Movie Title: Space Jam
Genre: Live-Action/Animated, Sports, Comedy
Writer: Leo Benvenuti, Steve Rudnick, Timothy Harris, Herschel Weingrod
Starring: Michael Jordan, Billy West, Wayne Knight, Theresa Randle, Danny DeVito, Bill Murray, Larry Bird, Charles Barkley, Shawn Bradley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogues, Dee Bradley Baker, Bob Bergen, Bill Farmer
Review: Swackhammer (Danny DeVito), an evil alien theme park owner, needs a new attraction at Moron Mountain. When his gang, the Nerdlucks, heads to Earth to kidnap Bugs Bunny (Billy West) and the Looney Tunes, Bugs challenges them to a basketball game to determine their fate. The aliens agree, but they steal the powers of NBA basketball players, including Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, Larry Johnson, Muggsy Bogues, and Shawn Bradley-- so Bugs gets some help from superstar Michael Jordan (Michael Jordan).
Space Jam is a cult classic from the '90s, and admittedly a movie that I grew up adoring. While watching the movie nowadays, it may not be quite as good as I remember it, but it will always hold a special place in my heart as well as a lot of other kids who grew up in the '90s. You have iconic Looney Toons characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck teaming up with the greatest basketball player of all time in Michael Jordan. Perhaps this movie was more of a commercial ploy than a serious attempt at cinematic greatness, but it's kind of carved out its own niche by fusing professional athletes with cartoons; a combination that kids can't help but love. At the end of the day, this movie has withstood the test of time. It's wildly entertaining, and even as an adult it is tough to turn off when it's on. The movie also cleverly intertwines the real life plot of Michael Jordan transitioning back into basketball after a 2-year baseball career. As an added bonus, it also has one of the best soundtracks of all time (Seal and R. Kelly, I'm looking at you). If you ever come across Space Jam on TV, or you're trying to entertain your kids for a couple of hours, I dare you to turn this movie off!
Fun Fact: After Daffy suggests naming the team "the Ducks", Bugs asks, "What kind of Mickey Mouse organization would name their team the Ducks?" This was a dig at the Anaheim Ducks of the NHL, which were established by The Walt Disney Company.