Space Jam

Starring: Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight, Billy Murray, Danny DeVito (voice), Billy West (voice), Dee Bradley Baker (voice, Bob Bergen (voice), Charles Barkley, Larry Bird
Directed by: Joe Pytka
Rating: G
Genre: Animation, Sports, Adventure
1996

Times Seen:
Tim: 3

Summary: The Looney Tunes are shocked when a band of tiny aliens show up, determined to kidnap them and enslave them in their theme park. Bugs Bunny and friends challenge the aliens to game of basketball. However, when the aliens steal the powers of a group of NBA players, Bugs, Daffy, and the gang approach their last hope- Michael Jordan- to help them win the game and their freedom.

Review:

Tim: I will admit that when I first saw this movie as a child, I loved it. I grew up watching Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Porky Pig, the Tasmanian Devil, Elmer Fudd, and all the rest of the Looney Tunes. To put all those beloved animated characters on the basketball court was a brilliant idea. I loved watching this movie. However, even then, as much as I enjoyed the on-court action, I knew that this movie was flawed. Years later, those flaws are even more apparent. While this movie does enough to keep younger audiences amused, there is not much here. This movie is decent, but disappointing.

The casting of Michael Jordan was inspired, because he was the most charismatic NBA player of the day (if they remake this movie with LeBron James, I am so totally there). The problem with Jordan is that, charisma or not, he is a basketball player, not an actor. He certainly tries his best, but his acting leaves a great deal to be desired. Even worse, we have the awful casting of Wayne Knight. He detracted from the film in every scene he found himself in- I thought he was incredibly annoying, over-the-top, and ridiculous. I hated him in this role. Surprisingly, I really enjoyed the casting of Bill Murray here, although I wish he had something worthwhile to do. The animated voices are fine, although I could tell they weren't all voiced by the original voice actors. I liked hearing Danny DeVito's voice, though- he has such a distinct, memorable voice.

As I mentioned, a kid, I loved the basketball scenes. Watching Bugs Bunny shoot hoops with Michael Jordan is something that only the magic of Hollywood could bring together. These scenes are truly the best of the movie. I also have to mention the blending of life action and animation. While it has been done before, it still was pretty stunning for the time period in which it came out. It is fun to watch this movie. Unfortunately, there are some flaws as well. It sounds dumb, but the movie is a bit too "loony." I wish there was more actual basketball scenes. I also wish there was bit more humor geared toward adults.

Space Jam definitely has some strengths, but it has some weaknesses as well. While it is enjoyable to younger audiences, older ones will feel a bit of pain trying to get through it. It is by no means a terrible movie, but it could have and should have been better.

*Update- I watched this movie again as an adult, this time with my six year-old son (and 2.5 year-old daughter, but she wasn't as interested). I went into it having first looked at this review and felt badly about rating this movie so harshly. Surely, seeing it again and seeing it through the eyes of my son would cause me to shift my mind, right? I really thought at the least, this movie should have been a half-point higher. After watching it again, I believe I got it right the first time. My son mostly enjoyed the movie, but some of the scenes were a little intense. My review above mostly holds up. I wasn't as annoyed with Wayne Knight this time around (I might have been a bit harsh on him), but the rest of the review is accurate. Space Jam is a movie that just sounds fantastic- Bugs Bunny and Michael Jordan working together on screen. What's not to love? Even now, as I write these words, there's this nagging feeling that the movie couldn't actually be this bad, right? It has to be better. It's not. You can have the best idea in the world, but if it's not executed well, it's going to be disappointing. This is a movie I wanted to love, but would have settled for liking. I didn't do either. It's perfectly okay, especially for young kids, but it's a far cry from a good film. Rating 1-10
Tim's Rating: 6



If You Enjoyed This Movie, We Recommend: Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Looney Tunes: Back in Action