what if mike was one of us

Friday, November 15, 1996

Michael Jordan goes from basketball star and commercial product
sponsor to movie star with the big-budget "Space Jam." With cameos
from virtually every Warner Brothers cartoon character and Jordan
in the incredibly likable starring role, this animation/live action
movie will be enjoyable for adults and kids alike.By Michael
Horowitz

Daily Bruin Staff

Everybody gets 15 minutes. And a bunch of people are allowed the
term "celebrity." But only a chosen few rise to such a level of
worldwide recognition that their first name alone conjures up their
image.

To gain membership in the one-name club, you’ve got to draw high
ratings for skill, personality or beauty in whatever field you come
from, but chances are also affected by your name itself. If they
call you "Shaq," you’ve got a brand name right off. And if they
call you "Madonna," you’ve got a brand name right away. If your
name is "Michael," you’ve got to deal with a million other Michaels
and the King of Pop. But there are celebrities, and then there are
super-celebrities like Michael Jordan, who stands in the eye of the
whirlwind of flattery called "Space Jam."

Only the super-celebrities have $100 million movies dedicated to
them ­ movies with the sole intent of elevating them to
god-like status to the globe. In the midst of a pop-culture blitz
that hawks burgers, cologne and the game from where he came, only
"Space Jam" could be more effusive with love for Michael.

More awe-inspiring, in a postmodern sort of way, is that the
film never has any pretense of creating a character for him. He’s
playing himself, or at least his most marketable self. The
beautiful Theresa Randle stands in as his wife. His kids are
portrayed as angels. And everyone in the universe of "Space Jam"
kisses his feet.

There is a little self-effacing humor, mostly the continual
jokes about his brief baseball career, but it’s not about taking
him down a notch ­ it’s about making him more likable. "He can
even laugh at himself!" boasts the film, before the opening credits
show off his basketball highlights with shafts of white light
shooting from behind him. "Space Jam: The Infomercial" bows down to
Jordan so much that it makes Schwarzenegger’s depiction in his last
few films look downright unflattering. Compared to this case of
Jordan worship, Shirley Temple was made to look bad. This is a
90-minute advertisement for Michael himself, and you can buy the
burgers, clothing and cologne if you want, too.

That’s not to say it’s a bad ad, and that’s not to say that
Jordan the basketball star isn’t deserving. The guy seems
comfortable enough playing straight man, reacting to the 2- and 3-D
wackiness that ensues around him. He’s also got lots of help from
Bugs Bunny and Bill Murray.

The justification for the centerpiece basketball game is simple:
Small aliens from an intergalactic amusement park are sent to Earth
by their evil overlord to kidnap the Looney Tunes to use as slaves.
But the Looney Tunes trick the aliens into accepting a challenge
and decide to play basketball before they realize the aliens have
some tricks up their sleeves. The Looney Tunes persuade Jordan to
aid their side, and the game is on.

This patched-together framework is quite workable for the
extended run of cameos that this film becomes. Everyone from the
Tazmanian Devil to Marvin the Martian hangs out for a minute or two
of screen time, while the sheer number of participants (both real
and unreal) denigrates everyone but Jordan to side-show status.
Even Bugs gets supplanted but still manages to get some good jokes
off.

The effect is a tornado of animated motion, a bunch of fairly
amusing moments, and the aforementioned paean to Jordan. Kids are
going to love this thing, and due to its speed and humor, they
won’t have too much trouble talking their parental guardians into
seeing it again and again. Just the warped pop-culture world view
of the picture makes it worth checking out.

But it’s not the event that Warner Brothers wants it to be.
Throughout the closing credits they show frames of animation behind
the credits, and there isn’t a great frame in the bunch. The
animation and effects are usually dependable, and there are some
great effects both in the cartoon world of the Looney Tunes, where
Jordan and other human characters move around convincingly, and in
the real world, where Bugs, Daffy and other cartoon characters
scamper about. The shot of Jordan being sucked into a hole on the
golfing green is particularly successful. But there’s nothing here
that matches the artistic wizardry of "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"
and though the images are intriguing, the animation always seems
fairly flat. In the chaos of the basketball game, following the
ball is a fairly demanding task.

But following Jordan throughout the film is easy. He’s the one
the camera tilts up at, following in slow-motion, waiting for his
every word.

"Space Jam" becomes a message of hope for celebrities around the
world: If you keep working, keep doing commercials, keep signing
autographs, someday you can sit with a team of animators and help
create your own pedestal. Stay out of prison and act PG, and you
can be like Mike.

Grade: B+