I wonder, honestly, if I might have liked Robert S. Bader’s Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes more if I knew less about Muhammad Ali. I certainly didn’t know that much about Dick Cavett walking into it, just enough to be conversational, so I guess that’s a plus in the film’s favor; all the same, too much running time is dedicated to covering areas of Ali’s life that quite frankly have been covered to death, as if somehow Bader couldn’t trust that his work might attract audiences with zero knowledge of his subjects.
Basically, I’d have really like Ali & Cavett: The Tale of the Tapes more if Bader had gone all-in on dissecting the relationship between these two men, because when he does, the movie comes close to singing. But you’re going to have to read my review for The Playlist for further insight, as part of my multi-pronged remote SXSW ’18 coverage.
A Constant Visual Feast 