REVIEW: ‘John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection’
Photo: Julien Faraut’s John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection focuses on the 1984 French Open and McEnroe’s antics. Photo courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories / Provided by Film Forum PR page with permission.
Julien Faraut’s new documentary, John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection, looks at the memorable tennis player through a unique lens. This is not a typical biopic detailing McEnroe’s rise to sports fame, and it’s also not a documentary featuring breathtaking, high-definition footage of matches from years past. Instead, the movie, which is currently playing New York City’s Film Forum, is a close inspection of McEnroe’s technique, temper and timing.
This unique approach makes In the Realm of Perfection a surprising 95 minutes, but it also makes the film frustrating. For those who would like to know more about McEnroe and what made him tick, beyond the somewhat high-minded recitations of the narrator, this footage might not cut it.
Faraut focuses most of the film on the 1984 French Open, which ends with a nail-biting match between McEnroe and Ivan Lendl. By the time viewers see the final serves in this back and forth, they will probably be rooting for Lendl. There’s no doubt that McEnroe was talented and a deserved icon in the mid-1980s; however, his complaining to the refs and curtsied photographers is the worst type of behavior at a sporting event. He was both a sore loser and sore winner. It doesn’t even appear that this complaining helped much; in the film, most of the time the referee looks the other way, even though McEnroe keeps throwing a fuss about balls being off the line or on the line.
Thankfully, In the Realm of Perfection dives deeper than the McEnroe antics and focuses on the tennis player’s form. By slowing down the 1980s footage and overlaying it with simple graphics, one can appreciate how skilled he was as a world champion. His serves are almost balletic in how he arched his back and somehow never stepped over the white line. His ability to drop quick volleys onto an opponent’s side is only outdone by his fierce spikes that sent the ball along an impossible trajectory.
Mathieu Amalric provides narration for the documentary, and the words, written by Faraut, don’t add much to the proceedings. They attempt to mythologize the sport and place it within the context of the film medium; however, it’s tough to reconcile the meta language with the whining and complaining of its main star.
John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection might impress tennis loyalists who cannot get enough of the glory days of the 1980s and would like to scan through unique angles of well-known, historic bouts. However, casual viewers may be put off by the unusual approach to a beloved international sport.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection (2018), written and directed by Julien Faraut and featuring narration by Mathieu Amalric, is currently running at New York City’s Film Forum. Running time: 95 minutes. Rating: 
