TIFF Review: The Carter Effect documentary
By Chris Mckee
The Carter Effect documentary premiered this afternoon at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) and was a star-studded event that featured the likes of Drake, LeBron James, Masai Ujiri, Andre De Grasse and dozens more. Here is your TIFF Review of The Carter Effect.
The Carter Effect documentary premiered today at The Princess of Wales Theatre in Toronto for the 42nd annual TIFF.
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The film was directed by Hamilton native Sean Menard and was executive produced by Drake, LeBron James and Maverick Carter.
The documentary chronicles the rise of the Toronto Raptors and the pivotal role of Vince Carter in building the team’s notoriety and planting Toronto firmly on the world’s pop-culture map.
The Carter Effect captures an intoxicating mix of athletics, Toronto pride, music, and surging diversity that make Toronto the entirely unique city that it’s become.
Some of the biggest names in the NBA and the music industry were in attendance to watch the film.
Attendees included Drake, LeBron James, Masai Ujiri, Dwane Casey, Akon, Kardinal Offishall, Chris Bosh, Andre De Grasse and many of the current players from the Toronto Raptors.
It seemed the only person of note in the NBA that wasn’t in attendance was Vince Carter himself. He did not attend the screening.
The Carter Effect premier @uninterrupted with @drake @KingJames & director @seanmenard @TIFF_NET #TIFF17 #NBA #Drake pic.twitter.com/SOGYHupTIk
— Chris McKee (@mrmckee) September 10, 2017
The film takes you through the entire history of the Carter saga from his high school days as a McDonald’s All-American to his emotional return to the Air Canada Centre as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies.
I was aware of the vast majority of the storyline of the film having followed the Raptors since their inception in 1995 but there were still several humorous and emotional stories that have never been made public until now.
Carter’s mother Michelle Carter-Scott speaks about how emotional it was for her son to leave Toronto and how deeply it hurt him hearing boo’s from the fans at the ACC any time her son returned to play against the Raptors.
Drake, Kardinal Offishall and Grammy winning producer Boi 1da offer some humorous anecdotes throughout the film and explain how Carter’s success helped them believe that they too could achieve notoriety on a global scale; even if they were from Toronto.
The only person that seemed out of place in the film was Joshua Roter who owns a vintage clothing store in Toronto. The film features NBA players, coaches, broadcasters and executives mixed in with some of the biggest names in the music industry but the director Menard kept forcing in clips of Roter for no apparent reason.
The loudest applause from the star-studded audience were saved for Raptors Super Fan Nav Bhatia.
In the film, Bhatia says that he has never missed a home game in the Raptors 22 year history and that he has never once left a game early; win or lose.
Next: Isiah Thomas wanted Kevin Garnett to be the first Raptors player ever.
The film is a must-see for any Raptors fan.
It would also be of interest for any fan of the game of basketball or even anybody who lives in Southern Ontario because some of the footage shows how the growth of the city of Toronto mirrored the success of the Raptors franchise in the late 90’s into the early 2000s.
Two thumbs up from Chris McKee of Raptors Rapture for The Carter Effect.