George Best: All by Himself

Dir: Daniel Gordon

2016

***

I have to admit I’m not the biggest football (soccer) fan in the world and when I think of George Best I generally think of alcoholism, Liver transplants, the British tabloids and his celebrity-hungry ex-wife and son before I think of his talent, success and what he did for Manchester United and British football in general. Pele (regarded as the best player in the world) once called Best ‘The best player in the world’ and after the tragic event of the Munich air crash which lead to the death of half the Manchester United team, Best breathed new life into the beautiful game, some say saving it, but certainly popularising it and making it hip for the first time but whether or not you think that’s a good thing or not is up to you. Best was the original David Beckham in terms of celebrity footballer, far more talented, as Beckham would admit himself, but certainly the first footballer to be treated like a rock star – Beatle-style. Best’s skill and determination lead his team to win league titles and the European cup, something the club wanted and British football needed after the air disaster of 1953 that was part of the then new European league and before players would play for teams outside of their own countries. He did so much when he was still only a teenager, it’s now understandable how it became a little too much for him to cope with and you can see it happening time and time again to sportsman, musicians and anyone who reaches success and fame early on in life. In many respects, Best was the first of his kind and the odds were always against him. Director and producer duo Daniel Gordon and John Battsek team up once more and deliver an insightful biography but I think hard-core George Best fans will probably only enjoy the first half which features some of his greatest goals and unseen interviews and I’m not sure anyone can truly ‘enjoy’ the second half, which delves into his loneliness, alcoholism and fall from grace. Surprisingly his first love and two ex-wives have only nice things to say about him, each clearly feeling some regret and sadness that they couldn’t save him – not that anyone could. His first love Ani Rinchen is now a Buddhist Nun, which she attributes in part to being thrown into the public spotlight at a very young age – it seems you can go either one of two ways. The second half of the film is a look into the perils of fame and success, and it is deeply unpleasant. George Best was a lovely boy who turned into something of a monster when under the influence of booze. There is no excusing the fact that he destroyed his donated liver with booze after he had destroyed his own but it does show you the harsh reality of addiction. Best certainly didn’t hate life, but what he couldn’t live without killed him. It’s an old and sadly common story but there is an element of resentment in watching someone who has enjoyed so much success throw their lives away. Many people suffer from alcoholism and have never been successful, indeed, their addiction can generally come from a lack of it and the complete opposite spectrum, and it feels a little more understandable, at least, it is easier to feel more sympathy. I understand addiction more than I do football but I have no time for either in my life, this story should be about football but you can’t talk about the player without addressing his well-known problems, so I was left wondering who it was really for. I’m not saying we should never talk about George Best – far from it, but in terms of entertainment I found it altogether a little too tragic to enjoy and then felt bad for thinking so what, it’s not as if he saved a burning hospital full of children. From a technical point though the documentary is structured perfectly, it’s down to you whether the content is worth the effort or not.