User Reviews

Kobe Doin' Work is not your typical Spike Lee joint and it's not your typical documentary. However, it totally delivers because it stays true to its title: It simply lets you see what a game day is like from the eyes of Kobe.

Needless to say, this joint is only for basketball fans. And if you love basketball, then you're gonna enjoy this a lot because you'll finally get a glimpse of what it takes to play at such a high level. Also, it was very interesting to see all the talk in the bench and in the locker room.

Yes, Kobe comes off a bit too good in the film, but who cares? I didn't view this film to see Kobe on trial or something. And I wish there could be more films like this for other great players. Who wouldn't want Mike Doin' Work for example? Overall, a very interesting film.

Here's the deal with Kobe Doin' Work: if you're just a basketball fan, let alone a Kobe Bryant fan, this is mandatory viewing. After seeing this at the Tribeca Film Festival it was clear who this document of a basketball game, not even so much a documentary, was aimed at. For example, my brother would watch this and be hooked minute one, while my wife would steer clear faster than you can say blueberry pie. Spike Lee had a goal here and he executed it masterfully, but it's not an all-around crowd-pleaser unless, as mentioned, the whole crowd digs the Lakers and Kobe Bryant and the methods and sportsmanship of basketball in general. As someone who is neutral I had a good perspective of it, enjoying it and being interested for what it was, even as I knew I might not watch it again when it comes time for its airing on ESPN.

This is to basketball what Scorsese's Shine a Light did for the Rolling Stones - setting up dozens of cameras, we're given so many points of view and angles and set-ups on a straightforward 4-quarter-long basketball game between the Lakers and the Spurs. That it also gives unlimited options for editing and creating texture and speed and variance is a bonus for the interested viewer. At the same time there's another twist Lee implements that is clever: an audio commentary from Bryant (with occasional snippets of questions or observations from Lee) on the game, all of the decisions made in strategy and the practicality of the game, or just some of the little things that one wonders about how a player does the work on the court, the cues the player picks up from the others, the cues gaged from the opposing team, little lessons learned, mistakes, and of course goofs. On top of this, Bryant has a microphone on his jersey so we hear everything he says, from mundane to down-n-dirty leadership, throughout and even in the locker room.

I was never bored by any of the action, and Lee's little flourishes of style added some verve (and of course that typical jazz score as well placed about during the game) but, again, it's a niche thing. The same viewer who was fascinated by Inside Man may not immediately go to Kobe Doin' Work. And yet I can recommend it without a doubt in my mind for its intended audience, the sports geeks and guys and girls who live for basketball. It's made by a fan for the fans. For everyone else, it's a fun viewing once, with a little of the personal side of Bryant sprinkled at the end. It is what the title says, and it's damn proud of it. 7.5/10

No basketball fan - or, for that matter, Los Angeles Lakers fan - should be caught dead without watching Spike Lee's Kobe Doin' Work. They won't only enjoy the film for its inclusion of slickly shot and edited basketball footage but will crave and embrace the commentary of the Lakers' star athlete Kobe Bryant, as he recalls tense moments of the game, interactions with teammates and opposing players, and certain motivations as he runs up and down the court.

This documentary has the ability to captivate die-hard basketball and Lakers fans, but I question how it will hold up for the moderately curious viewers, like myself, who were halfway expecting a documentary concerning Kobe off the court and a day-in-the-life scenario. Almost anyone could turn on a TV, walk into a local bar (if people still do that anymore), or pull up on their phone a Lakers game and see Kobe in action. The first issue with Lee's Kobe Doin' Work is it gives us something we could already see and misses the golden opportunity of giving us something we otherwise couldn't.

The film's selling point is the fact that Bryant himself recorded a commentary track for the game we're watching, which is against the world champion San Antonio Spurs on April 13, 2008. Lee tells us in a two-minute opening scene that Kobe permitted thirty cameras to capture his moves on screen and then proceed to record an engaging commentary about everything that occurred in that game. Lee seems so fascinated with Kobe when speaking about how he went about making this documentary and hanging out with Kobe, smitten by his kindness and his passion for the game. One wonders if anybody bothered to ask Lee would he act surprisingly out of the norm or in any other way except for positive if he had thirty cameras watching him and a documentary about to premiere on a huge network. While the access is pretty grand and the commentary is rather unique, one wonders how much of it is fabricated for the camera and if Kobe's thoughts are still fighting to get out, but are repressed thanks to better judgment on his behalf.

