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- TV-14
- HBO
- TV-14
- HBO
Summary The hour-long documentary narrated by Michael Phelps and directed by Brett Rapkin features interviews about the mental toll of competing from such Olympians as Sasha Cohen, Gracie Gold, Lolo Jones, Bode Miller, Apolo Anton Ohno and Shaun White.
- TV-14
- HBO
- TV-14
- HBO
The Weight of Gold
Season 1 Premiere: Jul 29, 2020
67
User Score
Available after 4 ratings
tbd
Summary The hour-long documentary narrated by Michael Phelps and directed by Brett Rapkin features interviews about the mental toll of competing from such Olympians as Sasha Cohen, Gracie Gold, Lolo Jones, Bode Miller, Apolo Anton Ohno and Shaun White.
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
67
67% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
33% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Metascore
Generally Favorable
Based on 6 Critic Reviews
67
67% Positive
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
33% Mixed
2 Reviews
2 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
The Weight of Gold was intended to coincide with the Olympics, which adds another somber note to this soul-searching documentary. The postponement of the Games, however, does nothing to blunt the sobering impact of the depression that elite athletes can experience once the fanfare ends, after devoting their lives to the often-fleeting pursuit of glory.
It demystifies our view of the competition, with all its ceremonial grandiosity, sweeping music and heart-tugging TV profiles. It takes our perception of these impenetrable sports heroes and turns it upside-down.
It’s an unblinking and yet compassionate look at the mental health issues faced by former Olympic athletes, featuring candid interviews with Apolo Ohno, Lolo Jones, Bode Miller, Sasha Cohen, Shaun White — and Michael Phelps, the most decorated Olympian ever, who narrates and is admirably forthright about his own battles.
What one would have appreciated from Mr. Rapkin was a little more exploration of what Olympic athletes expect, given how crushed they seem to be by unmet expectations. But he’s also telling a story that needed to be told, about a subject that the athletes seem not just happy but relieved to be able to share.
Neutered into an hour-long quick hit, “The Weight of Gold” can only approach its heaviest, most daring matters at its end, one that can’t even lodge enough time to imagine a space in which they are treated with the care they demand. Just as it starts punching back, the credits roll, another easily digestible bit of broadcast entertainment, just in time to fill the yawning Olympics gap.
With precious little time to spare its dozens of narrative avenues, this well-meaning documentary just can’t do justice to everything — and everyone — it wants to highlight.
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Production Company:
- Podium Pictures
Initial Release Date: Jul 29, 2020
Number of seasons: 0 Seasons
Rating: TV-14
Genres: