Throughout the film, NBA players Reggie Jackson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Donovan Mitchell appear through different talking heads, where they are being interviewed individually about their experiences as rookies joining the big league. Ray Burke is an agent working in a New York sports agency, which is in the middle of a lockout. After his credit card is declined while at an upscale restaurant, his boss David Starr tells him that the company is losing clients, the bank accounts and credit cards of the employees are frozen, and that he could be fired along with other employees. This forces Burke to look for a plan that could save the company from the lockout, as well as give his client Erick Scott a new opportunity, with the help of his former assistant Sam. The following day he visits newly drafted Jamero Umber's mother Emera with an offer, but she refuses and confirms she is already the only agent and lawyer that her son needs. Burke's former wife, Myra, tells him that the company is in a lockout and they need to renegotiate new terms, but they will need to wait a month to settle with the TV networks for the money. Ray asks her to cancel the deal, convinced that the players won’t be paid well during the lockout, which could last six months. Meanwhile, future teammates Erick Scott and Jamero Umber have an argument on Twitter, much publicised by the media. Back Court Day is an annual event at a community center which holds a basketball camp for local kids and features appearances by star athletes. While Erick is signing autographs and answering questions from the kids, Jamero shows up with his mother in tow. Erick and Jamero confront each other about their Twitter argument. They end up playing a basketball game, which is recorded by the kids. The video is posted on social media and goes viral, garnering 24 million views. Ray gets a new idea, to stream games on streaming services and social media like Snapchat, YouTube, including Netflix, which would enable players to make money during the lockout. Erick is not convinced and feels he could put his place in the NBA at risk, but he accepts. The next day Erick fires Ray for lying to him about the fact that everything was for money, after Sam has told him that the contract was cancelled. However, Ray’s plan succeeded and the players who signed with the company remained signed, meaning that Erick was never in danger and he will be able to play in the league again once the lockout is over. Ray reveals to Starr that the entire plan to take players to pay-per-view/streaming platforms was all a ruse to force the end of the lockout. It is implied that he is promoted to the company’s new boss. Sam goes to work for the Players’ Association and Erick and Sam begin a relationship. Sam opens the package Ray gave Erick earlier, which he called a "Bible". It’s revealed to be Harry Edwards' book The Revolt of the Black Athlete, and Sam begins to read it. Meanwhile, Ray is shown meeting with Edwards. After Erick asks about the book, Sam tells him: "You need to read this".
Cast
Additionally, Skip Bayless, Shannon Sharpe, Joy Taylor, Evan Rosenblum, Van Lathan, and Kristina Pink, appear as themselves. Basketball players Reggie Jackson, Karl-Anthony Towns, and Donovan Mitchell make appearances as themselves in individual interview scenes.
Production
In October 2017, it was announced André Holland had been cast in the film, with Steven Soderbergh directing from a screenplay written by Tarell Alvin McCraney, with Extenstion 765 producing. In March 2018, Zazie Beetz and Kyle MacLachlan joined the cast of the film. In April 2018, Melvin Gregg joined the cast of the film.
Filming
began in February 2018, in New York City and the film wrapped on March 15, 2018. The film was shot using an iPhone 8smartphone, equipped with an anamorphic lens produced by Moondog Labs, while utilizing the FiLMic Pro video app.
Release
In September 2018, Netflix acquired distribution rights to the film. Speaking about how Netflix got involved with the film, director Steven Soderbergh explained: It had its world premiere at the Slamdance Film Festival on January 27, 2019. It was released on February 8, 2019.
Reception
On review aggregatorRotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 92% based on 129 reviews, with a weighted average of 7.35/10. The website's critics consensus reads: "High Flying Bird takes a thoughtful and engrossing look at professional sports that sees Steven Soderbergh continuing to test the limits of new filmmaking technology." On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 78 out of 100, based on 23 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".