What we have left to rely on is eighty-nine minutes of some fairly solid basketball footage, captured at multiple different angles and edited together with the unsurprising crispness I've come to expect with Spike Lee's documentary joints, especially after watching his most recent, Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth. But crisp editing and slick footage fades when you realize what's being edited together and slickly captured is of little interest to you as a whole. Kobe Doin' Work did nothing for me in the long run, and will surely be forgotten in passing days. Despite considerable efforts by Spike Lee to make this film broadly appealing, I can't help but feel this was a rejected idea for one of those brilliant ESPN 30 for 30 documentaries that Lee went along and made anyways.

Directed by: Spike Lee.

Kobe Doin' Work (2009)

** 1/2 (out of 4)

Spike Lee's latest "joint" is a documentary following Kobe Bryant during one of his work days. Or, in a more detailed description, we see Kobe Bryant and the Los Angeles Lakers playing the San Antonio Spurs in a basketball game from April 18, 2008. Lee was given the special privilege of getting to use nearly thirty cameras to capture the action, was given permission to film inside the locker room before and after the game as well as getting in there during halftime. The biggest twist to this documentary is that Bryant himself is doing an audio commentary. When I heard Lee was going to be doing a documentary on Bryant I was pretty excited but the end result isn't as great as I was hoping for. I was actually pretty letdown that there wasn't more here because this really seems more like an ESPN movie (where it played) rather than a Spike Lee Joint. Fans of basketball or the star are going to enjoy hearing his thoughts on playing basketball and even I will admit that it was interesting hearing his thoughts on the game. Hearing him comment on the teammates as well as the Spurs wasn't anything new but he does where a mic here, which gives us some great insight into what they discuss on the bench as well as on the floor. The commentary that Bryant provides goes into some nice detail about his thoughts on all things basketball. Hearing him breakdown plays is nice and Lee jumps in a few spots to ask questions. I think the film might have benefited with Lee jumping in more. The best stuff is the locker room scenes where we get to see some stuff we normally don't get to. I really enjoyed the halftime stuff, which to me was the highlight of the movie. The post-game stuff was nice as well. Again, this isn't your typical documentary but it is interesting enough for at least one viewing but if you're not a fan of basketball then you should stay far, far away.

As a documentary "Kobe Doin' Work" was different. This Spike Lee directed documentary is basically Kobe's commentary on a singular game against San Antonio late in the '08-'09 season. Kobe would go on to win MVP for that season and the Lakers would go on to win the NBA Championship. If you are a basketball junkie, then this would be a great documentary. If you are a Kobe fanatic, then this would be a great documentary. If you are a basketball coach, on any level, then this would be a great documentary. If you are none of the above, then this documentary won't have the same appeal.

"Kobe Doin' Work" is Kobe giving insight to his thought process and actions before and during a game. Don't expect to hear anything salacious or revealing; it is very basketball-centric with just a bit of commentary on his kids and family life. While he's talking a bit about himself professionally he's also giving an overall breakdown of what's going on on the floor. It's very nice just to get that inside look you may have never seen or heard before and of course it's cool to hear the voice of the late Kobe Bryant.

I watched Kobe Doin' Work last night. Probably wouldn't have bothered except for Spike Lee's involvement. There's some interesting stuff and comes close to a basketball insight once or twice.

But far too many problems: First off, Kobe tries real hard to be likable and clearly he sees his voice-over comments as a PR exercise in image control. He's just too spotlighted and media-aware to really seem genuine. He also tends to talk down to the viewer, apparently assuming casual fans are watching, and so when he gets close to providing details he stops short (ie he talks about options and execution but almost never gets into specifics). Lastly, Kobe does want you to think that he co-runs the team with Phil Jackson (Kobe inserts himself back into the game in the 2nd Q of this game), mostly joshing about how he and Phil often share the same thoughts and understanding of the game. But why not add extra commentaries on the DVD. Would be nice to have a Phil Jackson track, a Hubie Brown track, maybe even a Bruce Bowen track as well, etc.

Secondly, it's just one game with a zillion cameras on Kobe. I really think he loved all this attention but it distracted him and hurt his play. He seems really self-conscious on the court and especially on the bench.

Third, since it's just one game, they chose an important late season clash with the Spurs. But Ginobili was out and the Lakes blowout the Spurs in the 3rd Q, so Kobe sits the whole 4th Q. Ooooops. Also, with Bowen defending him, Kobe mainly acts as a decoy. And as a final insult, Kobe turns out to have a bad game, with uncharacteristic turnovers, fouls, and missed shots -- with a handful of Kobe moments sprinkled in.

