4 reviews
The overall score for this is 6.4 and the two other reviews posted so far are pretty mediocre. I would attribute this less to the subject matter and more to the unusual style of the film. It's really nothing like the other "30 for 30" films I've seen and it looks almost like Martina Navratilova and Chris Everett made the film themselves!
The film consists of the two tennis champions talking to each other- --and that is it. The usual footage used in such a film is kept to a minimum, there are no other interviews nor is there any narration- -just the two tennis players chatting as they do lots of odd things (chatting on the couch, driving, jogging and more). I didn't love the style but I did appreciate several things. First, the film DID talk about how they felt about each other--particularly how Everett felt about Navratilova. Second, I was surprised how friendly they'd been earlier in their careers and why this changed. All in all, well worth seeing but not exactly a film that I loved.
By the way, this is NOT meant as criticism at all, but this film was made by female filmmakers and its style seems much more collaborative than the usual male-oriented/male-made "30 for 30" films. It does make for a nice change of pace.
The film consists of the two tennis champions talking to each other- --and that is it. The usual footage used in such a film is kept to a minimum, there are no other interviews nor is there any narration- -just the two tennis players chatting as they do lots of odd things (chatting on the couch, driving, jogging and more). I didn't love the style but I did appreciate several things. First, the film DID talk about how they felt about each other--particularly how Everett felt about Navratilova. Second, I was surprised how friendly they'd been earlier in their careers and why this changed. All in all, well worth seeing but not exactly a film that I loved.
By the way, this is NOT meant as criticism at all, but this film was made by female filmmakers and its style seems much more collaborative than the usual male-oriented/male-made "30 for 30" films. It does make for a nice change of pace.
- planktonrules
- Dec 22, 2014
- Permalink
30 for 30: Unmatched (2010)
** 1/2 (out of 4)
The latest entry in the 30 FOR 30 series is pretty much a longer interview with rivals Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. The two women spend some time in a house where the camera picks the two up as they talk about their careers, their rival and everything else in their lives. For fans of the series this entry will probably come as a surprise as it's not really a documentary but instead a long interview. It's mildly interesting seeing the two women talk about their careers and what their thoughts are on matters from years ago but when the film is over I can't say that I learned anything. You learn that they're both great champions and you learn that they were the two greatest rivals. That's pretty much it, which is a real shame since this series was meant to teach people about their suspects. With that said, those who know the women are going to enjoy seeing them talk about their careers as well as things they did that they wish they had done differently. There's nothing too ground breaking that we learn but it remains mildly entertaining, although you do wonderful how a different type of film would have looked. The 30 FOR 30 series has been pretty hard-hitting but this one here comes off a tad bit to clean and I do wonder if it would have been better as some sort of other special.
** 1/2 (out of 4)
The latest entry in the 30 FOR 30 series is pretty much a longer interview with rivals Chris Evert and Martina Navratilova. The two women spend some time in a house where the camera picks the two up as they talk about their careers, their rival and everything else in their lives. For fans of the series this entry will probably come as a surprise as it's not really a documentary but instead a long interview. It's mildly interesting seeing the two women talk about their careers and what their thoughts are on matters from years ago but when the film is over I can't say that I learned anything. You learn that they're both great champions and you learn that they were the two greatest rivals. That's pretty much it, which is a real shame since this series was meant to teach people about their suspects. With that said, those who know the women are going to enjoy seeing them talk about their careers as well as things they did that they wish they had done differently. There's nothing too ground breaking that we learn but it remains mildly entertaining, although you do wonderful how a different type of film would have looked. The 30 FOR 30 series has been pretty hard-hitting but this one here comes off a tad bit to clean and I do wonder if it would have been better as some sort of other special.
- Michael_Elliott
- Sep 16, 2010
- Permalink
Very beautiful, moving and amusing documentary about both the deep friendship and rivalry of the of the best tennis players ever, Martina Navratilova and Chris Evert. The format of the film is the simplest possible, basically a chat between the two retired sportswomen with a few footage and pictures of some core moments in their long careers, which began in early childhood. However, they are both so interesting people, their relationship is so honest, and their life stories are so rich, that we have in hands a remarkable documentary. The way each one pushed the other, their feats, psychology, family, sexuality, politics (both restrictions of traveling in communist Czechoslovakia and prejudice and jingoist exploitation in the Ubited States), and many other issues are addressed in a deep but also light way by the very Martina and Chris themselves. This is unexpectedly one of the best documentaries by ESPN.
This documentary could have been so much better, but the filmmakers decided to tackle the subject matter with kid gloves, and it is just a boring, prolonged conversation like you might see on Oprah, complete with soft lighting and exquisite decor. What we hear is the two women serving up platitude after platitude, and it soon gets a bit too much to bear. Martina comes across as the more mature and empathetic one, whereas Evert seems to still harbor a slight degree of antagonism. All in all, nothing special here. I'd be happier to just look up one of their matches on Youtube. The scenes of them driving 5mph in a Thunderbird down a leafy country lane looked more like a commercial for allergy medication than a sports documentary.