‘Uncle Drew’ unites Kyrie Irving with NBA legends Shaq and Reggie Miller for a surprisingly fun time [Review]
The former fake Pepsi ad character now has his own feature-length film, and it’s a fairly fun sports comedy
These old dudes are ready to ball.Uncle Drew started as a publicity stunt for Pepsi, where star NBA point guard Kyrie Irving transformed into an old man with the magic of makeup, and surprised real streetball players with his skills. The concept has been lengthened into a feature-length movie, and it’s actually not bad.
Feisty basketball coach Dax (Lil Rel Howery) loses his star player to a rival team just before the world-famous Rucker Classic street ball tournament.
Enter the legendary street baller Uncle Drew, who agrees to play for Dax if they can assemble his old team. This includes massive centre Big Fella (Shaquille O’Neal), power forward/church minister Preacher (Chris Webber), wheelchair-bound speedster Boots (Nate Robinson), and legally-blind sharpshooter Lights (Reggie Miller).
Can this team of golden oldies show up the young guns, and claim the crown for the old school?
As a light-hearted feel-good sports comedy, Uncle Drew mostly hits all the right notes. The plot isn’t anything we haven’t seen before, but the fun performances from former NBA all-stars are the highlight of the movie.
Basketball fans will enjoy nuggets of humour worked in just for them. For example, Shaq’s stoic Big Fella is now a kung fu instructor - a nod to his horrible, horrible Shaq Fu video game. He also take subtle digs at former Lakers teammate Kobe Bryant as he mutters things like “Pass the ball, Kobe,” to ball hog Drew near the beginning of the film.
Chris Webber’s turn as fiery church minister Preacher shows off his comedic timing, and even former WNBA legend Lisa Leslie gets into the act as Betty Lou, Preacher’s talented wife who has a silky smooth shot of her own.
Three-point specialist Reggie Miller is also good as a sight-challenged shooter who still has the shooter’s touch, if he could only see the basket. And Kyrie Irving holds the team together with a strong performance as an old man who finally faces up to his mistakes, and passes on his love for the game to the next generation.
The film isn’t without its low points though, as a romantic subplot seems rushed and slightly forced. The basketball sequences are also not spectacular and merely ok. Overall though, Uncle Drew is a fun time for audiences, especially for hardcore basketball fans.