2023 Movie
Dir. Peter Nicks · United States of America · English
A straightforward piece of celebrity brand reinforcement that delivers on emotionally charged basketball action anyway
As one of the most recognizable and successful NBA players in the world today, Stephen Curry certainly doesn’t need a documentary to persuade anyone else about his talent and the legacy he’s already created in basketball. This definitely robs Underrated of some of its urgency, knowing that the Golden State Warrior has the luxury of ruminating on his victories and failures from a place of comfort. Still, the film’s decision to focus on a young Curry before reaching the height of his powers allows us to watch these long stretches of game time through a different emotional lens. His is a classic underdog story that’s probably far more common among players in the league, but it’s still entertaining to be able to track his growth from game to game.
The remarkable coming-of-age story of Stephen Curry—one of the most influential, dynamic, and unexpected players in basketball history—and his rise from an undersized college player to a four-time NBA champion.
"Curry has had a fascinating past two decades, something that “Underrated” does an effective job of capturing. But in harnessing what was always there in full view, there’s not much else here to add."
— Steve Greene
"However underwhelming this star portrait may be, it has a winner's spirit."
— Nick Allen
A look back at the amateur career of NBA superstar Steph Curry, especially his stint with the Davidson Wildcats in the NCAA.
It's just a little detail, but it really is refreshing to get so much uninterrupted game footage in this documentary without talking heads commenting over every play. The footage we see is still boiled down to highlights, but it's good that director Peter Nicks trusts the audience enough to let the basketball speak for itself and to allow us to catch on to what's happening by ourselves. And since the majority of the games we see are from the NCAA, there's a lot less showboating and no big superstar moves—just kids with dreams playing as a team, as it arguably should be.
Inspiring, up until the point my 5'6" Southeast Asian self heard about how people rejected Steph Curry for only being 5'10" in school.
Emil Hofileña is a curator at A Good Movie to Watch. He also writes as a theater critic, with work published in Rogue and Out of Print, among others. He’s probably crying over a movie or an episode as we speak.
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