Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

Kobe Doin' Work

  • TV Movie
  • 2009
  • 1h 24m
IMDb RATING
6.6/10
1.6K
YOUR RATING
Kobe Bryant in Kobe Doin' Work (2009)
A documentary following Kobe Bryant during one day of the 2008 NBA playoffs.
Play trailer1:15
1 Video
2 Photos
DocumentarySport

A documentary following Kobe Bryant during one day during a game against the San Antonio Spurs.A documentary following Kobe Bryant during one day during a game against the San Antonio Spurs.A documentary following Kobe Bryant during one day during a game against the San Antonio Spurs.

  • Director
    • Spike Lee
  • Stars
    • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
    • Tony Parker
    • Stephen A. Smith
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    6.6/10
    1.6K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • Spike Lee
    • Stars
      • Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
      • Tony Parker
      • Stephen A. Smith
    • 7User reviews
    • 10Critic reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Videos1

    Kobe Doin' Work
    Trailer 1:15
    Kobe Doin' Work

    Photos1

    View Poster

    Top cast18

    Edit
    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
    Kareem Abdul-Jabbar
    • Self
    Tony Parker
    Tony Parker
    • Self
    Stephen A. Smith
    Stephen A. Smith
    • Self
    Kobe Bryant
    Kobe Bryant
    • Self
    Michele Tafoya
    Michele Tafoya
    • Self
    Lamar Odom
    Lamar Odom
    • Self
    Phil Jackson
    Phil Jackson
    • Self
    Pau Gasol
    Pau Gasol
    • Self
    Tim Duncan
    Tim Duncan
    • Self
    Derek Fisher
    Derek Fisher
    • Self
    Ime Udoka
    • Self
    Bruce Bowen
    • Self
    Luke Walton
    Luke Walton
    • Self
    Jordan Farmar
    • Self
    Sasha Vujacic
    • Self
    Ronny Turiaf
    Ronny Turiaf
    • Self
    Manu Ginóbili
    • Self
    • (as Emanuel Ginóbili)
    Vladimir Radmanovic
    • Self
    • Director
      • Spike Lee
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Bad 25
    7.9
    Bad 25
    Sucker Free City
    6.7
    Sucker Free City
    A Huey P. Newton Story
    7.2
    A Huey P. Newton Story
    Red Hook Summer
    5.3
    Red Hook Summer
    Passing Strange
    7.3
    Passing Strange
    Pass Over
    6.1
    Pass Over
    Jim Brown: All American
    6.4
    Jim Brown: All American
    Da Brick
    3.9
    Da Brick
    Chi-Raq
    5.9
    Chi-Raq
    Rodney King
    6.2
    Rodney King
    Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall
    7.4
    Michael Jackson's Journey from Motown to Off the Wall
    Da Sweet Blood of Jesus
    4.5
    Da Sweet Blood of Jesus

    Storyline

    Edit

    User reviews7

    Featured review
    5/10

    Kobe's a Great Guy; He Told Me So

    I watched Kobe Doin' Work last night. Probably wouldn't have bothered except for Spike Lee's involvement. There's some interesting stuff and comes close to a basketball insight once or twice.

    But far too many problems: First off, Kobe tries real hard to be likable and clearly he sees his voice-over comments as a PR exercise in image control. He's just too spotlighted and media-aware to really seem genuine. He also tends to talk down to the viewer, apparently assuming casual fans are watching, and so when he gets close to providing details he stops short (ie he talks about options and execution but almost never gets into specifics). Lastly, Kobe does want you to think that he co-runs the team with Phil Jackson (Kobe inserts himself back into the game in the 2nd Q of this game), mostly joshing about how he and Phil often share the same thoughts and understanding of the game. But why not add extra commentaries on the DVD. Would be nice to have a Phil Jackson track, a Hubie Brown track, maybe even a Bruce Bowen track as well, etc.

    Secondly, it's just one game with a zillion cameras on Kobe. I really think he loved all this attention but it distracted him and hurt his play. He seems really self-conscious on the court and especially on the bench.

    Third, since it's just one game, they chose an important late season clash with the Spurs. But Ginobili was out and the Lakes blowout the Spurs in the 3rd Q, so Kobe sits the whole 4th Q. Ooooops. Also, with Bowen defending him, Kobe mainly acts as a decoy. And as a final insult, Kobe turns out to have a bad game, with uncharacteristic turnovers, fouls, and missed shots -- with a handful of Kobe moments sprinkled in.

    Another problem is that it is the second to last game from two seasons ago (April 2008)-- the year the Lakes lost to the Celts, instead of the championship season last year -- so it's much less immediate now and the personnel is fairly different. You've got Kurt and Bowen, Sasha and Vlad. No Ariza nor Artest. At least Fish and Pau are there. But I'd much rather see an early season game from last season, which would seem more immediate and relevant than Game 81 from two seasons back.

    And since the camera focuses on Kobe in isolation or only with the defenders/offenders nearby, we rarely see plays develop, the ball, scores, etc. Actually the context including the score is largely missing. Sometimes I watch a game and will just focus on one matchup for a few plays or keep an eye on say interior D or whatnot. You learn stuff that way, but you also miss other parts of the game. For a whole game, iso-ed on one player is wearisome. A more interesting approach might have been to show perhaps the entire 3rd Q as broadcast on TV, and then re-show the 3rd Q as seen by isolating Kobe.

    So as luck would have it, Spike picked the wrong game, against the wrong opponent, in the wrong season, and the approach wasn't creative enough. I'd rec watching When the Levees Broke instead. And the next time you see the Lakers on TV, sit close, and set your eyes on Kobe only on both ends as much as possible and you've probably got a better game and better understanding, since you can shift your focus to the action as you choose.
    • john-2448
    • Dec 20, 2009
    • Permalink

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 25, 2009 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Language
      • English
    • Also known as
      • Game Day with Kobe
    • Production companies
      • 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks
      • ESPN Films
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 24 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Stereo
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    • IMDb Answers: Help fill gaps in our data
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.