Date: Fri 16-May-1997

Publication: Bee

Author: SUEZ

Quick Words:

Space-Playing-Jordan-Looney

Full Text:

(rev "Space Jam" for Now Playing, 5/16/97)

Now Playing-

"Space Jam" Nets Jordan, Warner Bros., Even More In Endorsements

By Trey Paul Alexander III

The National Basketball Association (NBA) has kicked it into high gear as

playoff competition heats up and teams vie to unseat Michael Jordan and the

Chicago Bulls as league champions. Off the court, the battle for superstardom

is just as intense, with Jordan's Bulls teammate, Dennis Rodman, currently

paired with Jean-Claude Van Damme in Double Team , and the LA Lakers'

Shaquille O'Neal (who already has several films - Blue Chips, Kazaam , and the

upcoming Steel - under his belt) aiming to snatch the "Most Popular Player"

(or is that Most Profitable Player?) honors away from Jordan, who earns

approximately $40 million a year in endorsements alone.

Jordan, ever the competitive one, met their challenge by starring in a feature

film of his own, Space Jam , which was released in November of last year and

is currently in the top ten on both the video rental and sales charts. Space

Jam , produced by Warner Bros., was the studio's attempt to slice a bigger

piece of the family viewing pie, which is currently dominated by Walt Disney.

Though Space Jam did not match the box office take of Disney's 101 Dalmatians

, which was released at the same time (and is now rivaling it on the home

video market), it did garner nearly $90 million, a respectable amount for any

enjoyable, if unspectacular, lark of a film.

Space Jam teams Air Jordan with Bugs Bunny and the rest of the Looney Tunes

cast of characters by pitting them against the nasty mogul (voiced by Danny

DeVito) of Moron Mountain, an alien theme park seeking to capture the lovable

Tunes to boost its ticket sales. The Tunes face certain slavery unless they

can defeat the mogul's goon squad, the Monstars, in a winner-takes-all game of

basketball. Jordan, in the midst of pursuing his baseball career, agrees to

join the Tunes' cause, and they're going to need him, because the Monstars

have bolstered their chances of winning by swiping the talents of NBA stars

Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Charles Barkley, Muggsy Bogues and Shawn

Bradley.

There is little to report on the acting abilities of the athletes themselves,

including star Jordan. What is exhibited here is little more than what viewers

are accustomed to seeing in the players' television commercials. That's not

necessarily a bad thing, but just an indication of how little depth is

required for this film. In fact, TV commercial simplicity should be expected

because the movie is directed by Joe Pytka, a TV ad veteran who helmed the

small screen Nike spots that first teamed Bugs and hoopmeister Jordan.

Though there are few surprises from the NBA stars, the other flesh-and-blood

actors, including Wayne Knight as Jordan's hovering publicist, and Bill

Murray, as himself, are rather exuberant presences. Murray in particular is a

welcome, self-deprecating presence. He lends some off-the-wall humor to Space

Jam and does it all with a knowing gleam in his eye. His brand of cynical

comedy fits well here with a script that occasionally shows some snap (keep

your ears open for some witty jabs at Disney and a neat tweaking of Jordan's

corporate shillmanship). Also, there is a great, if brief, gag involving

Yosemite Sam and Elmer Fudd that few kids will get but a few Quentin

Tarantino-philes will appreciate.

On the technical side, Space Jam offers few visual innovations. There is

nothing here that improves upon what was seen in 1988's brilliantly executed

Who Framed Roger Rabbit . However, Space Jam is proficiently done, and should

satisfy the tastes of bug-eyed kids everywhere.

Space Jam is rated PG for mild profanity; a pair of unnecessary curses are

thrown in, seemingly to avoid the "dreaded" G rating.