Today’s quick review: Space Jam. When an amusement park tycoon sends his alien minions to capture the cast of Looney Tunes to use as a park attraction, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and friends challenge the aliens to a game of basketball for their freedom. But when the aliens prove to be better players than they expected, the toons recruit real-life basketball star Michael Jordan to help.
Space Jam is a family sports comedy that mixes live action and cartoons. Michael Jordan, struggling to find new purpose after his retirement from basketball, is swept into a zany cartoon world to teach Bugs Bunny how to play basketball. From this fever dream of a premise, Space Jam assembles a surprisingly natural-feeling comedy that pokes fun at 90s basketball, classic Warner Bros. cartoons, and the quirks of being a celebrity.
Space Jam tweaks the “ragtag team of misfits” formula with a team of misfits that are uniquely unsuited to sports. The Looney Tunes characters exist in a world of cartoon physics, constant antics, and self-aware humor. A simple team lineup quickly descends into chaos, and any activities the characters try end up resembling their classic routines more than what they were meant to be doing.
As such, Michael’s job is not so much to whip a bunch of losers into shape but to channel their natural talents in a useful direction. The cartoon cast gives Space Jam an irreverent feel; they are comically incapable of growth, so the usual character development arcs are scrapped entirely in favor of more comedy. For his part, Michael Jordan comes across as a good-natured family man
Space Jam’s humor is imperfect, but it hits more than its misses. A bevvy of celebrity cameos are put to good use, from Bill Murray’s fawning over Jordan to the real-world basketball stars robbed of their talent to fuel the aliens’ own. The soundtrack has a couple of memorable picks, including a catchy title track that has achieved Internet notoriety.
All this combines to make Space Jam a breezy, fun watch. Watch it when you are in the mood for something light, silly, and short. Skip it if you find the premise unappealing or are looking for a more subtle comedy.
6.3 out of 10 on IMDB. I give it a 7.5 for delivering an unexpected amount of fun from an unusual premise.