Space Jam
I’ve only seen “Space Jam” once before. I did not see it in theatres, and it was not really anything that connected with me. With the LeBron James-led sequel coming out, I figured I might as well rewatch it. On the court, a reasonable case can be made for Michael Jordan and LeBron being 1 and 1a among the GOATs. With Looney Tunes, everything seems to be pointing towards MJ having the advantage.
I was not really invested in Jordan’s career- or basketball- but I will say that I appreciate that this is a bit of “fan fiction,” if you will, regarding Jordan’s retirement from the Bulls after the death of his father. The baseball is still here, but having Jordan be retired from basketball here makes for a smart choice in fitting this into the underdog sports movie formula, in particular, the one where a once-great player has one, last shot at greatness. Of course, Jordan was still in his prime, even if he was retired, but minor league baseball was not agreeing with him. When the Looney Tunes need him for an intergalactic basketball game against the juiced-up Monstars (whom have stolen the talent of the likes of Ewing and Barkley), he decides he needs to answer the call.
The combination of Looney Tunes with Jordan, and putting him into their world, by and large succeeds. I do wish it had been in a more traditionally-animated Looney Tunes world than the one we get here- it’s a bit jarring to see this type of background animation when much of your life has been spent with the iconic cel animation from Termite Terrace. Looking at it now, the designs of the Monstars, and the aliens in general, feel like they belong in “Lilo & Stitch” rather than Looney Tunes. Something just feels off to me watching it now. When the final game gets going, however, I will admit to being excited, especially when Bill Murray comes in at the last second.
The screenplay by Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris & Herschel Weingrod isn’t a strong gag machine for the Tunes, and what we see of Jordan’s life is perfunctory at best- I don’t think this is a strong showcase of the Tunes. Jordan equates himself well, however; it’s kind of surprising he didn’t end up doing more after he actually retired, but really, he’s playing a fictional version of himself. Director Joe Pytka only really succeeds in building the world of this movie, which is good, but he cannot really make me buy into the comedy in this film. It’s still enjoyable enough, but I don’t necessarily see myself rewatching this again.
Oh, and if you follow me on Twitter, you probably know how baffled I was when people were complaining about how the trailer for “Space Jam: A New Legacy” about the redesign on Lola Bunny. Seeing it again, I understand where they’re coming from; she’s basically a bunny version of Jessica Rabbit as drawn in this movie. Probably a bit too seductively drawn for a family film, but yeah, I get it. I just hope they get over it. I didn’t even remember too long after seeing this film for the first time.
