John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection

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Audience Member It is admittedly the second tennis 'film' this week, but this as unconventiontial a sports documentary as you could get. Hired by a French sports institute to put together instructional videos for future players, director Gil de Kermadec used multiple 16mm cameras to capture the whole of the 1984 French Open tournament at Roland Garros for technical analysis. What is presented here is just a small snippet of his catalogue of footage, focusing on American 'superbrat' John McEnroe, one of the all time greats of the game. As well as startling footage of McEnroe's famous disagreements with umpires that are shown in full, giving you a much more rounded view of them rather than the small clips and phrases you would see in highlight reels today, Kermadec finds intriguing parallels between tennis and cinema. He also draws on McEnroe's mental game and analyses the conquest of perfection within the small remit he has. This is avant garde film making, in the realm of a world famous event, and even if you're not a tennis fan, this is a fascinating cinematic angle on a sport and mentality that has eluded other directors. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/29/23 Full Review dave d JOHN MCENROE: IN THE REALM OF PERFECTION is dull which is a shame because it chronicles one of the most fascinating athletes of his time in one of his peak bad moods. Sadly, the material cobbled together might be more interesting to people who aren't fans of the sport for the way its shot. You learn nothing about the man or what leads up to the grand finale: the 1984 French Open Final. Far from perfect more aptly titled A film In the Realm of a Snoozefest. Final Score: 1.8/10 Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member gets a bit much with some of the commentary, I get it but jesus talk about pretentious. McEnroe is hilarious. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member A perfect example of a "documentary" without a solid story to tell. Snoozing voice over and far away from eloquent. A constant repetition of nonsense that takes us to a journey full of clay. Rated 0.5/5 Stars •  Rated 0.5 out of 5 stars 01/20/23 Full Review Audience Member Talk about over rated. As a rabid tennis fan and avid player in the 80's, I was glued to McEnroe's every move. This film does not well represent him. It is over the top and pretentious. If you are into gratifying this filmmakers ego watch away. If you want to learn about the man and tennis genius John McEnroe, go elsewhere. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/26/23 Full Review Audience Member The film is not a film, it is a collection of games and teaching films with overlays of tedious commentary that does not move the story along In fact, there is no story.. John McEnroe is endlessly fascinating. This is not. Rated 2/5 Stars •  Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Read all reviews

John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection

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