Plot: Stan Ross (Bernie Mac) was one of baseball’s greatest hitters and his goal was enter the Hall of Fame, with three thousand hits under his belt. He was known as a selfish, rude person who battled the press, overlooked his teammates, and disrespected the fans, but his talent was undeniable. Once he was able to collect his three thousandth hit, Ross retired after the game and walked out on his team, with dreams of Cooperstown and baseball immortality on his on mind. But nine years later, Ross still wasn’t voted into the Hall of Fame and when his number was retired, the team struggled to find anyone to speak on his behalf, as no one wanted to be associated with him. Then when stats experts from Cooperstown examined his numbers, they discovered that thanks to a scorekeeping error, Ross was three hits shy of three thousand. Can even one of the great hitters make a return after almost a decade and if so, will Ross make the most of his time back in the game or just be concerned with his own interests?

Entertainment Value: This is another sports movie about the value of teamwork with a little underdog thread sewn, but Mr. 3000 has some fresh elements and benefits from Bernie Mac’s charm as the lead. The narrative is humorous and interesting, as a selfish, arrogant baseball star has his defining accomplishment taken from him, then has to return to the sport to reclaim it. The premise feels familiar and follows genre tropes, but the concept has some new paint on it and that helps. I have to think for most people, the appreciation of Mr. 3000 will depend on their opinion of Bernie Mac, as he carries the movie and it winds up as a vehicle for his talents. He has some good supporting roles around him, but this is Mac’s show and he runs with it, so if you’re not a fan of his work, you likely won’t fall in love here. The humor is broad and leans on Mac’s comic style, while the sports elements are frequent, but are by no means the kind of references you need to be a fan to appreciate. I don’t think Mr. 3000 is a comedy classic, but it has some fun moments and Mac is fun to watch here. So if you like sports oriented comedies or Bernie Mac, it is worth a spin.

Mr. 3000 is all about Bernie Mac, so I mentioned before, how well you like the movie will probably depend a lot on your preference for Mac’s style. His performance is fun, but the role doesn’t ask him to do much outside of his comfort zone, so this is just Bernie Mac as a baseball player. A lot of over the top attitude and some heart mixed in, though he handles the attitude better than the sentiment. But that falls more on the script, which bungles the sentimental elements with underdeveloped writing and those moments fall flat. But given the tone of the movie, it makes sense to focus on the humor over the heart and I think those given to sentiment will still appreciate the finale, which wraps up the movie in an appropriate fashion. The rest of the cast isn’t given much to do, but we still have some talented folks involved, such as Angela Bassett, Paul Sorvino, Chris Noth, Evan Jones, and Brian White.

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