SPACE JAM

CAPSULE REVIEW –– Clearly, the only reason this film was made was to capitalize on Michael Jordan's popularity. It's not like he needed the money. I was somewhat wary when I heard about this venture mixing life-action with cartoons, mainly because Jordan may be the best basketball player ever, but that doesn't mean he can act his way out of a paper bag. However, he is one smart man, so he made sure his first foray onto the big screen made use of his main talent. SPACE JAM may not be the best film ever made, but at least in this case, you get your money's worth. The plot is simple, but original. In an effort to keep their freedom, the Looney Tunes bet their potential alien slave owners that they can beat them in a game of basketball. To secure their win, the aliens steal the talent from some of the NBA's best players. The Tunes have no choice but to kidnap Michael Jordan to teach them how to play and help them to win. It's great to see Bugs and company interact with Jordan. It can't have been easy for a non-actor to film a flick of this sort, but Michael does a great job pretending to play ball with cartoons who aren't there. The toons get the biggest laughs, but that's their job. There's nothing about this film that's highly memorable, but it's funny, entertaining and holds laughs for both kids and adults. A treat for the whole family.