Drazen
- 2024
- 1h 40m
IMDb RATING
6.5/10
1.6K
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
That one is a great movie from Croatia! Drazen is a heartfelt journey that pulls you in with its mix of romance and passion for basketball. While the story dives deeply into the life of Drazen Petrovic, it also captures the spirit of love in an touching way. The romantic angle maybe is a bit overdone.
Maybe making a series of it, it can tell a lot of more from the life story of Drazen... ( With more basketball emotions)
The cinematography is breathtaking! Every shot feels carefully planned, and you can tell that the whole team put in a massive amount of effort. The editing is super clean, and each scene transitions are smoothly done for me, helping the story flow in a way that keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
You can see the love and dedication of the entire cast and crew. This film is absolutely worth watching, whether you're a fan of basketball, romance, or just great storytelling. Thank you to everyone involved in creating this! It's a beautiful tribute and definitely worth the watch!
Maybe making a series of it, it can tell a lot of more from the life story of Drazen... ( With more basketball emotions)
The cinematography is breathtaking! Every shot feels carefully planned, and you can tell that the whole team put in a massive amount of effort. The editing is super clean, and each scene transitions are smoothly done for me, helping the story flow in a way that keeps you engaged from beginning to end.
You can see the love and dedication of the entire cast and crew. This film is absolutely worth watching, whether you're a fan of basketball, romance, or just great storytelling. Thank you to everyone involved in creating this! It's a beautiful tribute and definitely worth the watch!
It's hard to imagine a more uninspired take on one of the most inspiring athletes in history. "Drazen", a film that should have been a moving tribute to the "Mozart of Basketball," is instead a lifeless and shallow portrayal that does a disservice to its subject.
The film makes an effort to show Drazen Petrovic beyond the basketball court - through his relationships with his parents, his brother, and a love interest - but every attempt at emotional depth lands with a dull thud. There's no spark, no tension, no feeling. Scenes that are clearly meant to be heartfelt come off as hollow and mechanical, like emotional checkboxes being ticked off without any real understanding of what makes a human story compelling.
The romantic subplot in particular feels dramatically empty. The relationship unfolds with all the emotional intensity of a phone commercial, and ultimately adds nothing meaningful to the film or to our understanding of Drazen Petrovic as a person.
The direction is uninspired, and the script seems written by someone with no understanding of character, pacing, or storytelling. Even the most basic emotional beats fall completely flat. There's no sense of triumph, no heartbreak, no intimacy. Watching this film is like reading a Wikipedia entry aloud, only with worse writing and less insight. It's hard to believe that the life of such an electric, driven and charismatic figure could be turned into something so emotionally sterile. Credit (or rather blame) goes to the director and screenwriter, whose utter lack of vision and storytelling talent reduces an extraordinary life into a bland slideshow of facts.
With source material as rich and compelling as Drazen Petrovic's life, the failure to create a meaningful, moving film isn't just disappointing - it's astonishing. This was a chance to honour a cultural icon, a global talent, and a deeply human story. Instead, we got a film that feels like it doesn't understand or care why Petrovic mattered at all.
"Drazen" isn't just a bad film - it's a wasted opportunity of epic proportions.
The film makes an effort to show Drazen Petrovic beyond the basketball court - through his relationships with his parents, his brother, and a love interest - but every attempt at emotional depth lands with a dull thud. There's no spark, no tension, no feeling. Scenes that are clearly meant to be heartfelt come off as hollow and mechanical, like emotional checkboxes being ticked off without any real understanding of what makes a human story compelling.
The romantic subplot in particular feels dramatically empty. The relationship unfolds with all the emotional intensity of a phone commercial, and ultimately adds nothing meaningful to the film or to our understanding of Drazen Petrovic as a person.
The direction is uninspired, and the script seems written by someone with no understanding of character, pacing, or storytelling. Even the most basic emotional beats fall completely flat. There's no sense of triumph, no heartbreak, no intimacy. Watching this film is like reading a Wikipedia entry aloud, only with worse writing and less insight. It's hard to believe that the life of such an electric, driven and charismatic figure could be turned into something so emotionally sterile. Credit (or rather blame) goes to the director and screenwriter, whose utter lack of vision and storytelling talent reduces an extraordinary life into a bland slideshow of facts.
With source material as rich and compelling as Drazen Petrovic's life, the failure to create a meaningful, moving film isn't just disappointing - it's astonishing. This was a chance to honour a cultural icon, a global talent, and a deeply human story. Instead, we got a film that feels like it doesn't understand or care why Petrovic mattered at all.
"Drazen" isn't just a bad film - it's a wasted opportunity of epic proportions.
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.
Did you know
- TriviaA report by Human Rights Watch (then called Helsinki Watch) from 1986 described Yugoslavia as one of the most repressive communist countries in Europe.
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- Something Larger Than Me
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Box office
- Budget
- €1,600,000 (estimated)
- Gross worldwide
- $566,915
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
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- 2.39:1
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