Editing Like Mike

{{short description|2002 American sports comedy film}}
{{other uses}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=October 2023}}
{{Infobox film
| name = Like Mike
| image = Like Mike poster.jpg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = [[John Schultz (director)|John Schultz]]
| producer = {{ubl|[[Barry Josephson]]|Peter Heller}}
| writer = {{ubl|Michael Elliot|Jordan Moffet}}
| story = Michael Elliot
| starring = {{Plain list|
* [[Bow Wow (rapper)|Lil' Bow Wow]]
* [[Morris Chestnut]]
* [[Jonathan Lipnicki]]
* [[Robert Forster]]
* [[Crispin Glover]]
* [[Eugene Levy]]
}}
| music = [[Richard Gibbs]]
| cinematography = [[Shawn Maurer]]
| editing = {{ubl|[[Peter E. Berger]]|John Pace}}
| studio = {{ubl|[[NBA Entertainment]]|Heller Highwater Productions|Josephson Entertainment}}
| distributor = [[20th Century Fox]]
| released = {{Film date|2002|07|03}}
| runtime = 95 minutes
| country = United States
| language = English
| budget = $30 million<ref name="boxofficemojo1">{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=likemike.htm |title=Like Mike (2002) |publisher=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=2015-05-25 |archive-date=July 8, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708015243/https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=likemike.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>
| gross = $62.3 million<ref name="boxofficemojo1"/>
}}

'''''Like Mike''''' is a 2002 American [[Sports film|sports]] [[comedy film]] directed by [[John Schultz (director)|John Schultz]] and written by Michael Elliot and Jordan Moffet. Starring [[Bow Wow (rapper)|Lil' Bow Wow]], [[Morris Chestnut]], [[Jonathan Lipnicki]], [[Brenda Song]], [[Robert Forster]], [[Crispin Glover]], and [[Eugene Levy]], the film follows an orphan who gets basketball talents after finding an old pair of sneakers that once belonged to [[Michael Jordan]].

It was produced by NBA Productions, and features cameo appearances by NBA players. The film was released on July 3, 2002, by [[20th Century Fox]], three years after Jordan left the [[Chicago Bulls]], one year before Jordan retired for the third (and last) time from the [[NBA]], and during his playing career with the [[Washington Wizards]] (Jordan's first retirement was 1993).

''Like Mike'' received mixed reviews from critics. In later years, the film became a fan favorite among basketball fans.<ref>{{Cite magazine |title=How Bow Wow Energized a New Generation of NBA Fans with Like Mike |url=https://www.gq.com/story/like-mike-20th-anniversary-bow-wow |access-date=July 21, 2022 |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=8 July 2022 |archive-date=July 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220715121733/https://www.gq.com/story/like-mike-20th-anniversary-bow-wow |url-status=live }}</ref>

== Plot ==
13-year-old Calvin Cambridge and his two best friends, Murph and Reg Stevens, live in an [[orphanage]] in [[Los Angeles]]. At night, they all have to sell chocolate for the troublesome orphanage director, Stan Bittleman, at the [[Crypto.com Arena|STAPLES Center]], after each home game of the [[National Basketball Association|NBA]] team, the Los Angeles Knights (a parody of the [[Los Angeles Clippers]]). Calvin meets the team's coach, who is impressed by Calvin's knowledge of basketball and honesty about the chocolates, and offers Calvin tickets for the next game. Inside a [[Charity shop|thrift store]] donation box, Calvin finds a pair of old sneakers with the initials "MJ" written on them; once worn by [[Michael Jordan]]. A jealous bully named Ox steals the sneakers and throws them onto an overhead power line. When Calvin tries to retrieve them that night during a rainstorm, he is shocked by a lightning bolt.
 
The next day, Calvin and his friends attend the game between the Knights and the [[Minnesota Timberwolves]]. During a halftime contest, Calvin's ticket number is called and he goes one-on-one with the Knights' star player, Tracy Reynolds. He ends the contest with a [[slam dunk]] after bouncing the ball off the backboard. After a long moment of stunned silence, Calvin receives a standing ovation from his friends and the crowd, and gets signed to a one-day contract by the Knights and prepares for his first game with them, but discovers that he is not there to play. When the Knights play the [[San Antonio Spurs]] they start losing badly and Coach Wagner decides to let Calvin play in the fourth quarter. Calvin leads a comeback against the Spurs and they win, leading to Calvin getting a season contract. Calvin brings teamwork to the Knights and makes them one of the best teams in the league.

