Drazen
- 2024
- 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.7K
YOUR RATING
The narrative of Drazen Petrovic, a celebrated Croatian basketball player, highlights his personal life and unique character, emphasizing his deep, complex relationship with basketball - bot... Read allThe narrative of Drazen Petrovic, a celebrated Croatian basketball player, highlights his personal life and unique character, emphasizing his deep, complex relationship with basketball - both his greatest passion and his curse.The narrative of Drazen Petrovic, a celebrated Croatian basketball player, highlights his personal life and unique character, emphasizing his deep, complex relationship with basketball - both his greatest passion and his curse.
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Featured reviews
The movie looks like Drazen's mother was written the script. So many aspects of his professional career are missing, especially his success with Yugoslavia basketball team, whyle trying to tell some romantic story about the girl nobody knows about it. As a neutral, I know that Croats and Serbs has many problems because of breakuo of Yugoslavia, but you cannot just skip those things just like that. That's the untergral part of Drazen's life and career.
Also the acter and his Afro haircut looks ridiculous, and he doesn't resemble to Drazen at all. From the cinematic and production side, movie looks good.
Also the acter and his Afro haircut looks ridiculous, and he doesn't resemble to Drazen at all. From the cinematic and production side, movie looks good.
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.
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.
The film begins in such a detailed, warm way, it immediately draws you into the story, however, as the film progresses, something like a kind of holes in the script itself is visible. He abruptly switches from one to another (completely unimportant) part of Drazen's life. You get a detailed account of Drazen's love life, but you leave out what made Drazen world famous, which is his basketball success. The first part of the film (Drazen's childhood and teenage days) looks pretty good, while the second part of the film (Drazen's professional basketball career) looks like a longer movie trailer. Such a capital work with a capital title had to be done in much more detail and more carefully, this is the grade, in my case, drawn by the opening part of the film.
The second half of the movie feels like you're reading a book, skipping 10-20 pages after each page you read.
The second half of the movie feels like you're reading a book, skipping 10-20 pages after each page you read.
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.
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.
The movie portrays Drazen as a whole person, not just a basketball player. It reveals sides of him that many didn't know about, both good and bad. In my opinion, that is a major strength. While many expected only a series of basketball games, this film offers so much more (but it does, of course include basketball highlights). It explores his emotional connections with his family as well as his career. The relationship between his mother and him is incredibly moving, and his fight to even be allowed to start playing basketball is deeply inspiring.
I believe the vision for this movie was not only to pay tribute to this extraordinary player but also to show that he wasn't perfect. It serves as a reminder that, despite our flaws, we can still achieve greatness.
The final scene depicting Drazen's tragic death was extremely emotional, leaving a profound impact on the audience. It was so powerful that it brought many to tears, myself included. The scene serves as a poignant reminder of how fragile life is and the importance of making the most of every moment because you never know what could happen. It beautifully captures the shock and sorrow of losing someone so full of life and potential, leaving viewers reflecting on their own lives and the legacies they wish to leave behind.
In addition, this film is a step in the right direction for the Croatian film industry, which has struggled to really inspire. By blending emotional storytelling with a nuanced portrayal of a national hero, "Drazen" sets a new standard for biographical films in the region. It proves that Croatian cinema is capable of producing compelling narratives that resonate on a universal level.
Ultimately, "Drazen" isn't just a movie about basketball; it's a powerful story about ambition, resilience, and the complexities of human nature. It leaves a lasting impact, not only as a tribute to Drazen Petrovic but as a significant achievement in Croatian filmmaking.
I believe the vision for this movie was not only to pay tribute to this extraordinary player but also to show that he wasn't perfect. It serves as a reminder that, despite our flaws, we can still achieve greatness.
The final scene depicting Drazen's tragic death was extremely emotional, leaving a profound impact on the audience. It was so powerful that it brought many to tears, myself included. The scene serves as a poignant reminder of how fragile life is and the importance of making the most of every moment because you never know what could happen. It beautifully captures the shock and sorrow of losing someone so full of life and potential, leaving viewers reflecting on their own lives and the legacies they wish to leave behind.
In addition, this film is a step in the right direction for the Croatian film industry, which has struggled to really inspire. By blending emotional storytelling with a nuanced portrayal of a national hero, "Drazen" sets a new standard for biographical films in the region. It proves that Croatian cinema is capable of producing compelling narratives that resonate on a universal level.
Ultimately, "Drazen" isn't just a movie about basketball; it's a powerful story about ambition, resilience, and the complexities of human nature. It leaves a lasting impact, not only as a tribute to Drazen Petrovic but as a significant achievement in Croatian filmmaking.
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- Also known as
- Something Larger Than Me
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- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- €1,600,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $566,915
- Runtime
- 1h 40m(100 min)
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 2.39:1
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