'RONALDO' REVIEW: A CLEAR LOOK AT THE SELF-OBSESSED STAR

Everything about Cristiano Ronaldo screams luxury. Be it his well-groomed appearance, his reported weekly salary of around $450,000, or his string of apartments, cars and own-brand clothing. So it is of no surprise he recruited the production company behind award-winning documentaries 'Senna' and 'Amy' for a feature-length presentation on his life.

The outcome is so polished, so gleaming and so preened, it suits the three-time Ballon d'Or winner perfectly. This is no eye-opening, home-video led insight of which James Gay-Rees and Asif Kapadia have come to be known. It is a veneer as unsubtle as those which line the subject's teeth.


Ronaldo's obsession with the Ballon d'Or, and rivalry with Lionel Messi, is the running theme throughout the documentary which was filmed over 14 months and is bookended with his two most recent triumphs over the Argentine.

Jorges Mendes, super-agent to the stars, is shown watching a match between Real Madrid and Barcelona when a friend comments that "the other guy could destroy everything," which is, of course, referencing Messi. "Everything," though, is not winning La Liga nor the Champions League, but the Ballon d'Or.

Ronaldo wants to be portrayed as a normal guy with a simple dream. But the regular soccer fan - this documentary, unlike the aforementioned 'Senna' appeals to no one else - can't relate to someone so self-obsessed and driven by individual prizes over team goals. While he and his teammates struggle at the World Cup, Ronaldo vents frustration there are not "two or three more Cristiano Ronaldos" in the Portugal squad.

The most interesting material comes from his son, mother, brother and old footage of his deceased father, many of whom see less camera time than Mendes and Ronaldo's desire for the FIFA prize.







After Ronaldo outlines the pain of watching Messi win the Ballon d'Or four years in a row, the first 'real Ronaldo' we see is of the Portuguese waking up in his vast house as the electronic blinds fold up to reveal a glorious garden... all recorded through a large fish tank. Ronaldo gets ready for the day, changing his used 'CR7' underwear for a fresh pair.

This is finally the man millions see every week on the field, being himself at home. He wakes up his son - "I always wanted to have a son, so he can be my successor" - and the pair enjoy breakfast together before Cristiano Junior is driven to school. But that's where the normality ends, less than seven minutes into this 102-minute film. We are introduced to a garage filled with high-end Porsches, Ferraris and, as the documentary makes very clear with a lingering close-up shot of the badge, a Rolls Royce.

Upon his return to the school to collect his son, Ronaldo is approached by a fellow parent who wishes him good luck for the upcoming Champions League final. Ronaldo thanks him but, while walking away, cannot resist remarking to his son that the man was "bigger" than him but "Daddy is stronger." Ronaldo finishes the school run by testing his "successor" as to which of the eight luxury cars is missing from the garage.

It's an innocent game, but the corpulent luxury of the setting adds to the jarring nature of the exchange and film as a whole. At best, it's Alan Partridge-esque. At worst, it's a minute-by-minute commentary on Ronaldo's wealth, ego and supposed superiority over others and thus 'Ronaldo' quickly becomes tiring.

When we are introduced to Mendes the "super-agent" is patroling his own glorious home at night while conducting phone calls in varying languages, with the only light coming from the underwater lamps that illuminate his private swimming pool. He is "the best, the Cristiano Ronaldo of agents," according to Cristiano Ronaldo.

Glimpses of a relatable Ronaldo do sneak in. The first person our subject sees after winning the Champions League with Real Madrid is his brother, Hugo Aveiro, whom he pulls from the crowd for a hug. The same brother later reveals his past struggles with addiction - much like his and Ronaldo's father who passed away because of complications from alcoholism. Ronaldo describes Hugo as his "right arm" but his brother is only given a fleeting cameo, while there is more focus on Mendes and Ronaldo effusing to each other about their talents and riches.







His mother, Dolores Aveiro, is a joy to watch, with her son's success and what he has become so important to her. "I felt like I was abandoning him... but for a good reason," she says of Ronaldo joining Sporting as a 12-year-old. She beams pride throughout and is even shown buying sedatives ahead of Portugal's second World Cup game so she can calm herself down. She could not be happier now but, in one of the few revelations the film offers, details how she attempted to force a miscarriage when pregnant with Ronaldo.

Indeed, the most memorable moments are those that seem devoid of choreography in this hagiography. A Portugal teammate quips "don't they ever want to talk to me as well?" as Ronaldo's every move is tracked by interviewers, before a female fan meets the player and exclaims, 'He knows I exist! I asked him to follow me on Twitter.'

When asked by the priest at his godson's christening if he would indulge him with a selfie, the Portuguese duly accepts without looking fazed. We are later treated to Ronaldo singing Rihanna's 'Stay' in front of a grinning Raul Mirallas and Pepe and then comparing his abdominal muscles to a friend as they play cards on a private jet. This is the life Ronaldo lives, and he thrives.

Or, rather, this is the life Ronaldo wants us to see. The film, from Bafta-winning director Anthony Wolke whose past credits reveal an interest in far grittier, hard-hitting topics, is whitewashed of possible scandal and true intrigue.

"People don't know that I suffered to achieve. I have what I have now because I sacrificed a lot," Ronaldo says, in one of many cliched lines. He is right, though. "Nothing is impossible" is the mantra. If nothing else, this documentary portrays an athlete, undeniably at the top of his game, who flatly refuses to accept anything less than perfection. Just make sure no one says anything negative.