'Underrated': Athens will be one of six U.S. cities to play new Stephen Curry documentary

Imagine if classic sports movies like "Rocky" and "Hoop Dreams" had only played on TV. Anyone who has been to a game in person knows that seeing the drama play out at home on the flat screen pales in comparison to actually being there. That's one of the reasons why an upcoming screening of a new documentary about a basketball legend will be playing a very limited amount of U.S. theaters, and one of them is in Athens.

"Underrated," a feature-length film about the life and career of NBA star Stephen Curry, will premiere on Apple TV on July 21. But for those who want to join the cheering crowd for what is sure to be a collective emotional experience, Athens Ciné will hold a one-time-only screening of the movie at 5:30 p.m. Monday, July 24 that is sure to sell out.

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A coming-of-age story that follows Curry from his beginnings as an undersized college playerat a small town Division I college to a four-time NBA champion, "Underrated " uses a combination of archival footage, in-the-trenches videos and new interviews to show how Curry went on to build one of the most dominantsports dynasties in the world.

One of Curry's biggest and most dedicated longtime fans is Athens-based entertainment lawyer Bertis Downs, best known for providing legal counsel to alternative rock pioneers R.E.M. and later becoming their manager. Downs, whose father attended Curry's alma mater Davidson College, told the Banner-Herald that following the Davidson Wildcats during R.E.M.'s touring days drew attention to Curry early in the young player's career.

"I grew up loving Davidson basketball because it was a way of feeling closer to my dad, who passed away at an early age," said Downs. "(R.E.M. bassist and vocalist) Mike Mills and I were touring with the band in Europe and would sit in bars watching this sophomore lead the Wildcats all the way to the Final Four."

Downs said that when he heard that "Underrated" was going to be playing in select cities, he reached out to theatrical distributor A24 to find out what needed to be done for Athens to "get on that list of cities." Citing his lifelong fandom for Curry's career and singing the praises of Ciné, Downs lead the charge in adding Athens to an exclusive list of cities such as Oakland and Los Angeles, California, Washington, D.C., and Charlotte, North Carolina. Downs said he is looking forward to joining his fellow Curry supporters at Monday's screening.

Ciné is located at 234 W. Hancock Ave. To purchase advance tickets for "Underrated," visit athenscine.com.

This article originally appeared on Athens Banner-Herald: Stephen Curry documentary 'Underrated' to screen in Athens theater