| | |
Features: DVD, Sensormatic
Teenage rap sensation Lil Bow Wow makes his feature film debut in this "surefire heart-warmer" (Los Angeles Times) about an orphan boy named Calvin who lives out his dream of playing in the NBA -- with a little help from a magical pair of sneakers! Soon after he laces up the mysterious high-tops, Calvin's amazing basketball skills land him a spot on the Los Angeles Knights team. In addition to hitting 25-foot jumpers and throwing down rim-rattling dunks, the small superstar sets his sights on another dream...having a family. But first he and his pals must defeat Bittleman, the orphanage headmaster trying to sabotage Calvin's career and dash his hopes of ever being adopted. Filled with high flying fun and hilarious hijinks, Like Mike will have your whole family cheering into overtime!Bonus disc includes John Walsh of America's Most Wanted introducing over 40 minutes of live-action safety scenarios targeted at teaching kids and parents how to be safe. Plus, DVD-ROM feature contains interactive, animated lessons from AMW's The Lookout League safety team!
"Two thumbs up!" Ebert & Roeper & The Movies
"A well-crafted film carefully thought out in all its aspects..." Kevin Thomas, Los Angeles Times
"Like Mike shoots and scores, doing its namesake proud." Mack Bates, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
"...a fantasy fable that should keep everyone in the family entertained." Neil Smith, BBC Film Review
"Fun for the whole family!" WFLD-TV, Chicago
Editor's Note
Fourteen-year-old Calvin Cambridge (Lil' Bow Wow) spends his days at the orphanage waiting to be adopted and shooting hoops with his best friend, Murph (Jonathan Lipnicki). When he starts to wear a pair of sneakers that used to belong to a famous basketball player and bear the initials M.J.--ostensibly those of basketball legend Michael Jordan--Calvin's wildest dreams begin to come true. The 4'8" teenager is suddenly an unstoppable force on the basketball court and soon finds himself an indispensable member of the LA Knights, a floundering NBA team. As long as Calvin has his magic sneakers, he believes he can do anything and be "like Mike." Ultimately, despite his newfound fame and fortune, Calvin still yearns for a family to call his own. Morris Chestnut stars as Tracey Reynolds, Calvin's mentor on the Knights team, and Crispin Glover is sufficiently creepy as Bittleman, the greedy head of the orphanage. Basketball fans will love the game footage and multiple cameos from real NBA stars like Allen Iverson and Jason Kidd. Rap star Lil' Bow Wow is impressive in his film debut, and also contributes songs to the soundtrack.
| Features | Audio: English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound | | Audio: French, Spanish Dolby Digital Stereo | | Bonus Disc Includes John Walsh Of America's Most Wanted Introducing Over 40 Minutes Of Live-Action Safety Scenarios Targeted At Teaching Kids & Parents How To Be Safe. Plus, DVD-ROM Feature Contains Interactive, Animated Lessons From AMW's The Lookout League Safety Team! | | Deleted Scenes With Optional Director's Audio Commentary | | Dubbed: French, Spanish | | Featurettes: Off The Hook & Off The Set & Bow Wow's Bow | | Full Length Audio Commentary By Director John Schultz, Lil Bow Wow & Jonathan Lipnicki | | Includes Both Widescreen & Full Screen Versions Of The Film! | | Interactive Menus | | Music Video: Basketball | | Scene Selection | | Subtitles: English, Spanish |
| Technical Info
|
Release Information
| | Studio: Foxvideo |
| Release Date: 8/14/2007 |
| Running Time: 100 minutes |
| Original Release Date: 2002 | | Catalog ID: 2245514 | | UPC: 00024543455141 | | Number of Discs: 1 |
Audio & Video
| | Original Language: English | | Available Audio Tracks: English, French Dubbed, Spanish Dubbed | | Video: Color |
Aspect Ratio | | Anamorphic Widescreen/Standard 1.85:1/1.33:1 [4:3] |
| Cast & Crew
|
| | Professional Reviews | Chicago Sun-Times
"...[Lil' Bow Wow] is confident and relaxed on the screen, engaging, and has good moves on the basketball court..." 07/03/2002 p.44Sight and Sound
"...[Lil Bow Wow is] a rare pre-adult performer who manages to hold the spotlight without seeming precocious....Director John Schultz keeps the tone light and playful..." 12/01/2002 p.50 Reel.com 8 of 10
It was only a matter of time before pint-sized rapper Lil' Bow-Wow crossed over from hip-hop to Hollywood, just as his elder beat-head brethren Ice-T, Ice Cube, and LL Cool J did before him. With music videos, television appearances, and even MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera under his credits list, the lyric-bustin' nephew of Snoop Dogg only needed the right venue to showcase his natural stage-stealing skills. The family-friendly Like Mike is just that venue...In fact, every player we meet in Like Mike is an idyllic version of their real-life equivalent. Team curfews are actually respected and enforced. The only drugs we see are a couple of sleeping pills (used purely for comic effect). For kids, this is the best portrayal of NBA role models any parent could hope for. And for adults who know better, Like Mike is a harmlessly naive slice of b-ball fantasy, fit for filling in during the real NBA's off-season. - Marc Fortier
Chicago Sun-Times 8 of 10
Kids can't be Michael Jordan, but they can wear his basketball sneakers, and in their fantasies, the sneakers give them the power to be--like Mike. Sports shoes are one of the most powerful totems in kid society, in part because of M.J.'s TV ads, and "Like Mike" is not merely a good idea for a movie, but an inevitable one...A lot of the surrounding plot is recycled from other movies, of course, including the playground bully, the tried-and-true orphanage situations (the kids are like puppies hoping for new owners) and the last-minute, cliff-hanging plays of the big games. But the movie overcomes its lack or originality in the setup by making good use of its central idea, that a pair of sneakers could make a kid into an NBA star. This is a message a lot of kids have been waiting to hear. - Roger Ebert
|
| |
|
|
|
