Space Jam (1996)

Director:

Joe Pytka

Writers (WGA):

Leo Benvenuti (written by) &
Steve Rudnick (written by) ...

Release Date:

15 November 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Animation | Adventure | Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi | Sport

Tagline:

Get ready to jam

Plot:

Michael Jordan agrees to help the Looney Toons play a basketball game vs. alien slavers to determine their freedom.

Plot Keywords:

Basketball | Looney Tunes | Bugs Bunny | Michael Jordan | Alien

Awards:

5 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Michael Jordan	...	Himself
Wayne Knight	...	Stan Podolak
Theresa Randle	...	Juanita Jordan
Manner Washington	...	Jeffery Jordan (as Manner 'Mooky' Washington)
Eric Gordon	...	Marcus Jordan
Penny Bae Bridges	...	Jasmine Jordan
Brandon Hammond	...	Michael Jordan - 10 Years Old
Larry Bird	...	Himself
Bill Murray	...	Himself
Thom Barry	...	James Jordan
Charles Barkley	...	Himself
Patrick Ewing	...	Himself
Tyrone Bogues	...	Himself (as Muggsy Bogues)
Larry Johnson	...	Himself
Shawn Bradley	...	Himself

MPAA:

Rated PG for some mild cartoon language.

Runtime:

88 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Denmark:7 | Malaysia:U | Iceland:L | South Korea:All | Philippines:G | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Brazil:Livre | Canada:F (Ontario) | Canada:G (British Columbia/Manitoba/Nova Scotia/Québec) | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Germany:o.Al. (bw) | Netherlands:AL | Norway:7 | Portugal:M/6 | Singapore:PG | Spain:T | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Big Bear Lake, California, USA

Company:

Warner Bros. Pictures

Trivia:

After Daffy suggests naming the team "The Ducks," Bugs asks "what kind of Mickey Mouse organization would name their team The Ducks." This actually happened in 1993, when the Anaheim Ducks of the National Hockey League were established by The Walt Disney Company.

Goofs:

Continuity: When the talent is stolen from Patrick Ewing, the first clock shows 6:07 left. When the camera pans the other way and when he heads to the free throw line, the clock shows 6:13 left.

Quotes:

[first lines]
James Jordan: Michael? What are you doin', son? It's after midnight.
Michael Jordan at 10: I can't sleep Paps.
James Jordan: Well neither can we with all that noise you're making. C'mon, let's go inside.
Michael Jordan at 10: Just one more shot?
James Jordan: Alright, just one.

Movie Connections:

Features Gee Whiz-z-z-z-z-z-z (1956)

Soundtrack:

Upside Down (Round-N-Round)

Silly but hard to dislike

Movie about Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes characters (Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, Roadrunner etc etc). An evil animated monster runs Moron Mountain--a planet with an amusement park. They need a new ride so he sends five helpers to Earth to kidnap the Looney Tunes characters. Then they can be used as a new act at the amusement park. Bugs and the others agree--IF they play them in a basketball game and win. Bugs and the others convince Michael Jordan to help them--but the aliens have evil plans up their sleeve.

Michael Jordan meets the Looney Tunes. Sounds like a sure recipe for disaster. I was positive this film was going to be a bomb when it was released (with HEAVY publicity) in 1996. Yes--it's silly but if you love Looney Tunes (like I do) you'll probably love this. The characters are treated (more or less) respectfully and during the climatic basketball game the stands are full of every Warner Bros. cartoon character ever made. One small mouse character who talks nonstop I remembered from childhood and I literally broke up laughing when he appeared! The animation is just great, the merging of live action with cartoon figures works and the script is fun. There are groaners and stupid lines but, all in all, it was pretty amusing.

The debits: Michael Jordan just can't act. I'm sure he was a wonderful basketball player but his acting was as wooden as a basketball court. Also various other sports figures pop up and prove they're worse actors than Jordan! Bill Murray (who can be good) is just lousy in a supporting role. And Wayne Knight is just SO annoying. Also I could have lived without seeing the Warner Bros. logo popping up everywhere. At one point it's on Daffy Duck's butt...and he kisses it! And there's a brief take-off on "Pulp Fiction" which isn't as funny now as it was in 1996. So, these things lessen the movie but don't destroy it. Worth catching if you're a Warner Bros. animation fan. Kids will love it. I give it a 7.