John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection

Certain to result in head-scratching for some viewers, John McEnroe: In the Realm of Perfection is an almost unclassifiable, sort-of documentary caught between monotonous sports video and so-what critical analysis of how filmed tennis matches are an entirely different beast from actual competitions. Director Julien Faraut has gathered loads of archival footage featuring cantankerous tennis star McEnroe in his heyday, including an overlong clip reel of the former champion as he scores points and confronts judges on play calls (or lack of them). Faraut spends some time demonstrating how real playing doesn’t really resemble ideal form and technique, an argument that apparently dovetails with Faraut’s larger thesis that cinema’s (and, by extension, TV’s) control over an illusion of space and time means the match one watches on a screen is not the same as a real game. That’s right, of course, but is hardly an aesthetically profound observation or deep critical discovery. Still, in all fairness, this received substantial critical acclaim, so consider it a strong optional purchase. (T. Keogh)