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Like Mike (2002)
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Reviews Counted:96
Fresh:54
Rotten:42
Average Rating:5.5/10
Consensus: A pleasant and innocuous diversion for kids, but adults may have trouble sitting through the movie's predictable plotlines and schmaltz.
Theatrical Release:Jul 3, 2002 Wide
Box Office: $51,362,626
Synopsis: Fourteen-year-old Calvin Cambridge (Lil' Bow Wow) spends his days at the orphanage waiting to be adopted and shooting hoops with his best friend, Murph (Jonathan Lipnicki). When he starts to wear a... Fourteen-year-old Calvin Cambridge (Lil' Bow Wow) spends his days at the orphanage waiting to be adopted and shooting hoops with his best friend, Murph (Jonathan Lipnicki). When he starts to wear a pair of sneakers that used to belong to a famous basketball player and bear the initials M.J.--ostensibly those of basketball legend Michael Jordan--Calvin's wildest dreams begin to come true. The 4'8" teenager is suddenly an unstoppable force on the basketball court and soon finds himself an indispensable member of the LA Knights, a floundering NBA team. As long as Calvin has his magic sneakers, he believes he can do anything and be "like Mike." Ultimately, despite his newfound fame and fortune, Calvin still yearns for a family to call his own. Morris Chestnut stars as Tracey Reynolds, Calvin's mentor on the Knights team, and Crispin Glover is sufficiently creepy as Bittleman, the greedy head of the orphanage. Basketball fans will love the game footage and multiple cameos from real NBA stars like Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd. Rap star Lil' Bow Wow is impressive in his film debut, and also contributes songs to the soundtrack. [More]
Starring: Lil Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki, Brenda Song
Starring: Lil Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki, Brenda Song, Eugene Levy, Crispin Glover, Robert Forster, Anne Meara, Chris Webber, Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Steve Nash, David Robinson, Allen Iverson
Director: John Schultz
Director: John Schultz
Screenwriter: Michael Elliott, Jordan Moffet
Producer: Barry Josephson, Peter Heller
Composer: Richard Gibbs
Studio: 20th Century Fox
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Reviews for Like Mike
Director John Schultz's movie is as lame and predictable as you'd imagine, and it's chock full of orphanage cliches.
Bow Wow makes an impressive film debut; parents and children will love Calv's plucky can-do attitude; and the action sequences are given a little more oomph due to the presence of real life basketball pros.
There's no excuse to come within a hundred feet of a screen playing this monstrosity of a movie.
There's no joke about the wretchedness that is Like Mike--except the cruel one on anyone who gets suckered into watching this crap.
...Full of stereotypical characters, plot holes, and unconvincing dialogue delivered by a host of so-so actors...
Though it doesn’t exactly offer any great shakes in terms of plot or character development, the film’s entertaining enough to be watched by kids and adults alike.
This irritatingly feeble basketball movie for kids is co-produced by the NBA, for whom it is pretty candidly designed as a giant feature-length commercial.
Basically, this deeply unimaginative film is a feature-length advertisement for the NBA, sponsored by Nike.
Hey, any movie that has Crispin Glover running an orphanage is good for a laugh.
A cheery, crowd-pleasing sports fantasy built around a winning performance from a very young rap star.
If a movie has to be wholesome OR enjoyable, I'd rather it be enjoyable. But when one comes along that's both, I'm glad to recommend it.
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