REVIEW: ‘Mourinho’ Exposes An Enormous Ego

Mourinho is a Netflix sports documentary that focuses on one of the most famous football managers of all time, directed by Joe Pearlman. José Mourinho is an extremely prestigious figure in football, having managed major football teams, including Chelsea, Inter Milan, Manchester United, Real Madrid, and many more. The documentary explores the rise and highs of the manager’s career, and the various controversies that follow.

The documentary is a three-episode limited series, and it’s important to note that it isn’t entirely chronological in its structure. It starts with Chelsea, where Mourinho first really burst onto the scene and into the public eye. It doesn’t open with his Porto career, where his Champions League win was even more surprising and stratospheric. That comes later in that first episode, so it isn’t like the documentary hides it, but the switch in storytelling is interesting. Each chapter explores the most famous sections of Mourinho’s earlier footballing managerial stints: Chelsea, Inter Milan, Real Madrid and then Chelsea again.

The rest, following the Chelsea return, is bunched up in the latter stages of the final episode, which is disappointing. To be perfectly honest, the timeline that is focused on is the Portuguese manager at the peak of his powers, and the decline begins around that second Chelsea spell. So if you were trying to present the manager as one of the best in the world, these are the instances you would choose.

Within Mourinho, the subject’s famous ego and personality are palpable behind every scene.

This documentary was held in conjunction with Mourinho, so he would be eager to explain the events of his most successful period. But Manchester United fans would perhaps be disappointed not to get more detail about his tenure as their manager.

However, in place of that disappointment comes an exclusive revelation from the mouths of both Mourinho and Sir Alex Ferguson, the long-standing manager and custodian of the Northwest England team. It’s a surprising detail that would have potentially changed footballing history forever.

Within the documentary, the subject’s famous ego and personality are palpable behind every scene. The producers really try hard to cut within the man’s skin, but Mourinho often bounces them off. He is in control for much of this interview. The spectrum of his personality is clear to see through the plotline of the documentary. Mourinho can be welcoming, friendly, kind and amicable. He’s quite happy to joke with the production crew at the start of the series, showing off his medals and memorabilia in his house.

Mourinho has an enormous list of guest interviews, including massive figures within the world of football.

When they are happy to talk about his rise and successes, he is very eager and responsive. But attempts to talk about family and personal issues are instantly refuted, and he turns ruder and defensive. He is snapping by the end of the conversation. It becomes evident how volatile he is even without the interviews with other individuals.

The ending of the documentary is affected by both Mourinho’s temperament and the pacing. It really seems at the end that Mourinho is done with the interviewer and annoyed by the questions. And suddenly lurching through over a decade of his career within a small space of time makes the conclusion seem rushed and abrupt.

The documentary has an enormous list of guest interviews, almost all of which are massive figures within the world of football. These are managers Mourinho played against, the great players that played for him, the owners that employed him, and more. And they all give detailed and expansive comments on what the man was like. They recognize his anger and ego, but also his sensitivity and gentile nature when it comes to family and defending his own players.

There are players who had vehement disagreements with Mourinho that appear, and the conversations around his time at Real Madrid are fascinating. There are many more egos in that dressing room, people who would like to clear the air and back their buddies. In contrast, many of the Chelsea players are like Mourinho’s children. They would die for him, even if they were in the firing line of his fury. It would have been nice to get more exposure of his sins and misdeeds.

The editing and production in Mourinho are excellent.

Some of the more high-profile cases are unavoidable, where he abused staff and caused referees to resign. But there are actually many more instances where Mourinho’s temper got the better of him, and this documentary doesn’t do enough to hold him accountable. It’s important to stress that there isn’t much talk about Mourinho’s family life. It’s evident he doesn’t like doing that, and he puts up strong shields against prying. But when he does speak, often more is revealed than he intends, and it’s fascinating to get these moments.

The editing and production are excellent. The interviews are standard in how they are shot and placed together. But the use of historical interviews and match footage is superb. The matches have tension and intensity, highlighting the physical, hard-working football Mourinho instilled in his players.

The press conferences and almost constant focus on Mourinho on the touchline highlight how intoxicating and energetic he was. Each press conference was box-office, with so much unpredictability. He could be funny, or he could deliver a scathing attack on the journalists asking the questions.

Mourinho exposes an almost uncontrollable ego. The documentary reveals a lot about why Mourinho is revered by many and reviled by others. His success and ability are undeniable, but his actions and conduct could also rub people up the wrong way. And he understands that. He is well aware of his faults, even if he doesn’t apologize for them.

There is honesty within this series and some amazing revelations. The director is hampered by Mourinho often appearing to control the flow and the direction the interview takes, but can use others to argue against him when needed. For football fans, personalities don’t get bigger or more recognizable. And because of that, Mourinho is worth watching just to witness the arrogance.

Mourinho is streaming now, exclusively on Netflix.