Filmmakers Earn Props for New Netflix Olympic Sports Feature Doc 'Untold Raygun - Breaking Badly'

Olympic breakdancing never made my radar for Paris 2024. 

Instead, the women's beach volleyball final and women's soccer final, plus a water polo match, were the ticketed events du jour on 9-10 Aug., respectively. 

But almost everyone worldwide had some mix of breaking opinions thanks to Team Australia's entry, Rachael Gunn -- aka Raygun -- following her 0-54 final scores, with gold earned by Team Japan's Ami Yuasa, silver for Dominika Nicka Banevič of Lithuania and China's Liu 671 Qingyi with bronze.

For Raygun, sadly, most opinions skewed from bewilderment (was that for real?) to negative and into some of the Internet's darkest corners of false info spread by what one Aussie official aptly called out as work of "trolls and keyboard warriors" while defending Gunn.

Fortunately, Raygun's rep may earn an overdue or continuing turnaround with the release of the Netflix feature documentary "Untold Raygun - Breaking Badly" which is at once informative and entertaining while encouraging viewers to laugh with, not at, its subjects who earnestly present their truths on screen. 

Here's the trailer: 

As the film opens with Gunn describing her "wild dream" and proclaiming "I can't just be a meme," also foreshadowing the Paris fallout. 

Paraphrasing a pre-Olympics therapy session in which she proclaimed her anxious, growing concerns about the globally telecast competition exceeded common basics of imposter syndrome. 

Therapist: "What's the worst that could happen?

Raygun: "The whole world could laugh at me!"

Therapist, reassuring: "Do you think that's reasonable?" 

What makes "Untold Raygun" compelling out of the gate is the Olympian's frank descriptions and answers. In some camera-facing reveals, she is humble yet forthcoming. At other times there are tears or arms hoisted with confidence, or in defiance of forces described. By the film's closing shots, viewers have a 360 view of what makes Gunn tick.

At the center of her world is another key storyteller, husband Sammy. They met during her university days and his call center gig for Proactiv, and it's clear their bond was strong, forged in part by his B-Boy persona, Sammy Sex. 

"He was so good at supporting me and just reminding me I could do it," said Gunn. 

Except for their wedding home movies in which Sammy donned a crew cut and tux, here's the nicest guy -- worthy of the gold for supportive husband and inspirational coach -- channeling John C. Reilley's Reed Rothchild of "Boogie Nights" or John Oates of Daryl Hall fame, with the best Aussie accent and enunciation evah!

Viewers also meet several B-Girls who competed with Raygun on the lead to her Olympic trials win. Both of these breakers help frame the sport, how its judged, and the culture and competitive friendships fostered in the culture around the sport, keeping things conversational versus deep dive technical. 

This viewer appreciated the broad strokes, taking a shine to the phrase "no easy props" meaning each dancer must prove themselves through hard work, practice and creativity (not a sport for anyone seeking free praise or pat-on-the-back attention). 

With the intro to Gunn's adorable parents, reminiscent of the quirky couples interviewed for "When Harry Met Sally," their daughter's youthful love of clarinet, ballet, tap and jazz appear with home movies. Their roller coaster to get to Paris then navigate their daughter's post-Games realities add an unexpected layer of drama and intensity. 

"She was just another suburban girl" who took home a high school senior trophy for most improved jazz dancing. A picture emerges of Gunn's academic approach to breaking, eventually earning a doctorate in the sport. 

Gunn's emotional arrival at the Paris Olympic Village reveals the jacked-up anxiety at play before the Breaking competition commenced. Scenes are punctuated by tracks from Moby ("Extreme Ways", Sia ("Unstoppable") and John Williams five-ringed anthems. National Seven News and Nine Network TV countdown coverage of Gunn mirror NBC's hype for Phelps, Biles or Ledecky, making it no wonder most of the nation Down Under was watching live at midnight Syndey time when Raygun entered the arena. 

Australianism emerges as another surprise treat. 

But the biggest surprise -- which delighted me as much as Rachel Dratch's appearance as Rachael on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" made me laugh -- arrives with Richard Branson describing the night he tuned into the Olympics from his living room in the Virgin Islands, complete with real kangaroos in his backyard. His outreach to connect with Dunn, suggesting ideas for designing Gunn's turnaround that ultimately led to the film. 

"Untold Raygun -- Breaking Badly" is a fun watch that may leave your head spinning for the intense online scrutiny Gunn endured. 

Images via Netflix except for "Boogie Nights" and "Daryl Hall and John Oates" publicity photos.