Magic & Bird: A Courtship of Rivals

"They revolutionized the sport and formed an unbreakable bond."

2010 1h 28m EN

🙌

7.8

BANGER

★7.8TMDB · 30

DocumentaryDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

An exploration of the fierce rivalry between NBA superstars Larry Bird and Magic Johnson during their decade of dominance.

“They revolutionized the sport and formed an unbreakable bond.”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Larry Bird
Self
Magic Johnson
Self
Liev Schreiber
Narrator (voice)
Steve Springer
Self - Los Angeles Times
Evelyn Johnson
Self - Magic's Sister
George Fox
Self - Head Coach, Everett High
Jackie MacMullan
Self - Author, "When the Game Was Ours"
Bryant Gumbel
Self - NBC Sports, 1974-82

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Ezra Edelman
Writers: Aaron Cohen
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

RUNTIME

Did you know

88 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

Released 16 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Ezra Edelman, shot by Rob Newman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Gary Lionelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Charles Olivier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and Liev Schreiber carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "They revolutionized the sport and formed an unbreakable bond.".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt1566591 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Ezra Edelman directs. Rob Newman behind the camera. Gary Lionelli scores. Charles Olivier cuts. Runs lean at under 100 minutes. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

188 minutes exactly — the "classic feature" runtime most directors aim for.
2Released 16 years ago.
3Directed by Ezra Edelman, shot by Rob Newman. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Gary Lionelli. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Charles Olivier shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Larry Bird and Magic Johnson and Liev Schreiber carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "They revolutionized the sport and formed an unbreakable bond.".
8IMDB entry: tt1566591 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Only 30 TMDB ratings — you're getting ahead of the curve on this one.
10Classified under 8 themes, including "sports", "basketball", "national basketball association (nba)", "basketball player".