LIKE MIKE
US, 2002, 99 minutes, Colour.
Lil Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki, Jesse Plemons, Crispin Glover, Anne Meara, Robert Forster, Eugene Levy.
Directed by John Schultz.
For those who want wholesome movies for families, they don't come more wholesome than this. A 4 feet 8 inch African American boy, Calvin (played with sweet toughness by an actor called Lil Bow Wow!) is a basketball whizz back at the orphanage. When the orphans receive some reject clothes, he is given a pair of sneakers with the initials, M.J., which he believes belonged to Michael Jordan. Wearing the sneakers, he can do anything on court. When his lucky number is drawn during an interval at a game as a promotion gimmick and he beats the champion of the team in baskets, he is contracted by the team and plays in the Major League. This is more than a Lil Bow, it is a Wow!
The story is generally predictable with nice best friend (Jonathan Lipnicki, Stuart Little's brother, George), a bully, a jealous player who needs to reconcile with his father and who is asked to be Calvin's mentor, a serious coach (Robert Forster) and Eugene Levy doing another of his oddball types as the publicist. The film was made in association with the American National Basketball Association and encourages all the values, good sportsmanship, friendship, family...
1.A family-oriented film? Sports? Family? Childhood?
2.The city settings, the orphanage, the basketball courts? The crowds? The tours around America? Realistic atmosphere? Musical score?
3.The magic realism, the sneakers, Michael Jordan, the magic powers? Their use in the basketball matches? Murph and his trying them? The fairytale aspects of the magic sneakers?
4.The orphanage, the children and their friendship, Murph and Reg as friends of Calvin? Ox and his friends as bullies? Calvin as victim? Stan Bittleman and his running the orphanage, his mercenary attitude? Sister Teresa, the humorous caricature of the old-fashioned nun? Her sternness with Calvin, with exams?
5.Calvin, his background, the orphan, his basketball skills? Small for his age? His friends? Wanting to be adopted? Finding the sneakers, the M.J. initials? Ox taking them and throwing them onto the wires? Calvin and Murph retrieving them in the rain, the lightning strike, the electricity, the magic powers? Calvin and his collecting money – and his honesty with the coach? Getting the tickets? Winning the competition? His play with Tracy Reynolds? Scoring, winning? Frank Bernard and his ideas for moneymaking? The contract with Stan Bittleman, the extra money? Tracy and his reaction, being beaten by Calvin? Calvin and his game, needing the sneakers and not the uniform? Going to the toilet, changing, the success? The season and the matches? The opposition? On tour, sharing the room with Tracy, Tracy’s reluctance? The room service and his gorging himself? The girlfriend and her care for Calvin? The continued friendship, Tracy telling him he had no father, Calvin going to his house, reconciling him with his father? Sister Teresa, the exams, geometry, Tracy’s explanations? Murph and his being upset? Bittleman and his bet, Ox and the sneakers? The confrontation, Ox supporting Calvin? The riding to the match, Murph and his getting the sandshoes from the driver? Getting into the match, the coach’s reaction, playing, victory? The range of people wanting to adopt him, the musical people, the military people? The wealthy family from Bel Air? His finally being adopted by Tracy, with Murph tagging along?
6.Tracy, basketball player, the difficulties with the team, the coach, Frank Bernard? The demonstration, being beaten by Calvin? His resentment? Sharing the room? His fear of planes – and the parallel with Calvin not wanting to sleep with the lights off? The growing friendship, sharing the room, the girlfriend’s reaction? His father? The bond, his taking the pills, Calvin driving the car, taking the blame? The teaching of geometry on the side of the house? The final match, the adoption?
7.Murph and Reg, orphans, wanting to be adopted? Their support of Calvin? Murph feeling on the outer? Their rallying to his support, Murph and the burning of his mother’s photo by Bittleman? Confession to Calvin? Helping?
8.Ox, the bully, helping Bittleman? Change of heart?
9.Bittleman, the orphanage, manager, guardian, the money for the contract, learning about the magic shoes, putting them in the safe? His bet and his loss?
10.The coach, admiring Calvin for being honest, the tickets, helping him play, exasperation at the end, victory?
11.Frank Bernard, the comic touches, the mercenary manager, Eugene Levy’s comic style?
12.Sister Teresa, the comic presentation of the nun – severity but kindness?
13.The backing of the National Basketball Association and the film as promotion as well as promoting human values?
