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Notes:
Calvin Cambridge, has been through it all so many times before: It’s another "prospective parents day" at the orphanage. But, today will be like all the others, and Calvin will end it with his best friends Murph and Reg on the backyard basketball court. He’ll shoot hoops while fantasizing about his dream of someday playing in the NBA and hope that next time his dream of finding a family will come true.
Comedy - It's a simple and predictable little comedy with some good laughs
and a few touching moments. While it has a decent amount of humor
it's not totally a comedy. It should certainly appeal to younger
viewers and be somewhat enjoyable to most adults.
PROFANITY: Damn 3 times, Sucks once SEX/NUDITY: None VIOLENCE: None DRUGS/ALCOHOL: None ACTION: One chase scene and some basketball scenes. COMEDY: A fair amount of humor. Quite a few laughs and chuckles.
The above rating is an average of the critic reviews below.
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Entertainment WeeklyFull
Review Below Average "There are snoring jokes, room-service jokes, and the
noisy thunk of a plot when Calvin gets his sneakers stolen. The kid, quite
understandably, wants to keep on flying, but ''Like Mike'' barely gets off the
ground.''
James Berardinelli, Internet CriticFull
Review Below Average "...a soulless jumble of ineptly assembled cliches and
pabulum that plays like a 95-minute commercial for NBA properties. Boys
under the age of nine (or thereabouts) will, for the most part, enjoy this
movie. But, as I have said in countless other reviews of bad children's flicks,
it's in the nature of kids not to be discriminating. Adults who accompany their
offspring to the local multiplex will be thrown into a state of abject despair.''
Roger EbertFull
Review Good "Rapper Lil' Bow Wow (who has since dropped the "Lil'
") is responsible for a lot of the movie's success. He is confident and
relaxed on the screen, engaging, and has good moves on the basketball court. ...the
movie overcomes its lack or originality in the setup by making good use of its
central idea, that a pair of sneakers could make a kid into an NBA star. This is
a message a lot of kids have been waiting to hear.''
USA TODAYFull
Review Average "Diminutive rapper Bow Wow is better than a lot of
non-actors who've wangled leads in major studio releases, but it's better not to
oversell the earnest energy he brings to Like Mike. Pleasant but not more
than recycled jock piffle, the movie is a basketball variation on 1993's
Rookie of the Year, a kids' baseball comedy that lifted the premise of
1954's Roogie's Bump.''
Note: The rating
above is our interpretation of what the critic would give this movie based on their review.
We are not affiliated with these critic's in any way.
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DETAILED OPINIONS
The positive and negative comments made by moviegoers are very
helpful when selecting a movie that's appropriate for you and your family.
OPINION OVERVIEW The following is the original "What's Worth
Watching" write-up for this movie.
Moviegoer Opinions:
As predicted, children loved "Like Mike." Most teens also enjoyed it very much. Adults rated it a little higher than I predicted, which is always good to see.
With these high opinions from all age groups, "Like Mike" is a movie I can easily recommend, especially as a great family film!
Cinema Review Prediction: (before moviegoer opinions are collected)
This is a fun little comedy with some decent laughs and a few touching moments. It's pretty much what you expect from the previews. It had a little less comedy than I expected, but it was still entertaining.
I believe most moviegoers will be pleased with "Like Mike." The younger moviegoers will almost certainly enjoy it more than adults and will probably rate it "Excellent" to "Fantastic." I predict adult opinions will be primarily in the "Good" to "Very Good" range.
If you go to movies and all you expect from them is to be entertained then you will almost certainly enjoy "Like Mike." If you go to movies expecting in-depth characterizations and an intriguing plot, this movie probably isn't for you.
Fourteen year old, hoops-loving Calvin Cambridge has a dream: to be a famous basketball player — to mix it up among the NBA's greatest. But in a game dominated by giants with unparalleled athletic abilities, Calvin's diminutive stature and limited skills, make this a far-off fantasy. Or is it? After he laces up a mysterious pair of old sneakers inscribed with the faded initials "MJ," Calvin makes the leap from playground hijinks to NBA superstardom ... hitting 25-foot jumpers, making behind-the-back passes and slamming home devastating dunks. Along the way, Calvin teaches his incredulous All-Star roommate and teammates a few non-hoops-related lessons.
