Like Mike

Overview

"For Like Mike, which isn't much more than a NBA promotional piece, Fox has done an admirable job on this family oriented DVD. The picture, with both a 1.85:1 anamorphic transfer on one side and the full-frame version on the other, is very natural looking. Colors are well-saturated and detail is precise. There aren't any noticeable distracting elements, resulting in a fine transfer. The 5.1 Dolby Digital English track is adequate for a film like this. There is a some separation of the channels, but for the most part it plays in the front speakers. Often the track seems more in line to appease a certain audience, primarily due to the subject matter. Music is often loud, occasionally muffling the dialogue. Probably the real surprise here is the number of extras that are included. Both sides of the disc contain a commentary by director John Schultz and actors Lil Bow Wow and Jonathan Lipnicki. Is it a good commentary? Not really. There are some interesting notes about the production, but generally Lil Bow Wow comes off as a cocky star and Lipnicki just narrates the scenes he's in. Schultz does what he can, but there's not much you can discuss about this film. On the widescreen side there is also a nice featurette called ""Off the Hook and on the Set"" which chronicles the production, from rehearsals to scoring the film. On the full frame side are the other extras which include a six-minute ""fluff"" piece containing interviews with cast, crew, and NBA players. In addition are three deleted scenes with optional commentary from Schultz, a music video from Lil Bow Wow, and a trailer, of all things, for Daredevil. Strangely enough, a trailer for this film isn't included. While Like Mike is certainly not a bad film, this disc is well-produced, making it a good reason to watch the movie."

Product Details

Release Date:	12/10/2002
UPC:	0024543057024
Original Release:	2002
Rating:	PG
Source:	20Th Century Fox
Region Code:	1
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround, Dolby Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	1:40:00

Special Features

Closed Caption;Full-length audio commentary by director John Schultz, Lil Bow Wow and Jonathan Lipnicki; Deleted scenes with optional director's commentary; "Off the Hook and on the Set" ; Featurette; "Bow Wow's Bow" featurette; "Basketball" music video and more; Anamorphic Widescreen (aspect ratio 1.85:1); Full-frame format (aspect ratio 1.33:1); Audio: English 5.1 Dolby Surround, Spanish Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround; Subtitles: English, Spanish

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Lil' Bow Wow	Calvin Cambridge
Morris Chestnut	Tracy Reynolds
Jonathan Lipnicki	Murph
Brenda Song	Reg Stevens
Jesse Plemons	Ox
Robert Forster	Coach Wagner
Crispin Glover	Stan Bittleman
Eugene Levy	Frank Bernard
Anne Meara	Sister Theresa
Vanessa Williams	Pharmacist
Allen Iverson	Himself
Chris Webber	Himself
Jason Kidd	Himself
Kevin Garnett	Himself
Tucker Smallwood	Mr. Reynolds
Sandra Prosper	Janet
Roger Morrissey	Marvin Joad
Timon Kyle	Henderson
Stephen Thompson	Smith,Himself
Alex Krilov	Krivov
David Brown	Jones,New Age Mother
Peter Moret	Sloan
Josef Canon	Segretti
Kingsley Nwokenbia	Ngudu
Jesse Justice Smith Jr.	Coltrain
Gregory L. Hall	Schultz,Trainer No. 1
Laurent Crawford	Grant,Referee
Pat Croce	Himself
Michael Finley	Himself
Lethon Flowers III	Himself
Steve Francis	Himself
Tracy McGrady	Himself
Alonzo Mourning	Himself
Steve Nash	Himself
Dirk Nowitzki	Himself
Gary Payton	Himself
Jason Richardson	Himself
David M. Robinson	Himself
Takeo Spikes	Himself
Rasheed Wallace	Himself,Drill Sergeant Dad
Gerald Wallis	Himself
Reggie Theus	Interviewer,Younger Boyd Daugther
Reginald VelJohnson	Mr. Boyd
Valarie Pettiford	Mrs. Boyd
Doug MacMillan	Security Guard
Courtney Black	Drill Sergeant Mom
Christine Mitges	Musical Theater Mom
Stephen Holland	Musical Theater Dad
Susan Chuang	Hallmark Mom
Craig Tsuyumine	Hallmark Dad
Fred Armisen	New Age Dad
Nona D. Simpson	Trucker's Wife
Sterfon Demings	Potential Parent
Keiann Collins	Rasta Woman
James McManus	Mr. Williams
Rick Ducommun	Dad Outside Arena
Miles Koules	Miles
Arielle Peterson	Kid With Dad No. 1,Kid With Dad No. 2
Daniel Stone	Fan `Coach Sucks'
Geoff Witcher	Announcer
Sybil Azur	Cheerleader No. 1
Kimi Bateman	Cheerleader No. 2
Diana Carreno	Cheerleader No. 3
Faune A. Chambers	Cheerleader No. 4
Karen Elmore	Cheerleader No. 5
Staci Flood	Cheerleader No. 6
Stacey Harper	Cheerleader No. 7
Sandra McCoy	Cheerleader No. 8,Trainer No. 2
Udee McGeoy	Cheerleader No. 9
Sarah Christine Smith	Cheerleader No. 10
Addie Yungmee	Cheerleader No. 11
Hayley Zelniker	Cheerleader No. 12
Bobby Pappas	Young Man at Tracy's
Amissa Miller	Ice Cream Waitress
Sarah Whalen	Daisy Daye
Jimmy Kimmel	Client in Commercial
Lance Barber	Director in Commercial
Ryan Thomas	Ryan
Robert Morris Jr.	Robert
Jon Edwin Wright	Coach No. 1
Dwayne Foster	Coach No. 2
Tyrone Merriweather	Coach No. 3
Sloan Fischer	Young Orphan No. 1
Coltrane Isaac Marcus	Young Orphan No. 2
James R. Platt	Referee No. 1
Wayne 'Spoon' Witherspoon	Tarmac Supervisor
Corey Holcomb	Trucker Dad
Tyler T. Romary	TV Delivery Man No. 1
Sunni Ali Powell	TV Delivery Man No. 2
Charlie Schultz	Cab Driver
Julius Ritter	Marlon
Lil Bow Wow	Actor
Richard Gibbs	Composer,Composer

