Like Mike

Theatrical Release Date: 2002 07 03 (USA)

UPC: 024543057024

Studio: 20th Century Fox

MPAA Rating: PG   Contains:[Suitable for Children, Adult Language]

Summary: Pint-size rap music star Lil Bow Wow shows that he can play ball as well as he raps in this youth-oriented comedy about a young boy whose dream comes true in an unexpected way. Calvin Cambridge (Lil Bow Wow) is a 14-year-old boy, who, since the death of his parents, has been living in an orphanage run by the unpleasantly eccentric Stan Bittleman (Crispin Glover). While the tough but caring Sister Theresa (Anne Meara) tries to encourage the kids, Calvin knows that he and most of the other kids his age are poor prospects for adoption. Calvin loves basketball and idolizes Michael Jordan, but he's too short to be much of a challenge to the older kids when shooting hoop at the playground. One day, Calvin discovers a pair of old basketball sneakers with the initials "MJ" written on the inside. Calvin is convinced they once belonged to Michael Jordan, but he can hardly believe what happens when he puts them on -- suddenly he's able to make superhuman jump shots and dunks just like a miniature version of Air Jordan himself. Calvin's newly developed talent on the court comes to the attention of Frank Bernard (Eugene Levy), the manager of the Los Angeles Knights, an NBA team having a humiliating season. Bernard brings Calvin to the team as a novelty item, but with the help of Coach Wagner (Robert Forster) and the new kid's can-do attitude, the Knights start to climb out of the cellar and look like possible season champs. However, Tracey Reynolds (Morris Chestnut), who used to be the team's star player, isn't happy to have his thunder stolen by a 14-year-old boy -- especially when he's made Calvin's roommate and de-facto guardian on the road. Like Mike also features cameo appearances by a number of pro basketball stars, including Allen Iverson, Chris Webber, and Jason Kidd. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Category: Comedy

Features: ccFull-length audio commentary by director John Schultz, Lil Bow Wow and Jonathan Lipnicki
Deleted scenes with optional director's commentary
"Off the Hook and on the Set"
Featurette
"Bow Wow's Bow" featurette
"Basketball" music video and more
Anamorphic Widescreen (aspect ratio 1.85:1)
Full-frame format (aspect ratio 1.33:1)
Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Surround, Spanish Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English, Spanish

Like Mike

Format: DVD

Release Date: 12/10/2002

Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1 Pre-1954 Standard, 1.85:1 Theatre Wide-Screen

Audio: DD5.1 Dolby Digital 5.1, DS Dolby Surround (4.0)

Runtime: 100 Minutes

Sides: 2

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English,French,Spanish

Subtitles: English,Spanish

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Side #1 -- Full Screen
1. No Backing Down
2. Orphan Candy
3. Michael Jordan's Sneakers
4. Super-Charged Shoes
5. Calvin's Big Score
6. A Four-and-a-Half-Foot Player
7. The New Knight
8. Calvin Takes the Shot
9. Calvin's Contract
10. Tracy's New Roommate
11. Food for Free
12. Two Orphans
13. Basketball
14. It's the Sneakers
15. A Trip With Tracy
16. The Designated Driver
17. Prospective Parents
18. The Geometry Lesson
19. A Winning Combination
20. Out of Sync
21. Bittleman's Bet
22. Something Pretty Big
23. Busting Bittleman
24. Orphans on the Move
25. Here Comes the Knights
26. A Winner on His Own
27. Going Home
28. End Titles
Side #2 -- Widescreen
1. No Backing Down
2. Orphan Candy
3. Michael Jordan's Sneakers
4. Super-Charged Shoes
5. Calvin's Big Score
6. A Four-and-a-Half-Foot Player
7. The New Knight
8. Calvin Takes the Shot
9. Calvin's Contract
10. Tracy's New Roommate
11. Food for Free
12. Two Orphans
13. Basketball
14. It's the Sneakers
15. A Trip With Tracy
16. The Designated Driver
17. Prospective Parents
18. The Geometry Lesson
19. A Winning Combination
20. Out of Sync
21. Bittleman's Bet
22. Something Pretty Big
23. Busting Bittleman
24. Orphans on the Move
25. Here Comes the Knights
26. A Winner on His Own
27. Going Home
28. End Titles

Derek Armstrong

This fantasy gives the Nike catch phrase "It's gotta be the shoes" a whole new meaning. Transposing Rookie of the Year's pipsqueak-in-the-pros formula to basketball, Like Mike rides an astonishingly natural performance from rapper Lil Bow Wow all the way to easy grins and harmless escapism. The idea of a 14-year-old in the NBA also has an ironic timeliness, as the feature was released in an era in which the sport was coming under fire for enticing teenage athletes to skip college. As a socially responsible children's movie, however, Like Mike makes sure to include footage of Calvin Cambridge continuing to do his homework, even as he's on the road with the team, trailed by a media circus. (Less commendable is the copycat-prone scene in which Calvin gets zapped while fishing the sneakers in question from an electrical wire). Though it contains more establishing shots of its primary product tie-in (L.A.'s Staples Center) than actual jump shots, Like Mike does mostly have its priorities in order. With real player Spud Webb having demonstrated that height is not an absolute prerequisite for NBA success, the concept isn't even that far-fetched, though its execution is hardly seamless, with the dunking Calvin looking jerkily airlifted toward the basket. Lil Bow Wow holds the shakier moments together with a grounded performance, his doe eyes expressing volumes of excitement and disappointment. He also buries his instinctual rapper machismo, embracing the film's kiddie focus. Notable supporting performances include Crispin Glover, whose oddball tics are a pleasure in such a mainstream movie, and Jonathan Lipnicki, who still seems barely to have aged in the six years since Jerry Maguire. ~ Derek Armstrong, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Vanessa A. Williams  Actor 
Kevin Garnett  Actor 
Richard Gibbs  Composer (Music Score) 
Barry Josephson  Producer 
Peter Heller  Producer 
John Schultz  Director 
Adam Silver  Executive Producer 
Gregg Winik  Executive Producer 
Jordan Moffet  Screenwriter 
Michael Elliot  Screenwriter 
Lil' Bow Wow  Actor 
Morris Chestnut  Actor 
Jonathan Lipnicki  Actor 
Robert Forster  Actor 
Crispin Glover  Actor 
Eugene Levy  Actor 
Brenda Song  Actor 
Jesse Plemons  Actor 
Julius Charles Ritter  Actor 
Anne Meara  Actor 
Pat Croce  Actor 
Michael Finley  Actor 
Lethon Flowers III  Actor 
Steve Francis  Actor 
Allen Iverson  Actor 
Jason Kidd  Actor 
Tracy McGrady  Actor 
Alonzo Mourning  Actor 
Steve Nash  Actor 
Dirk Nowitzki  Actor 
Gary Payton  Actor 
Jason Richardson  Actor 
David Robinson  Actor 
Takeo Spikes  Actor 
Reggie Theus  Actor 
John Robert Thompson  Actor 
Rasheed Wallace  Actor 
Gerald Wallis  Actor 
Chris Webber  Actor 

Country: USA