Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
In the world’s most popular sport, he stood head and shoulders above the rest, a legendary, almost mythic figure. As we see in the miniseries Maradona: Blessed Dream, Diego Maradona was a complex figure—an otherworldly talent on the pitch, but a fallible man who struggled with drugs and debauchery outside of the stadium. This biopic follows the star from his hardscrabble upbringing to international stardom and eventual downfall over the course of ten hour-long episodes.
MARADONA: BLESSED DREAM: STREAM IT OR SKIP IT?
Opening Shot: A bloated, sweaty Maradona stumbles along a deserted beach in Punta Del Este, Uruguay, clearly under the influence of drugs or alcohol. He imagines the chants of adoring fans, and flashes back on pivotal moments from his life and storied career.
The Gist: His name might ring a bell with American sports fans, but to soccer fans around the world, the name Maradona is bigger than Jordan, LeBron, Brady or Bonds. In the 1980s, Diego Maradona was the superstar on the pitch, playing for top clubs including Boca Juniors, FC Barcelona and Napoli, and leading the Argentine national team to victory in the 1986 World Cup. This 10-episode biopic follows the whole arc of the sports idol’s life, from his humble beginnings in the tiny town of Villa Fiorito to international stardom, including his well-publicized struggles with addiction before his death last year at the age of 60.
What Shows Will It Remind You Of? There are hagiographic sports biopics that bear a tonal resemblance to this—movies like Rudy, Ali or Miracle—but it’s hard to think of any that could stretch the story out over a 10-episode miniseries. It’s an ambitious undertaking of storytelling.
Our Take: In the 1986 World Cup quarterfinal against England, Diego Maradona—already widely recognized as one of the world’s greatest footballers—ascended to the level of mythic legend with two goals. The first, aided into the goal by Maradona’s hand in a clear foul that went unnoticed by referees, would come to be known as “The Hand of God,” owing to a cheeky denial made by Maradona after the game. The second—just four minutes later—needed no help, either from officials or divine intervention. Maradona dashed sixty yards in ten seconds, evading five English defenders to score what would be deemed by many as “The Goal of the Century,” putting Argentina up 2-0 en route to a 2-1 victory that would be seen by some as symbolic revenge against the English, with emotions still raw in the wake of the recent Falklands War. He would lead Argentina to a World Cup title that year, and seal his legend as one of the greatest—if not the greatest—players in the long history of the sport.
It was a long climb to that stage from his humble beginnings, though. Maradona grew up poor in tiny Villa Fiorito, Argentina, so poor that he had to borrow bus fare to try out for his first organized team after his childhood friend Goyo Carrizo touted his immense raw skill to coaches. This is a large focus of the first episode of this compelling 10-episode miniseries, produced by BTF Media in Spanish (with English subtitles) and filmed on location in Argentina, Spain, Italy, Uruguay and Mexico.
Like many biopics, Maradona: Blessed Dream jumps around in the timeline, contrasting the earnest, fresh-faced child kicking makeshift balls on dirt roads with the drug-addled international superstar suffering an overdose in his palatial estate. It’s well-crafted filmmaking, with a large cast and strong production values; this isn’t some hacky made-for-television documentary re-enactment, but rather a series on par with many of Amazon’s fictional miniseries offerings.
Sex and Skin: None; only teenage flirtations.
Parting Shot: A teenage Maradona flirts, ineffectively, with a young woman on the street, noting that he plays First Division soccer. Failing to impress her, he asks her name, and she tells him it’s Claudia—revealing her to be his future wife, Claudia Villafañe, who then concedes that she already knew who he was, his nascent fame having preceded him. It’s a nice bit of foreshadowing, and sets up well for future episodes.
Sleeper Star: In portraying Maradona across the six decades of his life, the legend is portrayed by a small cast of actors of different ages, but the portrayal of a teenage Maradona by Nicolás Goldschmidt is especially charming.
Most Pilot-y Line: “You’re bringing your ID tomorrow, right?”, a coach inquires after first seeing the young phenom play. “So we can see what age he is?”, his fellow coach questions. “No, I want to make sure he’s from Earth,” the awestruck first coach deadpans.
Our Call: STREAM IT. A ten-episode biopic of a star athlete American audiences might not be as familiar with might sound like a tough sell, but it’s a compelling, engaging piece of filmmaking that brings light to the story even you didn’t grow up in a #10 kit.
Scott Hines is an architect, blogger and internet user who lives in Louisville, Kentucky with his wife, two young children, and a small, loud dog.