Every once in a while a movie premise comes along that is so elegant, so perfectly and exquisitely crafted, that you just have to give it a “chef’s kiss.” Friends, Uncle Drew (In theaters June 29) is one of those movies. Professional ballers! Aged with wigs and facial prosthetics! Shooting mad hoops! What a time to be alive! That Uncle Drew is loosely based on an ad for something called “Pepsi Max” is just the synergetic icing on the cake. Late capitalism is awesome!
So this is basically a road trip buddy film crossed with a feel-good sports film crossed with an ensemble comedy in the vein of Barbershop. If you remember Johnny Knoxville’s extreme grandpa antics from the salad days of Jackass, then we don’t need to explain how flipping the script on ageism is a veritable comedy goldmine, especially when athletic prowess is involved. We already know that Mr. O’Neal is one funny dude—we could watch him do the Shaq wiggle for literally hours, and he was great in Kazaam, which is definitely not to be confused with Shazaam—and we’re big, huge fans of both Nick Kroll, who was basically born to play this role, and Lil Rel Howery (also known as scene-stealing TSA agent Rod Williams in Get Out). But this trailer has us looking forward to seeing Lisa Leslie’s comedy chops, to say nothing of Reggie Miller, Chris Webber and Nate Robinson, which is, frankly, something we never thought we’d say. Most of the humor seems good-naturedly based on the “cranky old man” trope, and we’re pretty sure we caught a quick glimpse of some sort of epic, choreographed dance routine to boot! With the Detroit Pistons’ Blake Griffin turning in the surprisingly solid performance in the otherwise-regrettable rom-com The Female Brain, we can’t help but wonder if 2018 is ushering a new era of athlete/actor crossover. Here’s our final question: When’s Uncle Drew getting HIS signature shoe?
Do you love previews? We sure do! The Trailer Park is where to find hot takes on all the coolest Coming Attractions (popcorn not included). Oh, and if Uncle Drew is giving you a bad case of premature March Madness, don’t miss basketball docs Hoop Dreams and Linsanity, now streaming on Fandor!
