George Best: All by Himself
Maradona. Pelé. Best. Northern Ireland's legendary star remains one of the most naturally gifted footballers there has ever been. Famously called the 'best player in the world' by Pelé, George Best galvanized Manchester United's five-year recovery from the tragedy of the Munich air crash. His skill and exuberance inspired them to win league titles and the European Cup, even though he was little more than a teenager. Tragically, his career in the upper echelons of sport was over before he turned 29, the result of his bruising battle with alcoholism and the crushing pressure of modern fame. (After all, this was Britain in the frenzy of Beatle-mania and 1960s youth culture, where Best was dubbed 'El Beatle' by the world's media.) Producer John Battsek (2016's Oscar-nominated Winter on Fire: Ukraine's Fight for Freedom, The Imposter, Project Nim) and director Daniel Gordon re-team after their acclaimed, Emmy-nominated Hillsborough to deliver a heart-breaking portrait of one of the world's truly great sporting talents, whose extraordinary gift was decimated by his own addiction.
6 February 1940, Webster, South Dakota, USA
25 March 1947, Pinner, Harrow, Middlesex [now London], England, UK
15 December 1942, Altrincham, Cheshire, England, UK
22 May 1946, Belfast, Northern Ireland, UK
6 February 1981, San Jose, California, USA
10 July 1920, Wilmington, North Carolina, USA
October 25, 1932 in Tobermore, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland, UK
May 26, 1909 in Belshill, Lanarkshire, Scotland, UK
February 23, 2017
If Best's story is a cautionary tale that's become a cliché across all walks of life, Gordon's film functions as a useful reminder that there's always a human being behind such tales.
March 02, 2017
There are several truly splendid moments to savour and candid interviews with some of the main players in George Best's life, especially his first wife Angie and old pals such as Pat Crerand and Mike Summerbee.
February 24, 2017
Gordon does the double European footballer of the year more than justice, and the film should serve as a pedagogic tool for generations of gifted athletes from heretofore.
February 23, 2017
Trundles out the same old ideas, without anything fresh in the way of context or perspective.
February 23, 2017
Best's fame had percolated to the farthest corners of consciousness, beyond soccer to stardom. And that was his curse, and his blessing.
March 03, 2017
Don't expect many revelatory details from this fond, fair film.
February 27, 2017
The sum total is effective and certainly no hagiography, it paints a rather complete and sad story.
February 23, 2017
A beautifully balanced perspective that extols Best's sublime skills while offering sobering analysis of how unprecedented fame (for a footballer), alcohol and his inner demons halted his progress.
February 26, 2017
Most of the talking-head interviews here are second tier and their insights little more than pub anecdotes.
February 23, 2017
Gordon's documentary is punctuated with redtop headlines, as if the Daily Bilge and Sunday Schmooze were the authorities to trust on matters of fallen soccer princes.
February 26, 2017
The film is well put together and Best's talent shines in the archive footage, although you do wonder if he achieved quite as much to deserve all the adulation ...
