A pair of old shoes, supposedly once belonging to Jordan, is donated to an orphanage and ending up the property of teen Calvin ( Bow Wow). The X's and O's of Like Mike are solid, it's the team's execution that fails.That's “Mike” as in basketball legend Michael Jordan-or at least his basketball shoes. Forster delivers the most measured performance, at least not gaping too hard at Calvin's talent, and Glover's natural weirdness suits his neo-Fagin role. And, yes, Calvin's buddy Murph really is Jonathan Lipnicki from Jerry Maguire, looking so ill at ease that you wonder where his potential went.Īmong the adults, Chestnut (The Brothers, Two Can Play That Game) makes another good impression with lackluster material, including the film's other lapse in family movie judgment, a sequence involving prescription drugs and underage driving. Some line readings are so poorly timed that they feel like blown takes left in the movie by mistake. Lil' Bow Wow handles his role admirably, but Schultz doesn't even attempt to get credible performances from his other child actors.
Shaquille O'Neal skipped this movie after doing Kazaam, if that tells you anything. Like Mike plays like a long NBA infomercial minus its showcase team, the L.A. The problem is how much director John Schultz is willing to coast on cameo double takes by NBA stars such as Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd and David Robinson, and the unimaginative way he depicts Calvin's super-hoops skills. Like Mike is simplistic but that's part of its occasional charm. Professional jealousy evolves into happy endings on and off the court. But he's still an orphan and, wouldn't you know it, Tracey has his own family problems that make him feel alone.
The Knights' general manager (Eugene Levy) signs him to a contract and suddenly Calvin is a pint-sized phenomenon. The kid has more game than anyone can believe. A chance encounter with the coach (Robert Forster) of the hometown Los Angeles Knights leads to a halftime one-on-one matchup with Calvin's favorite player Tracey Reynolds (Morris Chestnut). Calvin figures the previous owner was Michael Jordan and that belief coupled with a lightning encounter _ one of two fairly irresponsible scenes in the movie _ makes him start playing hoops like Mike. A box of discarded clothing includes a pair of worn Nike sneakers with the initials "M.J." scribbled inside.
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