‘Stephen Curry: Underrated’ Review: Court Transcript

Toggling between time frames, the earnest documentary “Stephen Curry: Underrated” portrays Stephen Curry, the Golden State Warrior routinely described as the best shooter within the historical past of the N.B.A., as an underdog throughout not less than two essential factors in his profession.

It tells the story of Curry the highschool and faculty athlete who was, initially and repeatedly, seen as too quick and too scrawny — however who went on to take Davidson College, a liberal arts college in North Carolina, to 25 consecutive wins in 2008. It additionally trails Curry initially of this decade: The film begins in December 2021, when Curry broke Ray Allen’s profession file for 3-pointers, after which follows him via a interval of relative doldrums when commentators are heard speculating about whether or not he’s nonetheless on the prime of his recreation. (He went on to be named the 2022 N.B.A. finals M.V.P. after Golden State, the Bay Area’s workforce, received its fourth championship in eight years.)

Off the courtroom, Curry is proven elevating a household and dealing to finish his unfinished diploma at Davidson. His faculty profession is recapped intimately, together with his undergraduate years depicted as a string of second possibilities and triumphs via perseverance. One interviewee notes that when Curry started taking part in, Davidson video games weren’t typically broadcast. Seeing these early highlights is a part of the film’s enchantment.

The director, Peter Nicks, beforehand specialised in fly-on-the-wall portraits of Bay Area establishments (the Oakland police documentary “The Force”). But there’s little in “Underrated” that comes throughout as spontaneous. That could also be as a result of Nicks didn’t uncover a lot that feels contemporary. Or it might be that the venture, like Curry immediately, doesn’t have something to show.

Stephen Curry: Underrated
Rated PG-13 for language. Running time: 1 hour 50 minutes. Watch on Apple TV+.