BASEketball

Starring: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dian Bachar, Yasmine Bleeth, Jenny McCarthy, Ernest Borgnine, Robert Vaughn, Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Robert Stack, Reggie Jackson, Greg Grunberg
Directed by: David Zucker
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Sport
1998

Times Seen:
Tim: 1

Summary: Two friends (Trey Parker, Matt Stone) invent BASEketball, a new sport that takes America by storm. As it increases in popularity, it creates issues they did not imagine.

Review:

Tim: It's entirely possible that I shouldn't like BASEketball at all. It could be considered a stupid, pointless comedy. However, I honestly believe there's much more to it than that. This is a good comedy- a flawed movie, certainly, but still a good one. It is funny, entertaining, and has a quasi-message buried into it.

I should say that I think Trey Parker and Matt Stone are very funny. South Park is hilarious and brilliant, and they bring similar humor to this film. They might not be the best actors in the world, but they worked surprisingly well here. You can tell they are very, very close friends, and that chemistry comes across on screen. I actually thought Parker did a better job than Stone, but both worked well together. Yasmine Bleeth and Jenny McCarthy added very little to the film. I loved seeing Ernest Borgnine here, but I have to wonder why he agreed to be in this film.

I really think so much of this film's success comes from the game of baseketball itself. It's a very innovative game that legitimately sounds fun. I'd actually love to play myself. While it isn't the most exciting game to watch, this film does a good job of making it seem interesting. I will criticize the "psych-outs" aspect of the game. It was humorous, but just so absurd that people would get so distracted that they would fall down and just heave up a shot. I love the opportunity for the defense to be distracting, but the movie took it to ridiculous lengths. There are some hilarious, hilarious moments from this (i.e, "I guess that's why she didn't move around a lot"), but for the most part, these scenes aren't very funny.

The movie does a good job of balancing the sports aspect of the film with the comedic side. The movie has a great deal of jokes, many of which are funny and memorable. The characters are at least interesting and for the most part, we can root for them. There's a great deal here that is absurd and silly, but at the film's heart, this is a movie about the underdog, about following your dreams and doing the right thing.

So, BASEketball isn't a classic, but I think it is a good comedy, and probably a bit underrated. Parker and Stone worked well together, and I would honestly like to see them make more movies together. This film is flawed, but I still had a very good time watching it.

Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 7



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut; Team America: World Police