he’s a lively and specific storyteller. But there are just as many times, especially in the overlong doc’s second half, when he becomes evasive and drained of both enthusiasm and interest.

Combine basketball’s opacity with the blandly pleasant positivity of the interviewees, and you have a documentary where everything seems to just happen naturally. ... Earvin “Magic” Johnson is the cream, the best, on a level above the A list – but when there’s such an overwhelming winner, there’s no sport.