Movie Breakdown: High Flying Bird

Pre-Screening Stance:

Based solely on the fact that Steven Soderbergh has always been more hit than miss for me, my guess is that the shot-on-an-iPhone High Flying Bird will at least be solid.

Post-Screening Ramble:

High Flying Bird is like a lot of other Netflix Originals, in that it’s got a good director, a talented cast, an interesting concept and a general lack of focus.  Set during a fictional NBA lockout, an agent by the name of Ray Burke (Andre Holland) is trying to scheme (in a good way) himself, his former assistant, his clients and more into a spot that’s not quite so controlled by the team owners.  If you’re a sports fan, the question of who really owns any game and/or who should get the biggest cut of the profits is nothing new, but High Flying Bird does take a nice stab at picking a definitive side (the players) and getting you to lean that way.  The main problem though, again, is focus.  I’m not really sure why Steven Soderbergh shot this on an iPhone, as it doesn’t ultimately add anything to the film.  He also splices in documentary-style interviews with actual NBA players, which aren’t terrible, but they repeatedly kill any tension he’s built up elsewhere.  It’s like he did both things simply because he was playing with Netflix money and had far too much control.  To be fair, neither blip makes High Flying Bird even remotely unwatchable, but in a film with a plot that moves quick and is light on details, it’s unfortunate that it stumbles because Soderbergh couldn’t get out of his own way.

When you’re at home this weekend and about to watch episodes of The Office on Netflix again, consider putting on High Flying Bird.  Overall the film is an uneven effort, but there are some interesting bits in it.

One Last Thought:

After being a legit highlight here in High Flying Bird and last year’s Deadpool 2, I’m excited to see what Zazie Beetz does alongside Joaquin Phoenix in Todd Phillips’ Joker.