Directed by: Sarah Dowland
Distributed by: Wolfe Releasing
Written by Jeff Sparks
60/100
“Sue Bird: In the Clutch” covers the life and career of one of my all-time favorite basketball players, the legendary point guard Sue Bird. This documentary spans her childhood, ups and downs at the University of Connecticut, illustrious WNBA and Olympic career, and personal life. Familiar faces share their thoughts on segments of her life, such as Rebecca Lobo, Steph Curry, Diana Taurasi, Geno Auriemma, and Breanna Stewart. “In the Clutch” doesn’t do anything that you wouldn’t expect from a documentary. Its structure is traditional by design. The film is at its best early on when we learn about Sue’s childhood from never-before-seen photos, news clippings, and grainy footage of her in high school. Subsequently, the portion that sees her in UConn intrigues as well. Hearing her and Geno talk about her early struggles and his coaching process with her frames her path to success in a way not many may have known about.
The documentary’s coverage of her WNBA career is less interesting as it doesn’t show us much about her dynamic partnership with Lauren Jackson that you wouldn’t already know from watching old highlight videos or scrolling through their stats on Basketball Reference. The newly remastered footage of those old highlight videos is appreciated though. The years between 2011-2020 are especially skimmed over. Included in that stretch is the drafting of Breanna Stewart, and the teams build toward two championships that were spearheaded by Sue’s leadership and playmaking. Unfortunately, we get to hear very little of this time period, which puzzles me considering this stretch is arguably when not just Sue, but the WNBA started to become more of a household name, with Seattle drawing the biggest attendance numbers by far at the time. Lesser known topics are covered as well, like the assassination of businessman and former KGB spy Shabtai Kalmanovich, who owned the Russian basketball team that Sue played for in the WNBA offseason. The documentary even gives us a peek into her dietary and medicinal routines in a scene that sees her choke down multiple supplements in her hotel room before a game.
Besides that, the film didn’t do much other than make me realize how much her presence is missed on the court. Like most documentaries, there’s just too much in this person’s life to try and cram into 98 minutes. Her college career, her WNBA and overseas career, and her personal beliefs are each topics that could have their own documentaries. “Sue Bird: In the Clutch” won’t do much for viewers unfamiliar with the iconic player, but it’s a nice walk down memory lane for those of us who followed her career.
“Sue Bird: In the Clutch” Trailer
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