C. Sean Currie (hypestyle) This was a fun, enjoyable, film. It's as much about accepting the maturity of middle-age as it is about the main plot of a retired pro baseball player literally getting back into the game to hopefully achieve a benchmark statistic: 3,000 base hits. Bernie Mac is player Stan Ross, and Mac's onstage standup persona informs much of the portrayal of Ross: Gruff, self-confident, chip on his shoulder, but also with a sensitive side beneath all the "onion" layers. Ross's presence on his old team is polarizing among the players, but he quickly becomes an unofficial assistant coach, offering salient observations about team player performance and the competition alike. This film was produced by Touchstone/Buena Vista, so look for cameos by Disney-owned ESPN personalities as well as other celebrity pundits and TV hosts.Ross's behavior before his retirement pushes the edge of cartoon-like satire, but the ensuing plot progression is intriguing, including the relationship with Bassett's sports reporter "Mo". This aspect in particular bears mentioning. Here you have two middle-aged African American single adults (especially Bassett, who remains severely underused) who are allowed to be vulnerable, haughty, and nervous with one another. It's a demographic portrayal that is often bereft in mainstream American film releases.The bullpen camaraderie is engaging, particularly the mutual ongoing hazing and the tensions between Ross and Pennebaker. Intriguingly, the asides between the two men have nothing to do with race, but the price of letting ego drive your career even if you're talented-- Ross being a Baby Boomer who came of age when African American player participation and fan attention was at a zenith, and Pennebaker being a Gen X guy in the era of astoundingly huge contracts, hip-hop-infused on-and-off-field flamboyance, yet dwindling black American players and fans alike. Ross's chase of hit 3000 is a worthy main plot, but the generation gap in modern pro baseball could have provided another intriguing alternative narrative.

view_and_review What was funny about this movie is that I expected a lot more laughs and a lot less substance. Being that Bernie Mac was the star, I expected the movie to be full of pointless absurdities just for laughs without getting to serious. On the contrary, this movie actually had a decent message, and a good one.Stan (Bernie Mac) was a star baseball player and the embodiment of the typical professional athlete: overpaid, flashy, mouthy, and selfish. After he hit what he thought was his 3000th hit, he retired immediately so that he could be inducted into the hall of fame. Some statisticians poured over his numbers and found that he actually only had 2,997 hits. So, after many years out of baseball, he decides to make a come back to get his 3000th hit and ensure his place in the hall of fame.There are some mildly funny moments, but the comedic moments weren't even as good as the serious moments. After failing time and time again as an over the hill baseball player, Stan actually comes to realize what the game was all about: teamwork. Sometimes teamwork calls for a sacrifice bunt, or sacrifice fly to achieve your goal. Sure, the hitter may be out and fail to boost his precious stats, hence the word "sacrifice", but the goal was never for himself, but for the team. "Mr. 3000" could have been better, and done a better job at driving home the message, but it was serviceable still.

moviedude1 ****************************** SPOILERS! ******* SPOILERS! ************************************* One thing I watch for during a movie to see how good it is, or even can be, is the chemistry created between the leads. Bernie Mac and Angela Bassett did exactly that: they created chemistry that was believable between their respective characters.Built as a comedy, this story does have a "little" substance. The people behind this story were creative, but I think they took creativity to a whole new level:What I can NOT believe is the arrogant attitude that Mac's character created (maybe it would have been more believable if he'd been from Philly, than south Chicago). Well, I can believe it, because I just saw it. But, in today's world, that kind of stuff just don't cut it. And his teammate's comments in the locker room would NEVER be tolerated! He'd be on the first bus to Cleveland, somewhere, because there's no way they'd purchase a plane ticket for him!But, then again, Paul Sorvino as a manager who just sits on the bench and says nothing...does nothing, is very unbelievable! Any manager who sat that much would be on that same bus to Cleveland!We all hear about the pro sports circles and how arrogant some of them MAY be, but this one takes the cake, and the only thing I could not believe is that the home town team would give someone like that another chance when he's already trashed everyone and everything in the media. Fans might forgive, but they don't forget, and, even if they do, there's always gonna be hosts on BEST DAMNED SPORTS SHOW PERIOD to remind everyone about it!So, overall, if you're looking for a comedy, sit back and watch, because, either way, this film is a joke. Built with laughs, or built with a laugh in mind. The weird part is that I sit here, and, reading this comment, you might think I'm trashing it, when, to be totally honest, I kind of liked it! 6 out of 10 stars!

the-scout This film is the result of a wandering, aimless plot accompanied by non-existent acting by the entire cast except Bernie Mac, who only barely manages to come out of this with his reputation intact. Mr 3000 is a "comedy" (yeah, right) about a retired baseball player who upon striking his 3000th run quits his team at their height of prominence which cripples the teams chances of winning the league. Decades later, the Hall of Fame committee take away three of those so Mac's Stan Ross returns, determined to reach his goal.The problems begin almost straight away, first there is a random ex-girlfriend who appears whenever the plot requires her to and literally from the very first scene between the two you will already know what will happen. Then there is the fact that the story doesn't go anywhere. Seriously you see Stan drinking in a bar, then talking to his old flame, then playing in a game, and then back to scene 1. There are plot twists to which there is no explanation, and characters attitudes will suddenly chance without reason.I'd say I saw around 85 minutes of this pointless film before finally giving up. There was no plot, no acting and very little comedy. Although I will admit I smiled once at a scene where Ross was put through training. Don't waste your time on this, if baseball is your thing then watch the incredible 61*.