August 28, 2023 · Watch the official teaser
Before the fame and the money, before the prestige and the attitude, a kid from Kerrville, Texas, was the best football player on any field he stepped onto without even really trying.
Johnny Manziel had the “it factor,” the swagger to match his surreal talent that made every play look and feel to fans as if they were watching a video game come to life.
The Tivy star went on to steal the national spotlight and win a Heisman Trophy at Texas A&M and was a first-round draft pick nearly a decade ago.
But his meteoric rise was matched with an Icarus-esque fall from grace and is the subject of the latest in a series of sports documentaries made by Netflix with “Untold: Johnny Football” coming out on the streamer earlier this month.
Director Ryan Duffy chronicles Manziel’s infamous career both on and off the field with insights from Manziel, his family and close confidant Nate Fitch as well as various football personalities who interacted with Manziel during his collegiate and professional career.
Woven tightly into three acts over 70 minutes, “Johnny Football” clicks at a rapid pace for a quick overview of Manziel’s career for those unfamiliar with his football legacy, but Duffy isn’t nearly as interest in the quarterback’s on-field efforts as he is at revealing Manziel’s habitual entitlement and rebellious nature.
It’s encapsulated perfectly in the opening moments of the film, first with Manziel receiving acclaim from Texas A&M alumni and staff at a hall of fame ceremony and then immediately juxtaposing it with the legendary Aggie lighting up a joint at his Scottsdale, Arizona home. Duffy wants to give the audience just enough of the positive side of “Johnny Football” in order to make the more outrageous aspects come across as unconscionable.
This broad look into Manziel’s life doesn’t take into full account the massive impact Manziel had on the world of collegiate athletics nor his singular impact on Texas A&M beyond the superficial cult celebrity status that made it impossible for him to attend classes in person by his sophomore year due to mobs of autograph seeking fans.
Manziel’s luxurious lifestyle after winning the Heisman was largely attributed to being paid under the table by autograph brokers, and although Duffy does touch on how the NCAA responded with an investigation into the incident, “Johnny Football” only scratches the surface to the full impact that Manziel’s brazen disregard for decorum and his amateur status had to completely change the way top college athletes are compensated for their talents in the current sports arena.
Also lost in the shuffle is the lasting impact Manziel had on the prestige of Texas A&M’s football program. Because so much of the film focuses on fame and money, the financial impact of Manziel’s Heisman Trophy win is addressed, but once the film begins to talk about his decision to go pro, everything beyond Manziel – including the Cleveland Browns where he was eventually drafted – essentially fades into obscurity.
Clearly, the focal point of “Johnny Football” and the main reason people will want to see the documentary is to hear Manziel talk candidly about the whirlwind ride his talent and fame took him on over the course of four years and he certainly doesn’t disappoint.
Manziel is almost too cavalier with his candor, acknowledging his complicity in his downfall thanks to heavy alcohol and drug addiction, but the contrition (or lack thereof) doesn’t help win anyone over to his side who wasn’t there before watching.
While it isn’t a revelatory documentary from either a filmmaking or journalistic perspective, “Untold: Johnny Football” does have enough excitement and insight to make the film worth a casual watch for cinephiles and sports fans getting ready for kickoff this fall.
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