Nowitzki: The Perfect Shot - B

Unrated, 105 minutes

Dirk Nowitzki

If you enjoy sports and the stories behind them, you'll enjoy the fascinating, fast-paced and often fun documentary "Nowitzki: The Perfect Shot," an entertaining documentary that follows the career of Dallas Mavericks basketball star Dirk Nowitzki, his relationship with coach and mentor Holger Geschwindner, and their path to NBA glory. Directed and written by German filmmaker and TV director Sebastian Denhardt, "The Perfect Shot" details Nowitzki's life from gangly German teenager with a bad haircut to NBA superstar and MVP, with plenty of highs and lows in between. The focus is how his coach and mentor Geschwindner helped Nowitzki navigate through all of this, and his role in Nowitzki's personal and professional life. "Perfect Shot" is best when the cameras let Nowitzki be himself, and it's in those candid times when we learn more about him, especially in how he treats fans (he lets young fans climb on him and is generous with autographs), his family and how he likes to have fun, such as (my favorite moment, along with the Mavs winning the 2011 NBA Championship and Nowitzki's awful version of Queen's "We Are the Champions") dressing up as Martina Navratilova for Halloween at his wife's encouragement. His relationship with Geschwindner is also an interesting, especially in the role he played in some of Nowitzki's tougher moments, such as losing the NBA championship in 2006 or a failed relationship that should've never happened, making you wonder who exactly calls the shots; "Perfect Shot" lacks some clarity on this, especially when when Geschwindner himself has faced some challenging times. There's also a bevy of interviews with colleagues, friends and family, including Mark Cuban, Don and Donnie Nelson, his wife Jessica, Michael Finley, Steve Nash and a host of others that often humorously shed light on the public and private persona of one of the NBA's best players, and one who will be fondly remembered. The winning sports documentary "Nowitzki: The Perfect Shot," while not perfect (it tends to skim over the painful memories and focus on the good ones), but is worth a look for sports and non-sports fans alike. It's also a painful reminder that Nowitzki, a genuinely nice guy and a true champion on and off the court, isn't a champion when it comes to singing.