Parents' Guide to Portrait of an Artist: Stephen Curry

This brief Disney documentary, intended to be experienced on IMAX screens, doesn't exactly dig deep or explore Curry in three dimensions, but it's still an exciting, inspiring experience. Taking a different (and more superficial) approach than Stephen Curry: Underrated, the thesis of Portrait of an Artist: Stephen Curry is that what Curry does on the court can be considered an art form, not dissimilar to acting or directing, making music, or painting. The film argues that the time he spent and the work he put in to perfect his three-point —not to mention the passion he has for the game—are the same efforts that an artist puts into their work.

Several contemporary artists are interviewed, and there are images of figures like Bob Marley, Jimi Hendrix, Andy Warhol, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Nina Simone, Steven Spielberg, and many others, each helping to make the movie's point. Best of all is the argument that artists aren't special people "chosen from birth"; rather, anyone can be an artist as long as they have the passion and the desire to persevere. Curry's pursuit of his 4000th three-pointer is almost beside the point, but the close-up images from that game still generate suspense and thrills. (Oddly, the movie suggests that Curry had only this one game to reach the big milestone, but there were actually several games left in that season.) If not for a bit of strong language, Portrait of an Artist: Stephen Curry would be an entertaining movie for just about any age, but even with that, it has a strong message of encouragement for all.