Another problem is that it is the second to last game from two seasons ago (April 2008)-- the year the Lakes lost to the Celts, instead of the championship season last year -- so it's much less immediate now and the personnel is fairly different. You've got Kurt and Bowen, Sasha and Vlad. No Ariza nor Artest. At least Fish and Pau are there. But I'd much rather see an early season game from last season, which would seem more immediate and relevant than Game 81 from two seasons back.

And since the camera focuses on Kobe in isolation or only with the defenders/offenders nearby, we rarely see plays develop, the ball, scores, etc. Actually the context including the score is largely missing. Sometimes I watch a game and will just focus on one matchup for a few plays or keep an eye on say interior D or whatnot. You learn stuff that way, but you also miss other parts of the game. For a whole game, iso-ed on one player is wearisome. A more interesting approach might have been to show perhaps the entire 3rd Q as broadcast on TV, and then re-show the 3rd Q as seen by isolating Kobe.

So as luck would have it, Spike picked the wrong game, against the wrong opponent, in the wrong season, and the approach wasn't creative enough. I'd rec watching When the Levees Broke instead. And the next time you see the Lakers on TV, sit close, and set your eyes on Kobe only on both ends as much as possible and you've probably got a better game and better understanding, since you can shift your focus to the action as you choose.

In an approach to the film the other year that focused on footballer Zidane, Spike Lee sets up a multitude of cameras to follow Kobe Bryant for the entire playoff game versus the San Antonio Spurs, including access to the locker room area before, during and after the game. However, while the former film was more of an art installation project than a sports film, Lee's film appears to be more about capturing Bryant when he is doing what he does best – playing. The film even includes a narration from Bryant in addition to being able to hear him during the game.

All the things appear to be in place for a very interesting film. We get to see a player at work in detail, we get access to Phil Jackson's locker room when it is normally closed, we get narration from Kobe to provide more detail and insight and it is all being made by a film director who manages to be interesting even when he makes a bad film and is passionate about his subject. What a tragic outcome then that this potential doesn't pay off due to a combination of factors – some being outside of the control of the makers but some definitely falling at Lee's door.

So OK, the film is not helped by us hearing of Kobe's massive game against the Knicks on the night he recorded the audio, but it turns out that the pick of the Spurs game did not produce the best game to be focusing on Kobe. Certainly the first half of the game/film produces surprisingly little action – something that is highlighted by the two or three big plays he pulls off being shown in slow-mo or in stills. This is a problem that the makers have had to live with but certainly it leaves the casual viewer wondering what the film is trying to show us because he doesn't appear to be as special as the stats and other games say he is. It gets better as the game goes on and it does show him playing as part of a team and doing work as part of the team but the film could have done with an extended highlights reel feel to it as well as stuff that shows his basketball IQ.

On top of this we have the second problem which is partly down to the sports culture today but also down to Lee's post-production. With even the hint of a scandal being seized upon by a gossip hungry media (as Kobe knows firsthand), the vast majority of rich people are "managed" within an inch of their life so as not to lose their marketability or damage their brand image. With Kobe there is an element of him maturing but there is the constant feel that he is simply being insincere and very careful when he is in front of the microphone or camera. OK so this is not Lee's fault but he must have known by this point that a way to make the game action more engaging was going to be to get the most out of Kobe's narration. I'm not sure what his plan was in the viewing room but what we get from Kobe is endless compliments and affectionate remarks about other players. Apparently nothing appears to bother him whatsoever and he loves everyone – apparently even being rough up by opposition is all a bit of fun and doesn't rile him in the slightest. What Kobe does is to make the narration dull. He has very little of interest to say for any viewer. I'm not a massive basketball fan but even discussions on tactics would have been preferable to what I got. I imagine it is hard for Kobe to know what to say for 90 minutes and this is why it was important for Lee to have prepared questions and structure based on the game – talking points if you will, subjects that he can push Kobe on and get him talking. It feels like he hasn't done this and, if he had, then it didn't work for him.

Don't get me wrong there is still some stuff here of interest to the target audience. It is good to see the workings of the team and hear Kobe talking (which he does a lot of – it is just as well he is as good as he is, otherwise I guess many would tire of his constant opinions and feedback). It is also interesting to watch a game with the focus on just one player rather than the bigger picture. These factors only do so much for the film and mostly it is surprisingly dull, giving the viewer just about enough of a glimpse at the potential of what could have been done here so that the disappointment we feel is clear.