Technical Credits

Jordan Moffet

Michael Elliot

Michael Elliott

John Schultz	Director
Jordan Moffet	Screenwriter
Michael Elliot	Screenwriter
Risa Bramon Garcia	Casting
Brennan du Fresne	Casting
Peter Heller	Producer
Barry Josephson	Producer
Paul Lombardi	Special Effects
Ray McIntyer Jr.	Special Effects
Reid Paul	Special Effects
Adam Silver	Executive Producer
Tierre Turner	Stunts
Gregg Winik	Executive Producer,Producer
Teresa Caldwell	Producer
Jermaine Dupri	Producer
Garrett Grant	Producer
Michael Mauldin	Producer
Victor Dimichina	Special Effects
David Betancourt	Sound Effects
James Bolt	Sound Effects
Rick Canelli	Sound Effects
Ted Caplan	Sound Effects
Kelsee L. King-Devoreaux	Stunts
Pete Antico	Stunts
David MacMillan	Sound/Sound Designer
Michael Elliott	Screenwriter

Editorial Reviews

This fantasy gives the Nike catch phrase "It's gotta be the shoes" a whole new meaning. Transposing Rookie of the Year's pipsqueak-in-the-pros formula to basketball, Like Mike rides an astonishingly natural performance from rapper Lil Bow Wow all the way to easy grins and harmless escapism. The idea of a 14-year-old in the NBA also has an ironic timeliness, as the feature was released in an era in which the sport was coming under fire for enticing teenage athletes to skip college. As a socially responsible children's movie, however, Like Mike makes sure to include footage of Calvin Cambridge continuing to do his homework, even as he's on the road with the team, trailed by a media circus. (Less commendable is the copycat-prone scene in which Calvin gets zapped while fishing the sneakers in question from an electrical wire). Though it contains more establishing shots of its primary product tie-in (L.A.'s Staples Center) than actual jump shots, Like Mike does mostly have its priorities in order. With real player Spud Webb having demonstrated that height is not an absolute prerequisite for NBA success, the concept isn't even that far-fetched, though its execution is hardly seamless, with the dunking Calvin looking jerkily airlifted toward the basket. Lil Bow Wow holds the shakier moments together with a grounded performance, his doe eyes expressing volumes of excitement and disappointment. He also buries his instinctual rapper machismo, embracing the film's kiddie focus. Notable supporting performances include Crispin Glover, whose oddball tics are a pleasure in such a mainstream movie, and Jonathan Lipnicki, who still seems barely to have aged in the six years since Jerry Maguire.