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Looking at the lives of former and current football players, the show follows former superstar Spencer Strasmore as he gets his life on track in retirement while mentoring other current and former players through the daily grind of the business of football.
Let me just get this out of the way: I don’t like sports. I am not a sports guy. I don’t watch football, hockey, or baseball and when the Superbowl is coming up and someone asks me if I’ll be watching, my response is always, “Watching what?” People think I’m joking but I’m not. I respect sports and the athletes who participate in them but there is no sport that interests me whatsoever. Well, maybe soccer, when the World Cup comes along every four years and seeing that I am from Ireland, I continue to hope that one day, we will make it in there again. I never got American Football and not even classic films like “Rudy,” “Any Given Sunday,” or “North Dallas Forty” were able to persuade me otherwise, although I did have fun with “The Longest Yard,” both the Burt Reynolds original and the Adam Sandler remake. I would never have watched HBO’s “Ballers” in a million years but I like Dwayne Johnson and Rob Corddry and with a little push, I decided to give it a shot. And I am so grateful I did.
The show revolves around football but not the game itself, it focuses on the people behind the scenes, the managers, agents, coaches, and the players and their families. Dwayne Johnson plays former football superstar Spencer Strasmore, once a legend in the game but is now retired and works as a financial advisor, helping sign and mentor his younger friends still in the NFL. Along with his friend and associate Joe (Rob Corddry), together they help build a roster of new clients for their boss Mr. Anderson (Richard Schiff) and his company, Anderson Financial Management. But they have to navigate the shark-infested waters of pro-football agencies very carefully as Andre Allen (Andy Garcia), Spencer’s rival, intends to take all of his clients away from him.
“Ballers” brings a lot of genuinely heartfelt drama to a show that at the outset, appears to be more comedic but as each episode passes by, the show seamlessly integrates the drama and humor so that it feels very authentic. Dwayne Johnson has never been better, from his first major role in a Hollywood blockbuster, “The Mummy Returns” in 2001, to the “Fast & Furious” franchise, he is known more as an action hero but in “Ballers,” while he does get to flex those muscles from time to time, his performance as a man trying to move forward with a new chapter of his life, while constantly being reminded of his glorious past, both good and bad, is captivating. Learning from past mistakes, and trying to convince those around him that he has changed, is, at times, heartbreaking. In many ways, Mr. Johnson is saying to the world, “I can wrestle, I can fight, I can run, but I can also act, just give me a chance to prove it!”
And prove it he has. This show has been a blessing for him, giving him the opportunity to branch out into a role that could have so easily been incorporated by a more versatile actor but he has made the role of Spencer Strasmore his own. Both he and Rob Corddry work perfectly together, swearing at one other and at times, then wanting to kill each other but underneath it all, you can see the trust and respect each man has for his friend.
Season two picks up from the end of season one, with both Spencer and Joe working together to help strengthen and build Anderson Financial Management but when Andre makes an unexpected bid for the company, bad news from Spencer’s past comes to light, involving a money-making scheme that went south. When Spencer is asked to appear on a TV sports show, and surprisingly, an old nemesis from his past appears, the two get into a scuffle which results in Spencer hurting his hip and, subsequently, discovering that he has arthritis and needs hip replacement. The show flawlessly integrates the lives of everyone involved, from Spencer and Joe to the players they coach and mentor, and the players’ families and their lives. While I may not care for the sport itself, as a filmmaker for over thirty years, I would much prefer to watch the behind-the-scenes actions and undertakings off the field, that can help inspire the players on the field.
“Ballers: Season Two” will be available on Blu-ray™ & DVD Tuesday, January 31st
