Review of Bud Greenspan's Athens 2004: Stories of Olympic Glory

Bud Greenspan directed many of the Olympics documentaries and people either like his approach to the subject or they don't. I enjoy his movies but people who enjoy a more idiosyncratic touch may want to stay away. Rather than try to cover the entire event, Greenspan (or at least in the movies of his that I have seen) just covers a handful of events, focusing on one or two of the athletes and giving their backstories. In this movie, he focuses on the following athletes and events: Sada Jacobson and Mariel Zagunis (women's fencing), Pyrros Dimas (weight lifting), Otylia Jedrzejczak (swimming), Hicham El Guerrouj (track) Lisa Fernandez (women's softball) and Australian sisters Kerrie and Anna Meares (time trial bike track racing.) Some other events are covered briefly as are the opening ceremonies.