‘Stephen Curry: Underrated’ reviews: Apple TV+ delivers ‘multifaceted’ coming-of-age documentary ‘worthy of its subject’
- Oops!Something went wrong.Please try again later.
On July 21, 2023, Apple TV+ premiered “Stephen Curry: Underrated,” a coming-of-age story of Stephen Curry, from an undersized basketball player at a small college, to becoming a larger-than-life NBA superstar. The documentary directed by Peter Nicks currently holds a perfect 100% freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Read our full review round-up below.
SEE ‘The Morning Show’ Season 3 reveals Apple TV+ premiere date, first photo of Jon Hamm
More from GoldDerby
Bill Edelstein of Variety says, “If the measure of a good documentary about a superstar athlete is in synthesizing what makes its subject tick, ‘Stephen Curry: Underrated’ gets passing grades. And that’s no small compliment, considering the movie spends most of its time at school, a familiar place for director Peter Nicks, whose previous doc, ‘Homeroom,’ served up a very different look at education. With enough fresh stories to keep basketball fanatics engaged and a coda that every soccer mom will appreciate, this is a film that’s worthy of its subject.”
Ben Pearson of Slashfilm praises the documentary, stating, “The film crosscuts between parallel tracks, one chronicling Curry’s journey to attempt to win a fourth championship with the Golden State Warriors during the 2021-2022 NBA season and the other tracking his rise at North Carolina’s sleepy Davidson College. Interviews with his coaches and teammates provide insight into what it was like as the school went on a meteoric rise in the mid-2000s, but the most personal moments come from Curry himself, who details how he completely biffed his first career game (he turned the ball over 13 times) and how instead of benching him, his coaches let him start the next game, which ended with Curry racking up a stellar 32 points.”
Chase Hutchinson of Collider writes, “For all the ways that it will primarily appeal to most of those who have followed Curry already, there is also something more it offers to those that may not be familiar with the athlete at all. Hell, even if you’re less than a fan of him because he has beaten your favorite team there may be something that you appreciate in learning a bit more about him. Following his early years of basketball through college that parallels with the present, it avoids the trap of trying to cover everything and encapsulates how key moments in Curry’s life continue to inform his career.” Hutchinson adds, “Thankfully, even with some missteps, Nicks has still created something unique in his latest that ensures it moves beyond mere documentary mythmaking into something more multifaceted as a character study of Curry and the road he took to become one of the greatest basketball players ever.”
Steve Greene of IndieWire notes, “In the world of the NBA, Stephen Curry isn’t one of the largest personalities, but he’s not a blank slate either. Watch clips from any of his Golden State Warriors’ title runs or his legendary game-winners, and you’ll see a man who isn’t afraid to show emotion when the lights are brightest. He’s lived a life around sports, having come from a family of athletes, including a father and brother who are fellow NBA vets. As the opening minutes of ‘Stephen Curry: Underrated’ show, he now has career records to go with a handful of championship rings. The biggest question for this feature-length Apple and A24 doc isn’t if all of that exists, but why. To find an answer, director Peter Nicks is tasked with going back to Curry’s time as a college undergrad.”
PREDICT the 2023 Emmys through September 18
Make your predictions at Gold Derby now. Download our free and easy app for Apple/iPhone devices or Android (Google Play) to compete against legions of other fans plus our experts and editors for best prediction accuracy scores. See our latest prediction champs. Can you top our esteemed leaderboards next? Always remember to keep your predictions updated because they impact our latest racetrack odds, which terrify Hollywood chiefs and stars. Don’t miss the fun. Speak up and share your huffy opinions in our famous forums where 5,000 showbiz leaders lurk every day to track latest awards buzz. Everybody wants to know: What do you think? Who do you predict and why?
SIGN UP for Gold Derby’s free newsletter with latest predictions
Best of GoldDerby
2024 Oscars: Which movies will dominate design categories - 'Barbie,' 'Oppenheimer' ...
2023 box office hits: Every movie that made more than $100 million, including 'Barbie'
Sign up for Gold Derby's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
