The Carter Effect

Sean Menard's 2017 documentary covers Vince Carter's years with the Toronto Raptors and what they did for Canadian basketball. When Carter joined in 1998, Toronto was a stop nobody on the NBA map took seriously; his style of play, and his dunking above all, created an interest in the city that had not existed. The film treats that effect not as a personal career story but as a change in how a country looked at the sport, connecting the later rise in the number of players coming out of Canada directly to those years. Drake, Tracy McGrady and Steve Nash are among those who speak. How Carter left the team and the resentment that lasted for years between him and Toronto is covered too, though not in depth. Who it's for: viewers who like NBA history and documentaries about the cultural effect of sport. Who it's not for: anyone wanting a critical portrait; the film is largely celebratory.