Ronnie O'Sullivan: The Edge of Everything (2023) User Reviews

Captures brilliantly the pressure of top sport

[captainswanky · 9/10 · 25 November 2023]

I'm a pool and snooker player and I grew up watching Steve Davis and Stephen Hendry. They were incredible to watch and clinical in the way they played the game and mastered the mental control needed to win at high level.

Then along came Ronnie O'Sullivan and, my god! He made the game into his own art form. If you've played the game and watched it you recognise an X factor to this guy which sets him apart.

He's an inspiration to me, how he plays with feeling and instinct and with pure natural talent. The flow of his game. But most of all, as is brilliantly portrayed in this documentary, his ability to overcome his demons on the big stage again and again is remarkable. The film shows that the most mercurial talents are the most captivating to watch. It also really gives you the sense of the intensity of performing in an often claustrophobic arena, the camera constantly on your face looking for any reaction.

The documentary is well-paced, and covers most of the ground contained in the books about Ronnie. There is however an elephant in the room - that Ronnie doesn't even mention his children. Surely that has to be a massively important part of any father's story. I'm sure it's because he wants to shield them from exposure, but I still find it an omission which makes the story incomplete.

That's the only reason I didn't give it a 10!

The athlete in a working mans sport

[malikrob · 8/10 · 4 December 2023]

An emotionally and inspiring show on probably the most down to earth GOAT (greatest of all time) snooker player of all time!

I don't play, I'm not a dedicated fan, but from growing up with Ronnie on BBC and seeing the achievements and tournaments he won and loss, this is unreal.

An entertaining show, providing his historical family backgrounds, showing his life issues and him being the most upfront honest guy you can imagine.

Strongly recommend this for any snooker fan, any people with overall sporting interest and for anyone who has interest in world athletes but with a crazy spin on their life - he is the most down to earth every day GOAT athlete you will probably ever come accors..

The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner

[middleearthmusic · 10/10 · 8 December 2023]

We all know Ronnie is a special breed. I used to dislike him, I thought he was arrogant, immature and obnoxious. But then I started watching him play and developed a respect for him as a sportsman. Only after that did discover enough about this tortured soul that changed my mind about him.

He is still the little boy who is looking for approval from his larger than life father. And thought that being successful was the key to happiness. He found out it wasn't.

This documentary captures his struggle perfectly. A man driven to find the horizon that is always moving away. It shines a light into his nature and those who orbit him.

It's entertaining, masterfully photographed and edited, with a beautiful score. A huge payoff in the finale too.

Raw emotional pure talent!

[lukearons · 10/10 · 24 November 2023]

I may be biased as I am a huge Ronnie fan but also have a little insight having met him in Sheffield and experiencing first hand his personality and temper. This isn't a story about mental health nor gives an insight into the turmoil of sporting heroes etc, it's just a film completely devoted to what goes on in Ronnie's head on a daily basis.

We've all wondered while watching him play, and act up before, during and after playing, and also heard the stories. But this confirms and explains everything about him from the horse's mouth.

Great doc and a great insight into the life of my fav sports star.

Why the bed?

[michael-kerrigan-526-124974 · 6/10 · 25 November 2023]

I love Ronnie O Sullivan. Just like I loved other snooker mavericks Alex Higgins and Jimmy White. And this documentary was for the most part an intriguing portrayal of the angst that goes along with the genius. But why oh why does the film have to show Ronnie lying down in a psychiatric like bed to make his point? Not his idea surely? It was incredibly contrived and made me sigh every time I saw it. The viewers do not need gimmicks to try to understand the inner turmoil that the great man has undoubtedly had to face through his 30 year brilliant and at times difficult career. Sometimes you only need the snooker and the talking heads to tell the story. You don't need contrived gimmicks. An 8 out of ten is marked down to 6 for dumbing this otherwise excellent documentary down. A big mis-step in my view. Left me annoyed.

A great insight into the mind of one of the most naturally talented snooker players

[nqfvxjhmf · 10/10 · 27 November 2023]

This for me is one of the best biographical documentaries I have ever seen. It gives an in depth insight into the mental toughness it takes to stay on top of "your game" in the pinnacle of sports, it delves into a "young Ronnie" growing up and the special bond he had with his father , he could quite easily have hung up his cue due to a family crisis involving his father, but the emotional turmoil he endured during this crisis acted as a catalyst and lit a fire inside him. The movie jumps back and forward in time leading up to Ronnie and his attempt at a record equaling 7th world championship. Ronnie Wood and Damien Hirst , close friends of "Ronnie O' Sullivan " give some great insights into his mindset. This documentary is an absolute must for any Snooker fan and proves that even celebrity cannot mask you from a mental health issue.

