The director/actor constant collaborators are an underrated part of the film world. In the beginning, you had Jimmy Stuart and Alfred Hitchcock, two icons in their own right who helped develop America’s love of film. Further down the list there is Martin Scorsese and Robert De Niro, two articulate innovators of their craft that go together like a strong cheese paired with an even stronger scotch. Even Tim Burton and Johnny Depp are at their most whimsically wicked and weird when they’re working with each other.
But what America really needed was innovators of the craft, two young artists who are as diverse and passionate as the country itself. In that, we found director Ryan Coogler and actor Michael B. Jordan, whose trilogy of collaborations (“Fruitvale Station“ in 2013, Rocky spin-off “Creed“ in 2015 and Marvel blockbuster “Black Panther” in 2018) have given us some of the most poignant and topical films in years. They work so well together it’s easy to liken them to another duo of strong, black men who were also virtuosos of their craft.
When I watch a Coogler/Jordan film, I feel the same way I do when I watch old 1994 Orlando Magic basketball games with Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal. Coogler is a perfect Penny, because he always knows just how to maneuver the ball down the court and set Michael up for an O’Neal-esque slam dunk. Coogler knows exactly how to get the absolute best out of Jordan, just like Penny did for Shaq. That combined with Jordan’s powerhouse acting allows for glass-shattering films.
Each film from Coogler and Jordan is like a game from Magic era Shaq and Penny. “Fruitvale Station“ is like their first game in the ’94 playoffs against the Boston Celtics, in which they came in as underdogs but pulled out a 124-77 win. In a similar fashion, Coogler and Jordan pulled up on the feature film scene as relative unknowns. Now, they are consistently delivering heart-warming, honest films that take audiences and critics by surprise, all while receiving some of the highest honors a festival can bestow.
“Creed” was a surprise all its own. What first seemed like a cash grab by a dying franchise was transformed into one of the best sports films in recent memory. While Coogler always does a great job of giving his actors the room to take lead, Michael B. Jordan’s Herculean effort and true block-busting performance harkens back to the days of the all-dominate, post-LSU Shaquille. Specifically, Jordan’s Adonis Creed likens to Shaq in the April 1994 game against Minnesota, in which O’Neal put up 53 points, 18 rebounds, 4 assists, two steals and two blocks, all within his 36 minutes of playing time. There was no doubt Shaq was the star of that game, and similarly, while Jordan was surrounded by an all-star cast of stars of the past and up-and-comers, he takes the center role and portrays the future mega-star. Adonis and Shaq are practically mirror images of each other.
“Black Panther” came around at the height of these two superstars’ careers. In a time when the world’s biggest stars can be found directing and acting in superhero movies, Coogler and Jordan were able to be driving forces behind a major blockbuster featuring a predominantly African American cast. “Black Panther“ was the duos’ biggest project to date and established them as legends in the film industry. Similarly, the ’94 NBA Eastern Conference Semi-Finals saw Penny and Shaq face the defending champs, Michael Jordan and his Chicago Bulls. They rose to the occasion and were able to defeat the Bulls in Chicago’s United Center, cementing the duo’s legacy as basketball legends. Both teams conquered expectations that some said couldn’t be done, which only furthered their notoriety.
Growing up, my dad instilled a love of pop culture in me that grew from his (arguably unhealthy) obsession with Penny Hardaway to his encyclopedic knowledge of all things Marvel comics, only matched by his dedication to the film industry (he averages seeing two films in theaters a week.) Knowing that, one could argue that this passion I have for Coogler and Jordan’s films, as well as Shaq and Penny’s team, is a personal passion, rather than a world-wide phenomenon.
Sure, Coogler and Penny’s technical mastery and eye for their craft is why they are both so impressive to watch. And of course, Shaq and Jordan are both pop culture megastars that have the star power and charisma to give showstopping performances wherever they are. (Even if one has fared much better at the box-office than the other.)
Yet, the most important similarity between the two teams is how inspiring they are. In the ‘90s, there wasn’t a street corner in the United States that didn’t have kids bickering about who could be Shaq and who could be Penny in a time when basketball was reaching its apex.
In the same way, you could scour every film school in the country and probably couldn’t find a single young filmmaker that wasn’t profoundly affected by the creative talents of Coogler and Jordan, especially in a time when Hollywood was lacking such innovative creators.
The sign of a great tag team is the effect they have on the culture as a whole. Penny Hardaway and Shaquille O’Neal showed that all you need to make a name for yourself is to be young and talented. Ryan Coogler and Michael B. Jordan took those attributes and ran with them.
There really is nothing like a little movie magic.