As Calvin is still a minor, Coach Wagner appoints Tracy to be his roommate and mentor, much to Tracy's displeasure. Late one night, Tracy falls asleep behind the wheel after mistakenly taking sleeping medication, so Calvin is forced to drive the car back to the hotel to keep Tracy from being suspended for violating curfew. While Calvin gets benched for the incident as punishment for "joyriding", Tracy starts warming up to him and the two begin to form a bond.

Bittleman eventually signs a contract with the Knights stating that all of Calvin's money will go to him until Calvin [[coming of age|comes of age]], or is adopted. When the second option is about to become true, a desperate Bittleman steals Calvin's sneakers and bets $100,000 on the [[Toronto Raptors]] to beat the Knights. After the kids convince Ox and his cohorts that Bittleman is selfish, Ox takes the shoes out of Bittleman's safe. The kids head to the arena with Calvin's sneakers. Bittleman escapes and sends goons after Calvin in a failed attempt to retrieve the shoes.

After the third quarter ends with [[Vince Carter]] and the Raptors routing the Knights, 80–59, Calvin makes it back to the arena with the shoes. Calvin nearly gets benched for arriving late, but Tracy and the rest of the team convinces Coach Wagner to let Calvin play, and the Knights start to make a comeback. After a pile-on towards the end of the game, Calvin's shoes are ruined with the Knights trailing the Raptors, 103–102. Without the shoes, and wanting to go back to being a normal kid again, Calvin tells the team that, regardless of whether or not the Knights make the playoffs, this will be his last game. In the final play, Calvin manages to pump fake to get Carter to jump and pass the ball to Tracy. Tracy makes the game-winning shot at the final buzzer, and the Knights defeat the Raptors, 104–103, clinching the Knights' first playoff appearance.

After going back to the orphanage, Calvin and Murph get adopted by Tracy, and Reg by a different family, though they stay in touch. Bittleman, not having the money to pay the bet he made, goes missing (likely to avoid getting killed by the loan sharks for failing to pay, or avoid imprisonment for his treatment towards Calvin and the other orphans), and the orphanage is now sponsored by the Knights.

== Cast ==
{{Div col start}}
* [[Bow Wow (rapper)|Bow Wow]] as Calvin Cambridge
* [[Morris Chestnut]] as Tracy Reynolds, Calvin's adoptive father
* [[Jonathan Lipnicki]] as Murph, Calvin's friend and adoptive brother
* [[Robert Forster]] as Coach Wagner
* [[Crispin Glover]] as Stan Bittleman
* [[Anne Meara]] as Sister Theresa
* [[Eugene Levy]] as Frank Bernard
* [[Brenda Song]] as Reg Stevens, Calvin & Murph's female friend
* [[Jesse Plemons]] as Ox
* [[Tucker Smallwood]] as Mr. Reynolds, Tracy's father
* [[Vanessa Estelle Williams|Vanessa Williams]] as Pharmacist
* [[Timon Kyle Durrett]] as Henderson
* Julius Charles Ritter as Marlon
* [[Fred Armisen]] as New Age Dad
* [[Julie Brown]] as New Age Mom
* [[Reginald VelJohnson]] as Mr. Boyd 
* [[Valarie Pettiford]] as  Mrs. Boyd
* [[Reggie Theus]] and [[Geoff Witcher]] as the Knights Announcers
* Roger Morrissey as Marvin Joad
* [[Sandra Prosper]] as Janet

=== NBA players ===
* [[Vince Carter]]
* [[Michael Finley]]
* [[Steve Francis]]
* [[Allen Iverson]]
* [[Jason Kidd]]
* [[Desmond Mason]]
* [[Alonzo Mourning]]
* [[Tracy McGrady]]
* [[Steve Nash]]
* [[Dirk Nowitzki]]
* [[Gary Payton]]
* [[Jason Richardson]]
* [[David Robinson (basketball)|David Robinson]]
* [[Gerald Wallace]]
* [[Rasheed Wallace]]
* [[Chris Webber]]

=== NBA reporters ===
* [[Tom Tolbert]]
* [[Hannah Storm]]
* [[Ahmad Rashad]]
* [[Kenny Mayne]]
* [[Rich Eisen]]
* [[Pat Croce]]
{{Div col end}}

