Sunny Los Angeles, 1979 Eccentric entrepreneur Jerry Buss, who made a fortune in real estate, buys the Lakers basketball club and intends to turn the not-so-popular NBA sports league (it's hard to believe now) into a real show.
The series is based on the book Showtime: Magic, Kareem, Riley and the Los Angeles Lakers by Jeff Perlman and focuses on the legendary period of the same name in the history of the National Basketball Association, when the Lakers team not only managed to get out of a protracted crisis, but also changed the basketball industry forever by showing that the game can be a first-class show, catchy even for those who are far from the sport.
Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty replicates the Lakers' success story thanks in large part to the work of executive producer Adam McKay (Don't Look Up, The Big Short, The Descendants) who directed the pilot episode of the series, which literally plunges the viewer into 80s with mind-blowing visuals, alternating modern image with VHS camera and diaper shooting, which seems like the project itself is straight from the past, and John Hila, who proved that his directorial debut "Mid 90s" is about a teenager looking for a vocation in the company of street skateboarders was not an accidental success (it seems nostalgic sports dramas can become the hallmark of the director).
The visual becomes a full-fledged participant in the events, plunging into the hedonistic world of LA and the free eighties - as if speaking directly to the audience, breaking the fourth wall like other characters of the heyday of the Lakers dynasty. Combined with the atmospheric theme song by Nicholas Britell (who worked with McKay on The Descendants and The Big Short) and the catchy cut-scenes, it all adds up to a crazy immersive effect that only plays into the hands of stories like this.
But the main thing that captivates "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" is an honest look not only at the legendary era, but also at the people who made this time such (from basketball players and coaching staff to managers, PR people and close "stars" , often remaining in the shadow of the players), giving them their due.
The series was criticized by the living legends of basketball who turned the game around, and who are the key characters in the sports drama Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson, and Jerry West is completely ready to file a complaint with the Supreme Court, but the fact is that the frankness with which the creators approached to the images, exposed too much, both professional and personal (in fairness with great respect), but not everyone is ready to look at themselves from all sides.
"Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty" is an incredible experience that you want to return to again and again, an unforgettable trip to a glorious past, visual ecstasy, mixed with outstanding acting (Jon C Reilly alone is worth anything), perfect casting, and having great chances to take all the key awards of the next year, and the great love of the audience. He already got mine. Definitely one of the best projects of 2022, the continuation of which will happen if the first season is successful, and as the ratings of critics and viewers show, it is not far off.
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