Cute kids + cute story = cute movie, right? Sort of. It is a cute movie if you are a kid, or even a parent (which I am neither). If you are anything else, it’s just a mildly funny and mildly heart-warming film at best.

Like Mike begins at an orphanage run by George McFly, err make that Stan Bittleman, played by McFly (real name is Crispin Glover from Charlie’s Angels). Bittleman is only looking out for himself, which includes having the orphans sell candy outside the Staples Center in LA before Knights’ (read Clippers) home games. The money raised is not spent on the kids. After one game orphan Calvin Cambridge (Lil’ Bow Wow from All About The Benjamins) sells the Knights’ Coach Wagner (Robert Forster, Mulholland Drive) some candy bars, but then says he can’t sell it because of what Bittleman does with the proceeds. The coach takes pity on the cute kid and arranges for Calvin to get some free tickets to an upcoming game. Before the game though, tough Sister Theresa (Anne Meara) drops by some donated clothing, from which Calvin selects a pair of sneakers that are said to have been worn by MJ himself. However, orphanage bully Ox (Jesse Plemons) doesn’t want Calvin to have anything that cool, so he throws the shoes onto a power line, where Calvin can’t get to them, only he does that night. While getting the shoes a bolt of lightning strikes the wire and Calvin is killed, crap, that wasn’t supposed to happen! So now Calvin is dead, but his ghost isn’t and it goes on a Hell raising adventure through the Klondike in search of Curly’s Gold. Just kidding, Calvin isn’t killed, but he is transformed into a great ballplayer. Then Calvin goes to the Knights’ game and ends up winning a drawing to take on the team’s star player Tracey Reynolds (Morris Chestnut, Two Can Play That Game) in a 1-on-1 game at halftime. Calvin schools Tracey, so the Knights’ GM Frank Bernard (Jim’s Dad from American Pie, Mr. Eugene Levy from Serendipity) signs Calvin up to play on the team, but it is purely for promotional purposes. Eventually Calvin starts to play, and the team starts to win. However, cool as it may be to play in the NBA, what Calvin wants even more is to be adopted.

The film is written by Michael Elliot, and directed by John Schultz. Also in the film is the cute kid from Jerry Maguire (Jonathan Lipnicki), Brenda Song, Julius Ritter, Alex Krilov, Roger Morrissey, plus lots of cameos by NBA stars.

Last updated: Thursday, March 20, 2008 02:47:44 AM

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