Documentaries for home athletes | The Press

This is not a documentary, but rather a series of documentaries about the greatest tragedies of the wonderful world of professional wrestling – and heaven knows there have been a few. The fourth season launched this spring, and the stories of Abdullah the Butcher and Bam Bam Bigelow will certainly appeal to wrestling nostalgics. In the first three seasons, the Quebec public will be particularly interested in the documentary on Dino Bravo, murdered in his living room in Laval, as well as Luna Vachon, the niece of Maurice “Mad Dog” Vachon. The “Montreal Screwjob” takes us behind the scenes of one of WWE’s most famous events, which took place at the Molson Center in 1997. The tumultuous union of “Macho Man” Randy Savage and Elizabeth, the rocky past of Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka and the tragic fate of the Von Erich family – essentially the Kennedys of wrestling – are some of the show’s best episodes.

Available on Crave

Guillaume LeFrancois, The Press

In April 2020 – which seems like an eternity to us – there was little to celebrate. In order to cheer up sports fans, the Gods of Basketball delivered a gift a few months earlier than expected: the documentary The Last Dance. His subject: the 1997-1998 season of the Chicago Bulls, that of the team’s sixth title in eight years and the ultimate of the legendary Michael Jordan with the Bulls. Like the documentary series Get Backon the Beatles, so many exclusive images on one of the best formations in the history of the NBA were unexpected. The 10 episodes were built from more than 500 hours of privileged access and testimonials from players, coaches and personalities. We’re biased, but it’s still the most outstanding sports documentary we’ve seen. Our dizzying expectations were exceeded!

Watch on Netflix

Pascal LeBlanc, The Press

The various platforms are full of documentaries on great players, past or present: Lionel Messi, Cristiano Ronaldo, Diego Maradona… But why not give Peter Crouch, an English striker retired since 2019, a chance? He does not have the list of players listed here, but his career is just as atypical as his physique. From the top of his 2.01 meters, for 75 small kilos, the slender player has long had to fight against prejudice. The press profusely called him a monster (freak), spectators often asked, singing at the top of their lungs, “if the circus knew it was there”. That Peter Crouch Film shows how he dealt with that teasing and then rose through the ranks to play for Liverpool and with England. It is also in this jersey that he won many hearts by doing his famous robot dance after a goal. He is now at the helm of a popular podcast (That Peter Crouch Podcast) and is regularly invited by the British media. With class, humor and perseverance, Crouch has established himself in a ruthless universe. It is well worth a documentary, and why not a dance… of the robot, of course.

Watch on Prime Video

Pascal Milano, The Press

There is no photo: the best sports documentary is Icarus. Released on Netflix in 2017, Bryan Fogel’s documentary not only offers an absolutely implausible story, but the repercussions that this work will have had will have been decisive. Several elements make this film an anthology piece. First, the trajectory taken by the film is highly spectacular. Initially, Fogel wanted to dabble in the world of doping in cycling. His quest eventually led him inside the biggest doping scandal in sports history. Then, after the publication of the documentary, Russia had to face sanctions never seen before, such as the withdrawal of the Russian flag at the Olympic Games, even if in the eyes of many, this is insufficient. At least, thanks to the film, the image of the country of Vladimir will be tarnished forever. Then, the most disturbing effect remains that the main architect of all this subterfuge, Grigory Rodchenkov, becomes during the story a character with rather sympathetic features. In short, a documentary to watch and enjoy.

Watch on Netflix

Nicholas RichardThe Press

The Villeneuve Pironi documentary immerses us in the story of a betrayal, but above all, that of a fatal rivalry between two great competitors whose lives were too short. Both heartbreaking and extraordinarily produced, the film transports us to the Gilles Villeneuve era with the help of very well chosen and presented archival footage. We understand the special relationship between the Quebecer and his French teammate, Didier Pironi, two men for whom the race represented life, but led to their loss. The spouses and children of each of the two pilots deliver their version and their memories with moving transparency, as do several other speakers who have known, in their own way, the two charismatic pilots. Beyond all that, the documentary makes us, ultimately, understand the dark side of the motor racing industry, sometimes forgotten…

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Katherine Harvey-Pinard, The Press

• drive to survive (Netflix)
• Tour de France: Unchained (Netflix)
• Free Solo (Disney+)
• ESPN documentaries (Disney+)
• break point (Netflix)
• Cheer (Netflix)