My son, Phillip, is a proud alumni of the University of Kansas and LOVES their basketball team. In fact, he makes sure that he is wearing something with KU on it every day of the week. Kansas is very important to the game of basketball. The school’s first basketball coach was Dr. James Naismith, the man who invented the game by nailing peach baskets to the wall of a gym when it was too rainy to go outside for exercise. Over the years, the game has grown, both in popularity and in the skill sets needed to play the game at a high level. Steph Curry, of the Golden State Warriors, is a three-point shooting machine. Often he’ll take one-hundred three point shots in a row before a game, making over 90% of them each time. Another great shooter is the Dallas Maverick’s Dirk Nowitzki. He has what has been called “the Perfect Shot.” This film is the story of how he developed it, and more.
The film follows Nowitzki from his childhood in Germany through the Maverick’s 2011 NBA Championship Season. And we learn many things, not only about the game but the athlete. Nowitzki is the son of athletes. His father was, at one time, the Bavarian Handball Champion and his mother played competitive basketball from age 16 on. Dirk was a slow starter and began his athletic career by playing tennis. However he soon took a liking to basketball and a gentleman named Holger Geschwindner took a liking to him. A former member of the German National Team, Geschwindner is credited with creating the “perfect shot.” He has studied all angles and aspects of the gang and can teach a player exactly when and how to shoot the ball to almost ensure 100% accuracy.
But when the technical aspects of the game aren’t being studied, the more human ones are. The cameras follow Nowitzki back to Germany where he visits his old school. A humorous episode unfolds when, back in his old gym, he can’t make a basket to save his life. Through archival footage we grow with the eventual almost seven-footer. We see him on club teams, in a world-wide competition and his early years as the savior of the Mavericks, a team that languished in the cellar of its division for many years. Along with the footage we get some great look-backs at a time now gone, including footage of Dr. Naismith himself talking about the game he invented. We also meet a man who randomly sinks 500 free throws in a row and once made over 2700 in a row to qualify for the Guinness Book of World Records. By the time the film is over you’ll definitely have an appreciation for people who have the skill to consistently toss a ball into an 18-inch round hole.
Whether you’re a fan of the game, its science and intricacies, the Mavericks or Dirk Nowitzki, you won’t be disappointed by taking a look at this well-made film.
BLU-RAY REVIEW
Video: Presented in its original 1:85.1 aspect ratio, the picture is amazingly sharp. Some of the archived film footage is not as pristine but recent interviews, etc. jump off the screen.
Audio: The soundtrack is delivered in DTS Master Audio 5.1. The film, apparently produced by a German film crew, is presented primarily in German with optional English, French and Spanish subtitles. When English-speaking individuals are interviewed (Mark Cuban, coach Don Nelson) they are heard in English with no subtitles.
Deleted Scenes (33:09): Nine scenes, ranging in length from two-six minutes that highlight smaller parts of Nowitzki’s career and achievements.
Interview with Dirk Nowitzki (12:56): The big man talks about every aspect covered in the film, including his initial reluctance to be documented. A truly humble young man.
Theatrical Trailer