Drazen

I can't say I'm being objective here-but honestly, I don't want to be. Drazen touched something deep in me, and made me cry like I hadn't cried in a long time watching a film. Because this wasn't just cinema: it was reliving someone who has always been more than a basketball player to me. Drazen was my idol, my reference, my hero. And this movie, despite its flaws, brings him back to life on screen.

This is not a documentary or a sports chronicle. It's an intimate portrait, focused on the man rather than the legend. It works best when it dives into his family relationships-especially with his mother-and when it captures that almost obsessive passion he had for training, for improving, for achieving the impossible. Seeing him as a child, so stubborn and so full of heart, broke me. We already know how his story ends, but here they choose not to show the accident-instead, they remind us of what he was: light, not tragedy.

The main cast performs well, but Zrinka Cvitesic deserves special mention as Biserka Petrovic. What strength, what tenderness, what nuance. And Romina Tonkovic, as Renata-Drazen's great love-plays her with such softness it hurts. Their story is simple, but it moves you. And although the script doesn't always go deep, it leaves an emotional mark.

It's not perfect. Some major games and key moments-especially with the national team-are missing, and parts of the film feel more like obligatory steps than emotional beats. The U. S. part is the weakest, and the ending is a bit too sweet. But even so, the film achieves something rare: you leave the theater with a tight chest and a full heart.

Drazen isn't just a biopic. It's a love letter to someone truly one of a kind. A film that, while it may fall short historically, hits the mark emotionally. And for that-because it made me cry, remember, and love him even more-it's already something special to me.

Drazen is a powerful look at the life of Drazen Petrovic, one of basketball's all-time greats, told in a way that's emotional, inspiring, and so relatable for everyone, young and old. This isn'ta typical sport story, but a personal journey that hits hard, especially for those of us who grew up watching Drazen's career in the '80s. Seeing this movie brought back all the memories of cheering for him, especially during his time with the national team. The film beautifully captures the values of family, resilience, and love that defined him, and it's perfect for both kids and adults.

I brought my seven-year-old son and fourteen-year-old daughter to watch it, and they loved it. My son was totally into it, saying he admired how Drazen "just kept trying no matter what." My daughter got really emotional, especially enjoying the scenes with Drazen's family and his bond with his brother. She also appreciated the love story. Both of them were totally absorbed by the scenes from Drazen's childhood.

For me, it was like a trip back in time, and the casting was just fantastic. Tonko Stosic as young Drazen and Lovro Tanfara as young Aleksandar were so convincing; they really brought that brotherly bond to life. Pavle Matusko as the grown-up Aleksandar was excellent too - the whole cast truly delivered. Domagoj Nizic was fantastic as Drazen, capturing his spirit and intensity perfectly, while Zrinka Cvitesic as Drazen's mom was another standout. And that final song - it really hit me hard.

With stunning cinematography, a great soundtrack, and a storyline that showcases the power of dedication and love, Drazen is an unforgettable experience.

To say that this movie is a disappointment is an understatement.

Pros: Technical aspects of the film such as cinematography and sound are well done; Zrinka Cvitesic as Biserka Petrovic is believable as a mother and a human being; Tonko Stosic is charming as young Drazen Petrovic; a fair amount of Drazens' basketball achievements are mentioned; Drazens' work ethic is briefly shown once or twice;

The End.

Cons: This movie fails as a movie, let alone a story about Drazen. When any pivotal conflict suddenly presents itself (via exposition, every single time) it immediately gets resolved (just in passing, every single time) via exposition or a montage in the next scene which sets up a new challenge and around it goes.

The movie is a series of scenes of Drazen hanging out in bars/offices/living rooms, chasing or getting chased by girls and basketball clubs while lightly discussing things he wants to do - and those goals being immediately achieved in a 20-second-montage.

Anything important and interesting is briefly mentioned (or not even mentioned at all), while the rest is an attempt at a Hollywood romantic drama. If you didn't know anything about Drazen before watching this and you blinked during montages about his basketball prowess you still won't know or remember anything about him at the end - well, I guess you'd know he was a basketball player and apparently was very good because everyone says so.

So little of his character was shown: his determination, his leadership, charisma, unbreakable spirit, relationships with people (other than his immediate family or love interests)... Some of it was attempted, but deemed less important.

Domagoj Nizic as adult Drazen doesn't have a passing resemblance to Drazen (even though the actor seems like a sweet guy) but the bigger problem is he can't believably convey Drazens' spirit nor is he believable as a basketball athlete.

I thought my biggest problem with this movie would be inconsistencies involving dialect or lack of basketball scenes, but a decent screenplay to begin with was apparently too much to ask.

I could go on but I respect Drazen (the Man, not this film) too much to go off on this production here...

TL;DR: Story about one of the greatest sports icons famous for his incredible work ethic and for overcoming great odds gets a below average ''tell, don't show'' romantic drama treatment, with some basketball clips running on a TV in the background and hours of talking about a basketball career (could've been about anyone).

Watch some highlights or a documentary instead - you will have a much, much better time.

I'm very sad... ''Zivot leti, kapetane.''

A disappointing film unworthy of the legend whose life story it was supposed to tell.

Drazen is a legendary athlete whose legacy is recognized not only in Croatia, but also in the world.

What is incredible is that the film is boring, pretentious, and the directing is mediocre. Unfortunately, this is the case with most film production in Croatia. There are exceptions, of course, but they are few.

The dialogues are wooden, unconvincing, in short, what we are used to seeing in Croatian productions. As I said, there are exceptions, but unfortunately they are just that, exceptions.

The Mile Kekin head looks like it just came out of the factory, it looks totally fake and rubbery, and the hairline looks hilarious.

A legend like Drazen deserved better. This is a disaster.

It's interesting how they skipped a part of Drazen's life, and a very important one at that.

What's amazing is that they managed to make a boring movie, as if we were watching some statistics.

The guy playing Drazen looks like a fat version of him, with flabby arms and another chin.

Maybe I'm being a bit harsh, but I expected a better movie.

I'm from Hungary, grew up playing basketball in the 90's and 2000's so Drazen was a little before my time, but we knew about the yugoslavian dream team of the early 90's and all their great world class players, especially Drazen. He was truly a trailblazer for european basketball, the first who proved in the NBA that the best of Europe can compete with the very best the NBA has to offer.

This movie was sadly quite a disaster, nowhere near the quaily that such a legendary athlete would deserve. I was expecting something like the recent Disney movie of Giannis' life, but this is a low budget movie with a terrible choice for the lead actor. It's one thing that the guy doesn't have the phisique of an NBA star, but it's quite ridiculous that the real Drazen was much better looking than the actor portraying him. Like come on, couldn't they find someone who at least doesn't have a round face with a double chin? It was very distracting, but even worse, the story was boring although it could've had much more action and insteresting stuff. E g. They completely left out the 92 olympics or how the yugoslavian propaganda turned serbian and croatian players against each other before that. Only good thing I can say about the movie is that the ending was done tastefully, it was a nice touch.

Maybe one day a more talented croatian director will do a better work, until then we at least have the 30 for 30, Once Brothers ESPN docu which is a very good tribute to this legendary basketball player.