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This Is What They Want

Name: This Is What They Want
Director: David Levien, Brian Koppelman
Released: 2013
Duration: 52 min

Representation Score

3.3/10

Limited

2013

TV-G

Director

David Levien, Brian Koppelman

Runtime

52 minutes

Average Rating

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New Showbiz Analysis

This documentary primarily serves as a character study of Jimmy Connors and his impact on professional tennis. It emphasizes the narrative of individualistic rebellion and the disruption of sporting norms over a broad exploration of multi-layered identities. The film effectively challenges the rigid, polite standards of traditional sporting institutions. By focusing on a polarizing figure, it highlights the conflict between established norms and high-energy, provocative individualism. However, the work lacks demographic breadth. The focus on a specific era of professional tennis results in a narrative that reflects the historical homogeneity of the sport, offering little representation of gender, race, or LGBTQ+ identities.

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Category Breakdown

Does This Is What They Want have LGBTQ+ representation?

Fair

The documentary focuses on the athletic career and persona of Jimmy Connors. There is no explicit evidence regarding LGBTQ+ narratives or critiques of the assumption that everyone is straight or cisgender.

How does This Is What They Want portray gender?

Limited

The narrative centers on the male-dominated world of professional tennis in the early 1990s. It does not indicate the inclusion of female perspectives or the challenging of traditional gender hierarchies.

How racially and ethnically diverse is This Is What They Want?

Limited

The film is set within a historical period and sport that often had limited racial diversity. There is no evidence of a diverse cast or focus on the way different parts of someone's identity overlap.

How does This Is What They Want represent religion and culture?

Good

The film explores the tension between disciplined athletic traditions and disruptive, anti-establishment behavior. It highlights a figure who challenges traditional institutional norms through provocation.

Does This Is What They Want include disability representation?

Minimal

There is no mention of subjects navigating physical, neurodivergent, or mental health challenges within the provided context.

Present on Screen

Effectively challenges the rigid, polite standards of traditional sporting institutions.
Provides a compelling look at individualism and anti-establishment behavior through a provocative protagonist.

Limited or Absent

Lacks demographic breadth, offering little representation of diverse racial or ethnic identities.
Does not include female perspectives or challenge traditional masculine leadership roles within the sport.

Official Synopsis

A look at the improbable run of Jimmy Connors at the 1991 U.S. Open and how he became a polarizing and provocative personality who helped make tennis a high-octane spectator sport.

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