The new ESPN 30 for 30 Bad Boys wants you to know how “street” it is. Documentaries might be the realm of nerds and dorks, but this doc is “thug” and “tough.” It’s “in your face. Bad Boys premieres Thursday, April 17, at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN. In the intro you hear a very abrasive narrator who wants you to know how “hard core” both he and this film truly are. The movie begins with a montage of Detroit urban blight that looks like any bombed out war zone.
In other words, this film tries too hard.
They want you to know right off the bat that the team being documented were hated by everybody other than their “hard core” fan base. The narrator only eases up in his voice and his tone slightly. The new 30 for 30 tries too hard to be polarizing. It’s kind of like the Comedy Central animated series “Brickleberry” which tried to hard to offend the viewer.
The movie reminds NBA fans that the Detroit Pistons were once not only relevant, not only powerful, but a dynasty.And it wasn’t all that long ago: the late ‘80s and early ‘90s. The Pistons may be a professional joke today, but the Bad Boys were the team that fans loved to hate.
And it’s only been ten years since the Motor City upset the mighty L.A. Lakers in the NBA Finals; even though it feels like 100 years ago.
Bad Boys features interviews with Isiah Thomas, Bill Laimbeer, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Adrian Dantley and Mark Aguirre among many others, providing viewers an inside look at what made this team tick.
“Grantland’s Bad Boys Remix,” featuring Bill Simmons and Jalen Rose, will air immediately following the premiere of “Bad Boys” on ESPN. Simmons and Rose will be joined by special guests Isiah Thomas and Doug Collins to discuss both the film and the highs and lows of the Pistons, and will be a part of Grantland’s “Detroit Week” package kicking off April 14th.
Paul M. Banks owns The Sports Bank.net, an affiliate of Fox Sports. He’s also a frequent guest on national talk radio. Banks is a former contributor to NBC Chicago and the Washington Times, who’s been featured on the History Channel. President Obama follows him on Twitter (@paulmbanks)