Oncle Drew

I'll admit, even though I'm a huge basketball fan, I went into this movie with very low expectations. The trailers didn't entice me much and the movie itself didn't start off too strong for me. However, as the story progressed, it got funnier and I was having a pretty good time! I was pleased to see that the movie had some heart to it, with some good messages towards the end. Lil' Rel Howery and Tiffany Haddish were pretty much the only strong performances, but you're not really looking for good acting in a cast comprised mainly of NBA players. Overall, Uncle Drew is a pretty predictable movie that doesn't do anything particularly special, but one that made me laugh, smile, and ultimately won me over.

Uncle Drew is based on a series of Pepsi Max advertisements that began in 2012, which introduced its titular character. A feature-length film based on a few television-length ad spots should spell disaster and may appear to be nothing more than a cash grab. Yet, surprisingly, it works.

Uncle Drew (played by Kyrie Irving in prosthetics and old-man makeup) is a streetball legend and one of the greatest to ever grace the blacktop at Rucker Park, the mecca of the outdoor hoops world. At least, he was great in 1968. After skipping the championship game 50 years ago, he disappeared.

Enter Dax (the always hilarious Lil Rel Howery), a basketball lifer whose playing career ended abruptly in junior high after a moment of failure that left him scarred. Now, he coaches, and he's putting together a team to vie for the $100,000 prize awarded to the winner of the annual tournament at Rucker Park.

After his lifelong nemesis steals his team, Dax seeks the help of Uncle Drew to field a roster. In hilarious fashion, they gather up Uncle Drew's old squad, zipping across the east coast in the old guy's ancient van that's equipped with shag carpets and an 8-track tape player.

Former pros Shaquille O'Neal, Lisa Leslie, Nate Robinson, Chris Webber and Reggie Miller, each flaunting geriatric garb and cartoonish characteristics, hop in the van and head off to re-live their glory days. None of them are doing this for fame or fortune. They're doing this for love of the game and love of each other.

This movie is not meant to be nitpicked. If you find yourself doing so, you will undoubtedly detect numerous issues that will detract from your enjoyment. I advise that viewers suspend their disbelief. This movie doesn't take itself too seriously and neither should anyone watching it.

The story (though derivative) and the characters (though mostly played by non-actors) are charming. The athletes won't win any awards for their performances, but they're out here having fun, and their fun is contagious. Their effervescence paired with the film's upbeat rhythm make this an enjoyable watch for basketball fans everywhere.

Make no mistake-this is a movie for basketball fans. Many of the jokes are inside references to the real lives of the former players and to other basketball movies (the homage to Hoosiers is a real treat). For good measure, the writers also mix in a fair amount of pop culture references, including Dax's joke about Get Out, which makes for an interesting meta moment, given that Lil Rel Howery also starred in that movie.

Ultimately, Dax's backstory fuels the film's heart and makes this a worthwhile watch to more than just hoop lovers. His character arc is deep and empathetic. Others have doubted him his whole life, and now his adversary (Nick Kroll) and unreliable girlfriend (Tiffany Haddish) doubt him once again. Through basketball and through his newfound friends, he finally finds someone to believe and him. And, most importantly, he learns to believe in himself.

A senior citizen, I went to this movie with my 29 year-old daughter and 13 year-old granddaughter. We all had our laugh out loud moments during the movie.It's fun and appealing. I can't think of anything not to like. Even the despicable characters were so extreme you had to like them. If you go to the movie for the fun of it-not to critique-you will enjoy.

I have to admit, I loved the ads when I first saw them a couple of years. What ads some might ask. The ads where Kyrie Irving played a fictional character called "Uncle Drew". I don't know how staged they were or if especially the first one people actually knew that under all that (really well done) makeup, was one of the best ballers - Kyrie.

Fast forward to 2018 and we get a movie based on that character that was only meant to sell a product. How could that be any good? And yet it is. If you are not too cynical that is. We are talking about a predictable story about a manager who could have been in the Jerry Maguire school of how to make money fast. But we know there is more. And there are more basketball players too - all playing different characters. Funny and hearfelt this really may touch you

Based on trailer had no plans to ever see this movie. So glad a friend ordered it on pay per view. Tell you up front that the storyline is trite and cliche ridden. Also tell you up front that the movie is much funnier than I anticipated. First half of the movie has belly laugh, laugh out loud lines sprinkled liberally throughout. Second half the hand sprinkling the laughs is a bit restrained. Perhaps there should be an early disclaimer that some of the laughs require some level of basketball and cultural insider knowledge. Not sure the quick "watch your tone" would resonate unless you've also heard "you better take that base out your voice." Do not go in thinking that you are going to see ground breaking cinema. What you will see and hear in this movie is great basketball players not taking themselves seriously (imagine that), cultural references that take you back to the day, music that reminds that old school music hasn't always been about sampling, and just enough ball that you can say that this is a basketball movie.