Like Mike

LIKE MIKE * Quality: * ** Acceptability: +2

RATING: PG

STARRING: Lil Bow Wow, Morris Chestnut Jonathan Lipnicki, Brenda Song, Jesse Plemons, Robert Forster, Crispin Glover, Anne Meara, and Eugene Levy

DIRECTOR: John Schultz

DISTRIBUTOR: 2011 Cent. Fox

GENRE: Comedy/Sports Movie

INTENDED AUDIENCE: All ages Like Mike tells the story of 13-year-old orphan Calvin Cambridge, who finds a pair of tennis shoes that may have belonged to basketball legend Michael Jordan when he was young. A bolt of lightning energizes the shoes, and Calvin is able to play "like Mike." He joins the slumping Los Angeles Knights. Calvin's prayers and optimism turn the team around and melt the heart of the team's star player, Tracey, who's estranged from his own father. The evil manager of Calvin's orphanage, however, has plans of his own that endanger Calvin's dreams to find a good family and get into the playoffs.

Like Mike is an energetic, funny movie. Although it loses some of its energy in the second half, the characters carry the story until the fun finish. First-time performer Lil Bow Wow does a surprisingly good job, as do the other children and the adults. Like Mike also has a strong moral worldviewwith a positive outlook on faith and prayer. There are only a few minor objectionable elements in the movie, but the main context of the movie is Calvin's faith and the support he gets from his friends. Calvin also helps other people and displays honesty.

CONTENT: Very strong moral worldview with some positive Christian, redemptive content including a prayer with several God bless you's, older man reconciles with his father, and a friendly Roman Catholic nun helps out orphanage and stresses importance of homework to protagonist, slightly marred by a couple mentions of "magic" shoes; about four "d" obscenities, three light profanities and characters say, "dang"; some slapstick violence and physical contact on basketball court; no sex; some mild locker room nudity; no alcohol; no smoking; and, gambling and a pragmatic solution in one scene.

Copyright Human Events Publishing, Inc. Jul 15, 2002
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