Michael_Elliott
30 for 30: The '85 Bears (2016) **** (out of 4) Excellent and extremely well-detailed look at the 1985 Chicago Bears who went into the post-season with a 15-1 record and would eventually win the Super Bowl. Mike Ditka, Richard Dent, Mike Singletary, Buddy Ryan, William Perry and Jim McMahon are just a few of the players and coaches interviewed for this entry in ESPN's excellent 30 for 30 series.If you're a fan of the team, the NFL or just the series then you'll certainly be highly entertained by this episode as once again it not only gives you the meat of the story but there's also some very touching side stories that really give the film its heart. The main focus is of course on the Bears running through this season and into the history books. Not only that but many people consider them the greatest team in the history of the league. The documentary also focuses on the relationship that Ryan had with his players. Ryan would die shortly after this documentary was shown and you can tell in the film that he has been through a lot. The stories of him and his player's reaction to him were extremely touching.The documentary also takes a look at the various off the field issues that happened to the popular team including the endorsements and other benefits of success. The downside is also looked at including the tragedy that struck the team in later years.
Ed-Shullivan
As sports documentaries go, this is one of the very best that ESPN has produced to date. For long suffering Bears fans as I was and I still am a devoted Bears fan, the 1985 Bears were much more than just a bunch of beefed up jocks who got lucky enough to win their team's (Chicago Bears) 'Da Bears, first and only Super Bowl. No, this documentary explores that once in a lifetime defensive force "The Monsters of the Midway" that all teams hated to go up against with players like Gary Fencik, Mike Singletary, Dan Hampton, Steve (Mongo) McMichael, William (the Refrigerator) Perry, Otis Wilson, Richard Dent, and coached by their second father, the great Defensive Coordinator Buddy Ryan. Vince Vaughn does an excellent job narrating the story of how the 1985 Chicago Bears team was built. Of course the documentary is just bubbling over with commentary from most of the offensive and defensive starters as well as from coaches Mike Ditka and Buddy Ryan. Unfortunately some of the starters are no longer alive to share their memories and feelings of being part of this great 1985 Bears Super Bowl team. Two heartfelt player deaths are still felt today. Walter Payton the NFL's all-time leading rusher upon his retirement who died from a progressive liver disease, and Dave Duerson who suffered greatly from multiple concussions which led to his suicide by shotgun are also discussed. Their contributions to the 1985 Bears are not forgotten.We hear a lot of macho talk from Coach Mike Ditka. I for one from watching the Bears in the years Ditka coached prior and after the 1985 season without a doubt, this documentary nails it by stating how important the Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan was to the Super Bowl champs, while undermining that Coach Ditka was witnessing a once in a lifetime defensive team. The '85 Bears documentary illustrates so eloquently the special relationship that the defensive starters had with their coach Buddy Ryan. To win a Super Bowl you have to score points and so the '85 Bears had the late, great Walter Payton, and wide receivers with speed in Willie Gault and Dennis McKinnon, as well as wild "Mad Mac" Jim McMahon as their QB, and William "The Fridge" Perry who as the Right Defensive Tackle made a 1 yard run in the third quarter for a touchdown. Watching the replay of the Fridge running it in for a touchdown just illustrated how unstoppable 'Da Bears were in winning Super Bowl 20 by a NFL record 46-10 over the New England Patriots.This story is not so much about the winning strategy of the Super Bowl champs, as it is about the controversies the Bears players had to overcome with their coach Ditka who instructed his team to stop making money on commercial endorsements out of football and focus on their player roles. In turn, Mike Ditka took over the majority of the Chicago Bears endorsements himself, through TV commercial ads hocking everything from beer to cars and making tons of money on commercial endorsements. As much as Buddy Ryan was revered by the players as their defensive coordinator, Ditka's autocratic approach on and off the field did not sit well with the players. The documentary points out that although the players had an opportunity to benefit from personal endorsements of major brands for their continued success as the 1985 season progressed, it was Ditka who put a stop to it "for the betterment of the team", only to discover that Ditka had secured for himself a number of lucrative commercial endorsements.Vince Vaughn outlines the clear delineation between Buddy Ryan's defensive core, and Mike Ditka's offensive core and the dislike that these two coaches had for each other and still winning in spite of it. In simple terms, this documentary illustrates that Mike Ditka's overblown ego has not yet changed. In contrast the film shows just how much the players truly loved Buddy as illustrated by the recent visits of Dan Hampton and Mike Singletary to Buddy's residence and where his love for the farm and horses is evident. Although Buddy is wheel- chair bound and in need of a caregiver, the films ending is so heartwarming as it shows how much love Buddy still has for his players. As each starting defensive player reads aloud a few sentences of the heart wrenching letter Buddy recently wrote to all his '85 Bears team, one must surmise that the '85 Bears will be most remembered by the "Monsters of the Midway" and their love for their defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan.And so head coach Mike Ditka, you may receive the accolades on paper, but to the '85 Bears the players hearts are with their defensive coordinator, who as of today the 82 year old Buddy Ryan, who 36 years ago was carried off the field as a Super Bowl champion, which has never happened before or since, he is my real hero.As a footnote, Buddy Ryan's fraternal twin sons Rex Ryan (2016 Buffalo Bills head coach) and Rob Ryan (2016 Buffalo Bills assistant head coach/defense) have both enjoyed long and steady coaching careers in the NFL. Such is the history of the '85 Bears and it won't be long before we see another Ryan family member hoisting the Super Bowl trophy as their father once did. The '85 Bears story is a remarkable one, and the players themselves give us a ton of insight in to their thoughts about the team. To the man, they all say they would not change a thing. I give this sport documentary film a perfect 10 for 10, unlike the 1985 Super Bowl Chicago Bears who in 1985 won by a whopping insurmountable lead giving them a record 46-10 win! You cannot get any more perfect than the 1985 Bears did with their 36 point winning spread.
