Like Mike

This movie is hilarious, I think it deserves higher than a 5.3! It's heartwarming, story is solid, endearing, has great dialogue, music is awesome, and highly entertaining. I don't think I have any complaints, I appreciate it all. Shad Moss, Jesse Plemmons, Jonathan Lipnicki, and Chrispin Glover are great in my opinion! I love Like Mike even if others don't.

This is a formulaic kinds movie in all senses where you can see every script movie coming a mile away but still manages to be harmless fun. Little Bow Wow plays an orphan who is given a pair of basketball shoes that he believes belonged to Michael Jordan and in turn give him unbelievable skills that he ends up getting signed by the LA Knights NBA team. There are the Normal lesson s of morality and family values you would expect from this kind of movie which thankfully the child actors do not lay on to thick. Moris Chestnut does well in the father figure role and there is able support from Crispin Glover (I bet he regrets asking for so much money that he got written out of 'Back to the Future 2) and Robert Forster (thank god QT saved him), which all results in the inevitable bit not disappointing ending. Would I watch it again? Only with kids present.

An unusually strong supporting cast (including Crispin Glover, Robert Forster, Eugene Levy and Anne Meara) enlivens this simple family comedy built around the appealing young actor Lil' Bow Wow. He plays an orphan who, upon finding a magical pair of sneakers, becomes an NBA superstar and in the process befriends another player (Morris Chestnut) with his own family problems. Bow Wow will have an appeal to children of various ages because his own age seems indeterminate; he can act like a teenager (managing various relationships in the orphanage, rallying his teammates) or a pre-teen (gorging himself on so much food he gets sick, saying his prayers at bedtime); and his winning smile makes him non-threatening to adults. There's absolutely nothing that isn't predictable here and the film itself culls themes and sequences from other family films such as `Home Alone' and `E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial'. There's also nothing objectionable either: it's barely above the level of a Disney Channel movie so kids will gobble it up, which isn't a bad thing. The NBA had a hand in making the film in an obvious attempt to improve its bad boy image, and naturally most of the real players come off as kindly, caring and ready to perform good works. (Fortunately, there are exceptions: Allen Iverson doesn't play cute and Gary Payton treats Bow Wow as an equal on the court, making him pay.) Not bad for its genre--that supporting cast definitely helps, especially the always-welcome Glover and Levy--but hardly memorable.

Extremely funny, lighthearted kids romp with a positive message and enduring theme. Was pleased seeing a young rapper placed in a non-stereotypical role that valued family and teamwork themes. The basketball player "big brother" Morris Chestnut worked well as a trouble gifted basketball player who reluctantly takes Bow Wow under his wings and albeit predictable softens up in his parental role with the youngster. The scene where they paint geometry lessons on the side of his mansion was hilarious and keep up the importance of school! Kids do the darnest things and I can see a youngster after a pair of magical shoes clinging to a tree in a thunderstorm. Okay, as a parent thats dangerous and would not want to see my youngster dangling from this tree BUT I do remember my own exploits as a child doing much of the same type of daring challenges. Kids will be kids so this gives excellent opportunity for the parent to talk with their child about keeping it safe! The NBA should be elated to have been giving a more good-guy image then their typical bad boy look. Very satisfied with this film portraying a positive image for my children to watch. Go Ohio! :)

Like just about every other recent pop star before him, Lil' Bow Wow has landed the starring role in a major motion picture. Unlike the rest of them, he has managed to carry a good, clean family film. There's nothing too offensive here and kids of all ages (at least from the test screening) seemed to eat it up. While it's not terribly original (see "Rookie of the Year"), it's not trying to re-invent kids' movies, it's just trying to entertain in a fun, safe way, which it does.

Bow (Mr. Wow?) has enough boyish charm and enough charisma to show what could be a promising acting career in addition to his duties as a rapper. Morris Chestnut ("The Brothers") does well as an unwilling mentor who becomes a father figure to the orphaned boy. Crispin Glover is pretty creepy as the greedy "caretaker" of the boy, and Robert Forester and Eugune Levy both have humorous bit parts. Funny cameos by famous basketball players with obviously little acting skills give it an authentic feel.

While this probably won't do too well with critics, that's not who it was made for. The target audience is young kids and it will work for them. Parents won't have to worry about anything objective, except a questionable scene where Bow climbs an electrical wire in a rainstorm to recover his shoes. It's entertaining for kids and passable for adults taking their children. If this sounds good to you, you'll probably like it. If not, it wasn't made for you anyway.