Like Mike (2002)

A 14-year-old orphan becomes an NBA superstar after trying on a pair of sneakers with the faded initials "M.J." inside.

Director:

John Schultz

Writers:

Michael Elliot (story), Michael Elliot (screenplay),

Stars:

Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut, Jonathan Lipnicki

1 win & 6 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bow Wow	...	Calvin Cambridge (as Lil Bow Wow)
Morris Chestnut	...	Tracy Reynolds
Jonathan Lipnicki	...	Murph
Brenda Song	...	Reg Stevens
Jesse Plemons	...	Ox
Julius Ritter	...	Marlon (as Julius Charles Ritter)
Crispin Glover	...	Stan Bittleman
Anne Meara	...	Sister Theresa
Robert Forster	...	Coach Wagner
Eugene Levy	...	Frank Bernard
Roger W. Morrissey	...	Marvin Joad (as Roger Morrissey)
Timon Kyle Durrett	...	Henderson (as Timon Kyle)
Stephen Thompson	...	Smith
Alex Krilov	...	Krilov
David Brown	...	Jones

Storyline

Calvin and his friends, who all live an in orphanage, find old shoes with the faded letters MJ connected to a powerline. One stormy night, they go to get the shoes when Calvin and the shoes are struck by lightning. Calvin now has unbelievable basketball powers and has the chance to play for the NBA.

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Plot Keywords:

shoe | orphan | lightning | orphanage | basketball | 

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Taglines:

Think like Mike, Achieve like Mike, Be Like Mike.

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Genres:

Comedy | Family | Fantasy | Sport

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for brief mild language

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 July 2002 (USA)

Also Known As:

Calvin - Voll am Ball

Filming Locations:

First Union Center - 3601 S. Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$30,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$306,422 (Australia) (17 January 2003)

Gross:

£1,242,842 (UK) (17 January 2003)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Heller Highwater Productions, Josephson Entertainment

Technical Specs

Runtime:

99 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The exterior is that of the Staples Center but the interior of the Knights home arena is that of the Great Western Forum, the former home of the Los Angeles Lakers.

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Goofs

When Calvin first enters the locker room his hair is alternately up/down between shots.

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Quotes

Coach Wagner: How could we lose to the BULLS?

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Connections

References Undercover Brother (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Roundball Rock"
Written by John Tesh
Courtesy of Teshmedia

User Reviews

Not Bad For Its Type

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.