Movies in Review: "Uncle Drew"

Uncle Drewwwwwww!!!! So quite honestly when I saw the theatrical poster for this film I knew I had no intentions of seeing it. The poster had a bunch of mostly ex-NBA players in latex faces. All of it looked corny to me. However, when I watched the trailer my mind changed a bit. First off, the film starred Lil Rey Howery (the TSA guy from Get out) who I love. When watching the trailer, I was surprised that I found it entertaining, even if just a little bit. I'm also a basketball fan and the film did star a few ex-players I did enjoy. By the time the trailer ended it had already changed my decision to see it. My expectations were low, but I at least expected to be as entertained as the trailer.

I don't think this movie was great by any means, and I think my opinion of it might have been amped by the young audience members I watched it with, but the movie was far more entertaining than I had expected. I wasn't a huge fan of the make-up, but the characters were great, and there was some fun basketball to watch. Most of the audience I watched it with were in their teens and were full of energy. It felt like watching an actual game at The Rucker, alive and full of energy. Every basketball scene was filled with oohs and ahhhhs, applause and laughter. There is nothing like a movie that gets its audience engaged, and this was that type of film. The story is predictable, but that doesn't take away from the fun.

Again, not a great film, but nothing can have me say that it wasn't all the way entertaining. A great movie to see with the family, especially if they are basketball fans. I walked into this film with low expectations but walked out with a smile on my face. I haven't seen an audience get active in a film since Magic Mike XXL, and that is a beautiful thing to see. This is what we pay for, we want to be engaged. Although my score is "low", please don't let it take away from the fact that this movie is still fun and probably something you wouldn't mind seeing...C+