I am here to review Uncle Drew, a feature-length film that all began with a four-minute long Pepsi commercial. Kyrie Irving, the best point guard in the world, returns as the titular character we sports fans have come to love. That may actually be a red flag, however, as an NBA player with no professional acting experience taking on a movie role may seem like a free entry into the Razzie Awards conversation. After watching this movie with my doubts on acting, I can confirm that there aren't any acting weaknesses among any of the NBA player-actors (except for Shaq). The acting is not what's wrong with the movie; the direction, cookie-cutter story, and super undeniably predictable plot hold the movie down.
The story begins with Dax (Lil Rey, who is really funny) on his quest to build a new team to compete in the Rucker Park 50 Tournament against his rival Mookie (Nick Kroll). He meets Uncle Drew (the great Kyrie, who did mighty fine in this movie) during a pick-up game, and after seeing him unleash his skill, he decides to have Drew form his team of oldies to compete in the tournament. Along the way, we have the team come back together, comprised of Preacher (Chris Webber, probably the funniest), Lights (Reggie Miller), Boots (Nate Robinson), and Big Fella (Shaquille O'Neal). Another former basketball legend in the movie is Lisa Leslie who plays Preacher's wife Betty Lou. All in all, everyone except for Shaq did a great job in their film debut; they were hilarious, played their roles well, and also had a lot of dance moves to bust down. It's disappointing to see Shaq not do so well, considering he is the most "seasoned" of all these players.
Anyways, as I have pointed out in detail, the aspect of the film that I thought would be the worst part was far from it. Instead, the I found the pace of the movie very off. It wasn't that it was inconsistent; instead, it felt rushed almost the entire time despite the fact that the movie is at least 90 minutes long. Everything happens so quickly; whatever emotional tension is supposed to happen based on revelations from these players' past, it seems to be immediately resolved. In the end, the story is clear-cut but certainly the same exact plot from dozens of sports movies. The player reconnects with old friends to make a comeback, facing odds stacked against them but eventually overcoming them exactly as you imagined they would.
The players made the movie watchable, and the humor is very present. In fact, I would say that it's one of the funniest movies of the year. What makes this an average sports movie is the predictable plot and the lack of a present emotional conflict that would normally be faced in movies. However it is still a good time, and definitely enjoyable and worth watching for basketball fans. I just wouldn't't pay for a movie ticket to watch it. I say, it is worth your $2 on RedBox. If you have any interest in watching this movie, just wait for it on rental. Final Verdict: 6 out of 10
The story begins with Dax (Lil Rey, who is really funny) on his quest to build a new team to compete in the Rucker Park 50 Tournament against his rival Mookie (Nick Kroll). He meets Uncle Drew (the great Kyrie, who did mighty fine in this movie) during a pick-up game, and after seeing him unleash his skill, he decides to have Drew form his team of oldies to compete in the tournament. Along the way, we have the team come back together, comprised of Preacher (Chris Webber, probably the funniest), Lights (Reggie Miller), Boots (Nate Robinson), and Big Fella (Shaquille O'Neal). Another former basketball legend in the movie is Lisa Leslie who plays Preacher's wife Betty Lou. All in all, everyone except for Shaq did a great job in their film debut; they were hilarious, played their roles well, and also had a lot of dance moves to bust down. It's disappointing to see Shaq not do so well, considering he is the most "seasoned" of all these players.
Anyways, as I have pointed out in detail, the aspect of the film that I thought would be the worst part was far from it. Instead, the I found the pace of the movie very off. It wasn't that it was inconsistent; instead, it felt rushed almost the entire time despite the fact that the movie is at least 90 minutes long. Everything happens so quickly; whatever emotional tension is supposed to happen based on revelations from these players' past, it seems to be immediately resolved. In the end, the story is clear-cut but certainly the same exact plot from dozens of sports movies. The player reconnects with old friends to make a comeback, facing odds stacked against them but eventually overcoming them exactly as you imagined they would.
The players made the movie watchable, and the humor is very present. In fact, I would say that it's one of the funniest movies of the year. What makes this an average sports movie is the predictable plot and the lack of a present emotional conflict that would normally be faced in movies. However it is still a good time, and definitely enjoyable and worth watching for basketball fans. I just wouldn't't pay for a movie ticket to watch it. I say, it is worth your $2 on RedBox. If you have any interest in watching this movie, just wait for it on rental. Final Verdict: 6 out of 10