The Fab Five (film)
The Fab Five | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jason Hehir |
Narrated by | Taye Diggs |
Country of origin | United States |
Original language | English |
Production | |
Production company | ESPN Films |
Original release | |
Release | March 13, 2011 |
The Fab Five is a 2011 ESPN Films documentary about the 1990s Michigan Wolverines men's basketball players known collectively as the Fab Five: Chris Webber, Jalen Rose, Juwan Howard, Jimmy King, and Ray Jackson. It chronicles the recruitment, glory years, notorious time-out fiasco, cultural impact and the scandal that followed these players who are described as iconic figures in the media. The film originally aired on March 13, 2011, on a national broadcast on ESPN. On its original airing, the film drew 2.7 million viewers, setting a record as the highest-rated ESPN documentary ever.[1]
The film spawned critical commentary in a broad spectrum of media outlets which include leading newspapers such as
Story
# | Player | G | Pts
|
Reb | Ast | Blk | Stl |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
24 | King | 130 | 1,542 | 538 | 354 | 45 | 187 |
21 | Jackson | 125 | 1,262 | 579 | 300 | 42 | 119 |
5 | Rose | 102 | 1,788 | 477 | 401 | 29 | 119 |
25 | Howard | 100 | 1,526 | 749 | 202 | 56 | 79 |
4 | Webber | 70 | 1,218 | 702 | 166 | 174 | 103 |
Source: ESPN[2] |
Previously
The film chronicles a group of athletes who influenced a nation of basketball fans – some of whom became professional basketball players.
At first, only three of the freshmen started. Although they all played when the season opened on December 2, 1991, against the
The four members of the Fab Five who participated in the film have had a tense relationship with Chris Webber, the one player who was not in the film. There was speculation that Chris Webber did not participate to avoid questions about the timeout call in the 1993 NCAA tournament title game. Webber said he initially agreed to be in the documentary but backed out after being told shooting would wrap up in a week, giving him insufficient time to prepare. Jimmy King called that assertion “a flat-out lie.”[16]
Ratings
"Deep within the archives of the University of Michigan lie the remnants of a revolution."
—Opening line of film[17]
ESPN built up the film with nearly a month of previews and promos.[10] The week before the initial broadcast, ESPN aired clips of the film during some of its other programming; they featured the team's feelings about Duke prior to the 1992 championship game. These clips started what would become a national controversy.[18]
The film's initial airing established a record as the ratings leader among all ESPN documentaries with a 2.1 rating according to
The Fab Five also garnered high TV ratings during their playing days; they were one of the featured teams in both of the two highest rated NCAA Men's Basketball Championship games ever played in terms of households (although not viewers),
Critical review
"Schools like Duke didn't recruit players like me. I felt that they only recruited black players that were Uncle Toms. ... I was jealous of Grant Hill. He came from a great black family. Congratulations. Your mom went to college and was roommates with Hillary Clinton. Your dad played in the NFL, & is a very well-spoken and successful man. I was upset and bitter that my mom had to bust her hump for 20-plus years. I was bitter that I had a professional athlete that was my father that I didn't know. I resented that, moreso than I resented him. I looked at it as they are who the world accepts and we are who the world hates."
The New York Times described the film as a "flashback to a time when baggy basketball shorts, hip-hop music and black shoes were considered controversial and an affront to hoops purists".
The Detroit Free Press' Mark Snyder regarded The Fab Five as a "Warts and all" depiction that was "riveting, brutal in its honesty, realistic in its language and stunning in its archival footage."[3]
"To hint that those who grew up in a household with a mother and father are somehow less black than those who did not is beyond ridiculous. All of us are extremely proud of the
current Duke team, especially Nolan Smith. He was raised by his mother, plays in memory of his late fatherand carries himself with the pride and confidence that they instilled in him. . .I caution my fabulous five friends to avoid stereotyping me and others they do not know in much the same way so many people stereotyped them back then for their appearance and swagger. I wish for you the restoration of the bond that made you friends, brothers and icons.
I am proud of my family. I am proud of my Duke championships and all my Duke teammates. And, I am proud I never lost a game against the Fab Five."
A Michigan writer from The Grand Rapids Press described the film as "youthful nostalgia that must be felt by a whole generation", but noted that the film was lacking in terms of outside perspective. He noted that fans would have welcomed voices of Bobby Knight, Dick Vitale, Jimmy Jackson, or Christian Laettner. He also noted the absence of Webber's voice as leaving the film with a hole. However, he noted that as much as the Fab Five revolutionized basketball in the American culture, this film remade the image of the Fab Five.[4] Nonetheless, some questioned why Webber declined to participate and speculate on various reasons.[32]
Another Michigan writer from SB Nation described the film as thorough in its ability to provide the viewer with the answers to natural intrigues such as: "How was the recruiting class assembled? Who pushed for the baggy shorts? The black socks? How did a stodgy University of Michigan culture react to this bold, brash and outspoken team?"
