Mr. 3000 (2004)

A Major Disappointment

The performances transcend the film's tropes, grounding it in characters that feel more complete than this subgenre often produces.

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

Bernie Mac was one of my favorite comedians, but I have to admit that I wasn't expecting much out of this film. Mac played Stan Ross, one of the best baseball players to ever step foot on the field in Milwaukee. He retired right after he got his 3000th hit, something that is very difficult to do in the Majors. After his career, Mr. 3000 became his personal moniker, as he launched a number of businesses under the Mr. 3000 name. Ross is even being considered for the Hall of Fame, when a review of his statistics finds an error. As it turns out, three of his hits had been counted twice, and now to maintain his Mr. 3000 persona, Ross must return to the game, at age 47, to try and get three more hits. While this was supposed to be a comedy, the part I really enjoyed was seeing how this superstar, who had everything handed to him, his whole life, struggled to do the simplest of things. The other players hazed him, the younger players resented him, and he had to somehow rectify this with his massive ego. As for Mac, he was outstanding! The man was truly unique and I feel as though he never got the chance to reach his real potential. Films like Mr. 3000 were fun and definitely enjoyable for the audience, but they weren't the kind of award winning, career defining roles that he was really capable of. This film is full of laughs and the sports action wasn't bad either, to say the least, I was fairly impressed and I think you will be too.

Stan Ross (Bernie Mac) is Mr. 3000, an arrogant, cocky, selfish baseball superstar that wants nothing more than to be enshrined in the baseball hall of fame. After getting his 3000th hit, Ross unceremoniously quits the team in the middle of the season, thinking his place in history is assured. But after nine years he still has not been voted into the hall of fame, furthermore a statistical correction brings his hit total down to 2997. Ross finds this unacceptable and comes out of retirement at age 47 to reclaim his 3 lost hits.The movie has potential but spends so much time establishing Ross as an arrogant jackass that it becomes almost impossible to sympathize or root for the character in his quest for greatness. For a movie that is supposed to be a comedy, the jokes are few and far between, and they aren't especially memorable when they do show up. The whole plot of the movie is ripe for comedic payoff but the movie never really delivers. About an hour into the film it seems as if Ross is heading in a direction that the audience can get behind, hoping the protagonist will turn over a new leaf and become worthy of a spot in the hall of fame, but then he backslides and becomes a jerk again.To be effective as a comedy there needs to be humor, which is lacking in the film. To be a feel good movie, you need to be able to root for Ross, which you can't do for almost the entire film because he is portrayed as such a self-centered egomaniac. The film is trying to be both but sadly doesn't succeed in either case. Establishing Ross a a jerk early would have been effective and easily done with a minimum of time and energy, instead the movie dug a deep, dark hole for the hero that he couldn't quite climb out of.

There's not a lot if indeed anything new here, a sort of sub-Disney quasi-fantasy throwing a curve at Redemption with side trips into heart of darkness territory and all as subtle as a swastika on a neo-Nazi's shirt. In terms of storyline Bernie Mac plays a slugger with the Milwaukee Brewers who secures his 3000th hit towards the close of the season and promptly walks leaving his team and teammates in the lurch. In the following nine years he parlays his Mr 3000 sobriquet into a chain of cash-cow franchises but this is not enough for an arrogant son of a bitch who wants all the badges and specifically a nod by the Hall of Fame. It then transpires that due to a computer glitch he only actually hit 2997 so at age 47 he attempts a come-back to chase the three elusive extra hits and get back into old flame Angela Basset's pants. There's a twist in case any amoeba with special needs didn't see it coming and the whole thing has a certain faux feelgood quality but don't go out of your way.

This is a great movie. You will enjoy it if you think a bit. It is funny at times; philosophical at times and at times it even manages to build up a little suspense.Bernie Mac has got a great timing. No I am not talking baseball. I am talking ability to be funny. Angela Bassett did a good job in her short role. I liked Paul Sorvino in his micro-mini role.This movie gives us the message, 'success is over-rated'! There are more things in life than that. So if you like baseball, go see it. If you don't, go see it. You may find a different message in it. Suit yourself!