Nine for Nine: Branded (2013)
*** (out of 4)
The final of nine episodes in the ESPN series takes a look at female athletes and how their sex appeal will have a large factor in how much money they make in their careers. I must say that the running time didn't benefit this documentary because this thing really opens up a large can of worms and sadly there's so much that's left unanswered that one can't help but feel somewhat disappointed with the film. On one hand, the documentary is clearly upset that women can't make a "living" without being sexy or showing off their bodies. This somewhat goes against a few earlier episodes including one dealing with Venus Williams and women tennis athletes getting paid the same as men. Then, on another hand, Anna Kournikova is shown here as not having enough "talent" but being able to make millions off her body. Some of the people interviewed said she shouldn't be put down just because she's beautiful. Well, no one is putting her down because her sexuality is where she makes her money. Without the sexuality she wouldn't be making money and I'm sure this here would just open another can of worms. The 1999 Women's Soccer championship is also talked about due to the athlete removing her shirt. This "issue" wasn't brought up in the previous week's episode. Here, it's made to see like no one remembers the game but instead only the bra shot. Whereas the previous episode showed the importance of the game and not just the sexuality. One could really argue that it's not right that sex sells but this here is for many different things and not just a sports issue. It's really too bad the film couldn't run longer because the subject deserves a brighter spotlight than what this film gives it. The movie is certainly still worth viewing but there's not enough done here to make it complete.
*** (out of 4)
The final of nine episodes in the ESPN series takes a look at female athletes and how their sex appeal will have a large factor in how much money they make in their careers. I must say that the running time didn't benefit this documentary because this thing really opens up a large can of worms and sadly there's so much that's left unanswered that one can't help but feel somewhat disappointed with the film. On one hand, the documentary is clearly upset that women can't make a "living" without being sexy or showing off their bodies. This somewhat goes against a few earlier episodes including one dealing with Venus Williams and women tennis athletes getting paid the same as men. Then, on another hand, Anna Kournikova is shown here as not having enough "talent" but being able to make millions off her body. Some of the people interviewed said she shouldn't be put down just because she's beautiful. Well, no one is putting her down because her sexuality is where she makes her money. Without the sexuality she wouldn't be making money and I'm sure this here would just open another can of worms. The 1999 Women's Soccer championship is also talked about due to the athlete removing her shirt. This "issue" wasn't brought up in the previous week's episode. Here, it's made to see like no one remembers the game but instead only the bra shot. Whereas the previous episode showed the importance of the game and not just the sexuality. One could really argue that it's not right that sex sells but this here is for many different things and not just a sports issue. It's really too bad the film couldn't run longer because the subject deserves a brighter spotlight than what this film gives it. The movie is certainly still worth viewing but there's not enough done here to make it complete.