A game of 2 half's

[stonleycraig · 6/10 · 24 November 2023]

I thought the first half of this documentary was just filler. Took 20 minutes for it to even get going. I was confused as to what this documentary set out to do. It ended up being a review of the 2022 world championship review with behind the scene footage.

Big Ronnie fan but I felt the documentary was executed poorly. Like I say it did get better but that first hour was just painful of unnecessary filler and no actual content of learning something new about him.

I expect this score that is currently above 8 to settle down to around 7. Finished the documentary feeling shortchanged.

Oh well.

An insight into a tortured genius

[riccardomantiodalton · 10/10 · 3 December 2023]

This documentary is a brilliant insight into the mind of a champion . I love Ronnie as a snooker player but he's had to battle personal torment and the press to succeed . Masterful documentary that feed like an asif kapadia masterpiece . Well done all involved . 7 heaven ! It'll be a rollercoaster ride of emotions with ups and downs and at times difficult viewing . What I love about this production is that it doesn't romanticise or sanitise professional sports and everything that comes with . Best insight into human nature I've seen in a sporting documentary for a helluva long time . Perhaps the greatest sportsman of all time outside of Donald bradman.

The GOAT

[bevanaaron · 6/10 · 6 February 2024]

Now I have no doubt that Ronnie is a bit of a marmite personality, and I think the reviews strongly suggest that. I do however enjoy watching Ronnie, especially for his snooker as it is amazing and genius to watch. I feel the documentary showed us some brilliant info that I didn't know about Ronnie, I'm no super fan but I wasn't around for his younger years so was never aware of the situation with his dad, however the fact he can struggle away from the table I can now see even more clearly. I really was gripped at the start and towards the end in his 2022 final. However, there was a period in the middle of the documentary where I was tempted to pick up my phone as I found it was flickering around a lot of snooker eras and games without showing much of Ronnie behind the scenes. For the most part it was an interesting watch.

Poorly executed

[sbinmore · 5/10 · 7 December 2023]

Ronnie is undoubtedly the greatest ever snooker player and is a funny character away from the table - one memory that stands out is Ronnie asking how much prize money for a 147 break and then going onto smash it - no one but the rocket could do this.

Some of his accomplishments in the game will never be repeated or beaten and I feel this documentary took the wrong path - it focused very heavily on Ronnie's demons rather than his unbelievable achievements in the game.

It is an important part of the story of the rockets genius to see his struggles but the doc went in the wrong direction and felt unfinished at the end.

Self pity by the pocketful

[tigerdoom · 1/10 · 28 November 2023]

Almost two hours of relentless self pity by the self proclaimed genius. The film shows a dark side of the player, not often seen by fans or spectators alike. That's a good thing because self- flagellation and contrition don't go well together.

Don't get me wrong, O'Sullivan is the best exponent of the game by far, and this documentary goes beyond what you see on the snooker table.

It's not great.

Take out the cameo appearances by his famous friends and the sparse snooker coverage and you're left with a melancholic view of a tour player feeling sorry for his lot in life.

O'Sullivan comes across as a petulant schoolboy that nobody understands. If this documentary is his idea of making peace with himself then all well and good. Just don't inflict your indulgent self-pity on the viewer. It's beyond nauseating.

In one segment of the film we have O'Sullivan mocking mental illness (perhaps in jest) like he's the first to succumb to depression. It isn't insightful or clever.

Finally its hard to reconcile the opportunities the sport has afforded him with the disdain he has for the game of snooker generally.

A candid dive into personal struggles overshadows sporting Brilliance!

[mrbilalazeem · 5/10 · 24 December 2023]

The documentary delves into the life and career of Ronnie O'Sullivan, yet it falls short in showcasing the full breadth of his remarkable achievements in snooker. While it offers a deep insight into his personal struggles and demons, it disproportionately focuses on his private life rather than highlighting his unparalleled feats on the snooker table.

Regrettably, the documentary fails to substantiate Ronnie's widely acclaimed title as the Greatest of All Time (GOAT) in snooker. It neglects to underscore his extraordinary records, setting aside his incredible sporting milestones that may stand unbeaten for generations to come.

Moreover, the portrayal of Ronnie's charisma and the intense respect and fear he commands from opponents seems insufficient. His magnetic personality and the aura he exudes in the snooker world are sidelined, leaving a void in capturing the essence of his dominance and impact on the sport.

At times, the documentary appears to dwell excessively on moments of self-pity, detracting from the celebration of his illustrious career. The overemphasis on personal struggles, while essential to understanding the man behind the player, unfortunately overshadows the celebration of his sporting genius.

In conclusion, while offering an intimate look at Ronnie O'Sullivan's personal life, the documentary misses the mark in truly encapsulating his unparalleled legacy as a snooker icon. It lacks the necessary balance between personal narrative and showcasing his sporting excellence, leaving viewers yearning for a more comprehensive tribute to his incredible talent and achievements on the snooker table.