Another controversy arose from the film when the Illinois Fighting Illini men's basketball teams of the late 1980s with Kendall Gill and Stephen Bardo claimed to be the originators of baggy shorts in basketball.[34] All of the Wolverines who took part in the production of the film described how they felt they originated the baggy shorts as a result of Rose's request. Even rapper Ice Cube described his recollection of them as the originators.[35]
See also
- Duke-Michigan rivalry
- List of basketball films
Notes
- ^ a b Weisman, Jon (March 16, 2011). "'Fab Five' sets ratings record for ESPN". Variety. Archived from the original on July 17, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c d e f Neumann, Thomas (March 11, 2011). "Michigan's Fab Five in their own words". ESPN. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c Snyder, Mark (March 5, 2011). "Fab Five documentary brutally honest, stunningly thorough". Detroit Free Press. Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Zuidema, Michael (March 11, 2011). "ESPN's Fab Five documentary chronicles iconic Michigan basketball era". The Grand Rapids Press. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ Fox Sports. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ a b c Gerstner, Joanne C. (March 14, 2011). "Documentary Rekindles 'Fab Five' Memories". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ Ellis, Vince (March 15, 2011). "Michigan's Fab Five influenced Pistons". Pro Sports Daily originally cited in Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ Ellis, Vince (March 15, 2011). "Michigan's Fab Five influenced Pistons". Wisconsintop originally cited in Detroit Free Press. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ Phillips, Carron J. (March 16, 2011). "The Rebels & Fab Five: Much more than baggy shorts and black socks". Slam. Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ a b Ryan, Dave (March 13, 2011). "Review of ESPN's 'Fab Five' documentary: 4 out of 5 stars". SB Nation. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
- ^ "ESPN Films 30 for 30: The Fab Five DVD". CD Universe. Retrieved December 15, 2014.
- ^ Darcy, Kieran (March 19, 2011). "Michigan started a trend that's omnipresent". ESPN. Archived from the original on July 11, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "COLLEGE BASKETBALL; Michigan's 5 Freshmen Star as Starters". The New York Times. February 10, 1992. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ a b c d Casselberry, Ian (March 16, 2011). "Top Five: What Was Missing From ESPN's 'Fab Five' Documentary". SB Nation. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ a b c Balas, Chris (March 15, 2011). "What Was Missing From The Fab Five Documentary". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "Jalen Rose, Chris Webber are having a Fab Feud". Washington Post. Retrieved May 18, 2017.
- Hang Up and Listen. March 14, 2011. 26:00 minutes in. Slate.
- ^ Eisenberg, Jeff (March 9, 2011). "Jalen Rose criticizes Duke in upcoming Fab Five documentary". Rivals.com. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
- ^ "ESPN Films' The Fab Five Becomes ESPN's Highest Rated Documentary". TVbytheNumbers. March 16, 2011. Archived from the original on March 20, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "Remember when … ?: What life was like when Bird and Magic changed the game". National Collegiate Athletic Association. October 16, 2012. Archived from the original on January 30, 2013. Retrieved October 22, 2012.
- ^ Everson, Darren (March 17, 2011). "Who Needs Superteams?: This Tourney Has Iconic Names, Injury Wildcards—and Fewer Dominant Teams". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ "Fox Sports Net Airs Documentary On Former Michigan 6th Man Rob Pelinka". Sports Pickle. CollegeHumor. March 15, 2011. Archived from the original on March 18, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
- ^ "The Fab Five: Hating Duke". ESPN. March 10, 2011. Archived from the original on March 16, 2011. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ a b Abbott, Henry (March 16, 2011). "Grant Hill and the Fab Five". ESPN. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- Washington Post. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- Washington Times. March 16, 2011. Retrieved June 8, 2011.
- ^ Hill, Grant (March 16, 2011). "Grant Hill's Response to Jalen Rose". The New York Times. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "'Uncle Tom' Remark Exposes Pain in Black Community". Associated Press. March 18, 2011. Archived from the original on March 26, 2011. Retrieved March 19, 2011.
- ^ Everson, Darren (March 16, 2011). "Fab Five Member Responds to Hill". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved March 18, 2011.
- ^ "Mike Krzyzewski reacts to Jalen Rose". ESPN. March 29, 2011. Retrieved March 30, 2011.
- ^ Araton, Harvey (June 19, 2012). "Split by Rivalry, United in Bid for a Ring". The New York Times. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
- ^ Rymer, Zachary D. (March 13, 2011). "Fab Five: The Fab Five Documentary Is Good, but Where Is Chris Webber?". Bleacher Report. Archived from the original on March 17, 2011. Retrieved March 20, 2011.
- Hang Up and Listen. March 14, 2011. 27:30 minutes in. Slate.
- ^ Friedell, Nick (March 15, 2011). "Illini: Fab Five not first with baggy shorts". ESPN. Retrieved March 17, 2011.
- ^ "Video: The Fab Five's influence". ESPN. March 10, 2011. Retrieved March 17, 2011.