Film Review: ‘McEnroe’: The Tennis ‘Enfant Terrible’ Bad Boy Makes Good

NR | 1h 50min | Documentary, Biography, Sports | 2 September 2022 (USA)

The opening scene in “McEnroe” shows John McEnroe walking alone at night on a New York street while he delivers a brief voice-over monologue.

“Greatness is a combination of things. You look back and you say, well, someone gave me an ability to do something better than others. You have to recognize that and put yourself on the line, especially when you’re out there by yourself. And I didn’t do a good enough job of that.”

Reflections

These are the words of a man well into middle age who has finally managed to corral his gargantuan ego and petulant, childlike tantrums, which were on a par with his formidable talents on the tennis court. He’s mellowed; he has tamed his raging inner beast, a feat that he himself seems surprised by.

John McEnroe challenging a call with the referee in the documentary "McEnroe." (Showtime)

Born in Germany, McEnroe grew up in Douglaston, a neighborhood in the Queens area of New York City. In recounting a story told to her by McEnroe’s mother, Kay, his second wife, singer Patty Smyth, says he’s been an overachiever his entire life. After getting an A- in math on his first grade report card, he came home, cried, and … well, threw a tantrum.

In the wake of leading Stanford to an NCAA championship in 1978, McEnroe turned pro, a decade after the start of the Open Era. This is when executives in the tennis hierarchy began allowing professional and amateur players to compete in the annual Big Four Grand Slam tournaments: The Australian, French, and U.S. Opens, and Wimbledon.

Tennis Monopoly

This was also the time when three men essentially had a monopoly on the sport. From 1974 through 1984, Bjorn Borg, Jimmy Connors, and McEnroe won over half of the major titles; and from 1979 through 1989, McEnroe won four more majors as a doubles player. He is the only male in the sport’s history to be ranked No. 1 as a singles and doubles player at the same time.

Beyond these staggering statistics and rivalries were the styles and personalities of Borg, Connors, and McEnroe, both on and off the court. Slightly older than the easily triggered, left-handed Americans Connors and McEnroe, the Swedish, impossible-to-rattle Borg more than earned the nickname “Ice-Borg” and was dubbed “the Greta Garbo of tennis” because of his quiet, “leave me alone” attitude. Possibly because of his tight-lipped demeanor and Nordic god good looks, he became the sport’s first rock star.

Bjorn Borg hits a forehand in a match in 1980 during the Men's French Open quarter finals. (Gabriel Duval/AFP via Getty Images)

Fresh Viewers

McEnroe, on the other hand, would loudly contest calls made against him by the officials, hurl profanities, smash rackets, and the like. While many people within the largely stuffy tennis establishment found this to be abhorrent (and much of it was), it brought in untold millions of new viewers, most of whom had never watched a tennis match.

In recent years, Borg and McEnroe have become perhaps not friends, but “friendlier.” One of the many highlights in the movie is the present-day interviews with Borg opening up more than he ever did back in the day. His once-blond locks are shorter and have grayed, and he certainly appears relaxed. This might also be the first time he’s ever been captured smiling on film.

Noticeably absent are any retrospective remarks or interviews with Connors, which leads to tons of speculation. Did Connors turn down requests to be interviewed? Is he angry that no one has made a movie about him?

John McEnroe in a match as seen in the documentary "McEnroe." (Showtime)

A Wise Omission

Also not interviewed and barely mentioned is Tatum O’Neal, McEnroe’s first wife and mother to three of his five children, and this shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone remotely familiar with her history.

The youngest person to ever win a competitive Academy Award, O’Neal and McEnroe married in 1986 and got divorced in 1994. In the fallout after the severing of the union, O’Neal began escalating her drug use (cocaine, crack, and heroin), and as a result, McEnroe was awarded sole custody of their children in 1998. It’s all very sad, and writer-director Barney Douglas displayed wise discretion by not including it.

John McEnroe celebrates a championship in the documentary "McEnroe." (Showtime)

It would have been nice for Douglas (“Warriors”) to include a segment devoted to McEnroe’s subsequent career as a TV color commentator, the many TV parodies of him, and self-deprecating appearances on TV and in film that he’s willingly participated in.

Most of us have done or said things under the mindset of uninformed and brazen youth that we regret and would like to do over—which is, of course, impossible. No one knows that reality more than McEnroe, who has the added bonus (or onus) of having all of these past events witnessed live by millions, and permanently committed to video.

John McEnroe in retirement reflecting on his life in the documentary "McEnroe." (Showtime)

Once the movie is over, the opening salvo becomes more resonant. This is a man who has achieved things that few of us could ever imagine accomplishing, yet he did so like a bull in a china shop. Not only has he come to terms with his past actions, but he’s also become a more self-aware person in the process.

We should all be so lucky.

‘McEnroe’ Documentary Director: Barney Douglas MPAA Rating: Not Rated Release Date: Sept. 2, 2022 Rating: 4 out of 5