Lance – A Compelling Rise and Fall Character Study (Early Review)

ESPN’s 30 for 30 documentary series consistently offers some of the best sports stories ever put to film. Fresh off the highly popular Michael Jordan 10-part docuseries The Last Dance, we are back at it again with Lance, a mere 2-part docuseries covering the rise and fall of famed disgraced cyclist Lance Armstrong. Suffice to say that regardless of viewers’ opinions of Armstrong, this docuseries will most likely not be changing any opinions. Despite this, the film, more or less told in his own words, is a compelling character study of Armstrong as he recounts his life and tumultuous career, leading to his eventual downfall. However, one can’t help but view the film under a pretty thick layer of skepticism created over the years due to common knowledge of him and his unfortunate reputation.

Over time, Armstrong had clearly been beaten down and at this stage, wanted to move on so this perhaps led to him being more forthcoming this time around. However, one can’t help but still question his motives in what could be perceived at his attempt to remain relevant (Armstrong would tell you otherwise). Meanwhile, Zenovich was well aware of the kind of personality she was dealing with and by no means was Lance putting him on a pedestal, essentially indulging him and creating the illusion of control. Ultimately, it is up to the viewers to decide. While his sincerity recounting his story is certainly up for debate, there was just something compelling about watching Armstrong candidly reflect on his life and the many mistakes and regrets he had on that journey for which there were many (and it was an uneasy watch at times to say the least). The big question is, did he truly learn his lesson and did he have remorse for what he did? That answer was a moving target and never truly became clear by the end.

Lance does not waste any time in setting the mood. Using a series of intimate interviews with of course Lance Armstrong and other prominent figures in both his personal and professional lives as well extensive archival and newsreel footage of Armstrong, the documentary paints a roller coaster rise and fall story in chronological order from a young man from Texas born from a young single mother and experiencing a rough childhood to a disgraced former cyclist who was caught cheating. While most people are more or less aware of how his story ended, many may not know how it started. What made it especially intriguing was how it impacted what we already knew was coming. In the end, Armstrong could easily have seen a much different fate but his ego and ultra-competitive nature would not allow it. Whether he wanted to or not, he was the public face of the sport of cycling which came with its own set of issues for better or worse that he would struggle with at times. This struggle was what arguably led him astray, marking the beginning of the end of Armstrong.

What is essentially a 3+ hour film will be told in two 2 hour parts on ESPN (with commercials), flies by either way you watch it. Just like The Last Dance, Lance features a fair share of foul language (and just like The Last Dance, ESPN is airing uncensored and censored versions on ESPN and ESPN2 respectively). The film may share Armstrong’s name though he was just a byproduct of a much larger issue, as the impact of his tragic rise and fall story went far beyond the sport of cycling. At the end of the day, while he may not have started the idea of cheating but if it wasn’t for him, there would never be a referendum on cycling and cheating in sports as a whole would remain unchecked. Although he also may not have been the only culprit in all of this, he was the face of the issue with his ego leading to his ultimate downfall. There’s still hope for Armstrong, however, burning bridges with his former teammates and friends and seeing his legacy tarnished by a series of self-inflicted wounds definitely dug himself a massive hole.

Overall, Lance won’t be for everyone as it is not an easy watch but is certainly well worth the watch for any sports fan.

*still courtesy of ESPN*

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Keith Noakes

The EIC of the coincidentally-named keithlovesmovies.com. A Canadian who prefers to get out of the cold and into the warmth of a movie theatre.