LIKE MIKE
"The sports fantasy is a venerable movie genre, and it's given its
due in this NBA-dusted fairy tale. 'Like Mike' blends the durable,
heartstring-tugging, underdog-makes-good plots from family-friendly
sports movies such as 'Angels in the Outfield' and 'The Bad News Bears'
with the wide-eyed, idealistic orphans of 'Annie.' The result is predictable
sentiment from first shot to last, but also sweet and likable fun...A
screen star is born in pint-sized rapper Lil' Bow Wow, who has looks
and charisma to spare as 13-year-old orphan Calvin Cambridge." --
Loren King, Chicago Tribune
"'Like Mike' has the synthetically wrapped pseudo-charm of a perfunctory
'Flubber' sequel...most of the movie isn't even set on the basketball
court. It is, rather, a will-someone-take-this-child-home sudser...There
are snoring jokes, room-service jokes, and the noisy thunk of a plot
when Calvin gets his sneakers stolen." --Owen Gleiberman, Entertainment
Weekly
"It's a piece of wish fulfillment given a chewy candy center, as if
it weren't sweet enough...The successful kid rapper Bow Wow is a talented
actor whose boyish eagerness here is a marked contrast to his taciturn
rappadocio." --Elvis Mitchell, The New York Times
"'Like Mike'? Not really....Although the preternaturally gifted rapper
and dancer is able to strut his stuff for a few minutes, his gifts
are largely wasted in favor of a tiresome story and myriad special
effects sequences. Maybe next time his agents can find him a movie
in which he--oh, gee, let's see--actually sings and dances." --Ann
Hornaday, The Washington Post
" If you happen to be allergic to corn, especially when it's processed
to make the kind of syrup used liberally in movies like this, not
even the slick production values and smooth visuals will prevent brain
rash--especially considering that the whole movie is an extended sales
pitch for the National Basketball Association at its glitziest...Both
the slapstick and the schmaltz are workmanlike enough to keep the
little ones' eyes wide and bright. Grown-ups should be prepared to
have their nerves milked dry." --Gene Seymour, Newsday
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