‘They Call Me Magic’ Is a Revealing Look Inside a Basketball Icon’s Head: TV Review
variety.comDaniel D'Addario Chief TV Critic“I needed to hear the roar of the crowd one more time — and I heard it.”That’s how Magic Johnson describes his 1991 appearance on Arsenio Hall’s talk show in the new documentary “They Call Me Magic.” It was a key moment in Johnson’s public life, coming just after the basketball star’s announcement that he had contracted HIV.
And it’s slightly telling that what Johnson recalls is not any particular thing he said but the applause of the audience for whom he was putting on a show.Johnson, throughout both his athletic and business careers, is as close to an entertainer as an athlete gets.
And “They Call Me Magic,” though often glowingly promotional, does an elegant job of depicting the mentality of a figure who needs his public just as much as they need him.
The contours of Johnson’s story will be familiar to anyone currently watching HBO’s “Winning Time,” about the so-called “Showtime” era of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Read more on variety.com
