Release Date:
Friday, September 17, 2004
Just as the pennant races are heating up, Bernie Mac's career is cooling off with his lead in Mr. 3000, the Hollywood equivalent of a Montreal Expos doubleheader. Former great Stan Ross (Mac) could once hit the seams off a baseball but decided to quit the night he collected his 3,000th hit, content to sit and wait for his guaranteed induction into the Hall of Fame. Only, the ornery star who cursed at children and brushed back his teammates finds out that three of his hits didn't count, prompting a hilarious (in theory, at least) comeback at the age of 47. After a quick "YMCA"-soundtracked training montage, he's flailing away at big-league pitches and embarrassing himself in front of an old flame assigned to cover him for ESPN (played by the somehow-still-tight-as-a-drum Angela Bassett). Mac is watered down, the baseball scenes won't even fool your girlfriend, and the biggest laughs come from ESPN clips featuring Stuart Scott. But what's really special about Mr. 3000 is its inspirational message. Seeing Ross prod, teach, and curse with his younger teammates sent us home having learned a valuable lesson: Bernie Mac should stick to half-hour Fox sitcoms.