== Reception ==
=== Box office ===
''Like Mike'' grossed $51.4 million in North America and $10.8 million overseas for a total worldwide gross of $62.3 million, against its budget of $30 million.<ref name="boxofficemojo1"/> The film opened fifth at the box office with a three-day gross of $12.2 million from 2,410 theaters, and $19 million over its five-day opening.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2002&wknd=27&p=.htm |title=Weekend Box Office Results for July 5-7, 2002 |publisher=Box Office Mojo |access-date=2015-05-25 |archive-date=May 6, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150506235512/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/weekend/chart/?yr=2002&wknd=27&p=.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> The film was released in the [[United Kingdom]] on December 13, 2002, and opened on #4 with £246,169.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.25thframe.co.uk/charts/chart.php?chart=20021213|title=UK Weekend Box Office 13th December 2002 - 15th December 2002|publisher=www.25thframe.co.uk|access-date=9 June 2019|archive-date=June 9, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190609083414/https://www.25thframe.co.uk/charts/chart.php?chart=20021213|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Critical response ===
On [[Rotten Tomatoes]], ''Like Mike'' has an approval rating of 57% based on 97 reviews, and an average rating of 5.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "A pleasant and innocuous diversion for kids, but adults may have trouble sitting through its predictable plotlines and schmaltz."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/like_mike/ |title=Like Mike(2002) |publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=2015-05-25 |archive-date=August 3, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150803155830/http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/like_mike/ |url-status=live }}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], it has a score of 47 out of 100, based on 27 critics, indicating "mixed or average" reviews.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.metacritic.com/movie/like-mike |title=Like Mike Reviews |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=2015-05-25 |archive-date=March 5, 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305180631/http://www.metacritic.com/movie/like-mike |url-status=live }}</ref> Audiences polled by [[CinemaScore]] gave the film an average grade of "A" on an A+ to F scale.<ref name="CinemaScore">{{cite web |url=https://m.cinemascore.com/ |title=CinemaScore |work=cinemascore.com |access-date=September 8, 2016 |archive-date=December 10, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210223808/https://m.cinemascore.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

[[Ann Hornaday]] of ''[[The Washington Post]]'' wrote that the film depicted "frightening myths about adoption" that ultimately soured the comedy and acting chemistry between Bow Wow and Morris Chestnut.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Hornaday|first=Ann|date=July 3, 2002|title='Like Mike': Lil' Bow Wow Jumps Through the Hoops|language=en-US|newspaper=The Washington Post|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2002/07/03/AR2005033116567.html|access-date=2020-11-02|issn=0190-8286|archive-date=September 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927174902/https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2002/07/03/AR2005033116567.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

== Soundtrack ==
{{Main|Like Mike (soundtrack)}}

== Post-release ==
=== Standalone sequel ===
A direct to video stand-alone sequel titled ''[[Like Mike 2: Streetball]]'' was released on June 6, 2006.

=== Direct sequel ===
In September 2021, Bow Wow confirmed that a direct sequel to ''Like Mike'' was in the works with the film's original writer, Michael Elliot.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bow Wow Says Another "Like Mike" Sequel Is In The Works |url=https://www.bet.com/article/i7ix3i/bow-wow-says-another-like-mike-sequel-is-in-the-works |access-date=July 21, 2022 |website=BET |archive-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721193026/https://www.bet.com/article/i7ix3i/bow-wow-says-another-like-mike-sequel-is-in-the-works |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bow Wow reveals plans to release a sequel to 'Like Mike' |url=https://www.revolt.tv/article/2021-09-08/101433/bow-wow-reveals-plans-to-release-a-sequel-to-like-mike/ |access-date=July 21, 2022 |website=Revolt |archive-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220721191522/https://www.revolt.tv/article/2021-09-08/101433/bow-wow-reveals-plans-to-release-a-sequel-to-like-mike/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[List of basketball films]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{IMDb title|0308506}}
* {{Mojo title|likemike}}
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|like_mike}}

{{John Schultz}}
{{Michael Jordan}}

[[Category:2002 films]]
[[Category:2002 comedy films]]
[[Category:2000s children's comedy films]]
[[Category:2000s fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:2000s sports comedy films]]
[[Category:20th Century Fox films]]
[[Category:American basketball films]]
[[Category:American children's comedy films]]
[[Category:American fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:American sports comedy films]]
[[Category:2000s English-language films]]
[[Category:2000s American films]]
[[Category:20th Century Studios franchises]]
[[Category:Films directed by John Schultz (director)]]
[[Category:Films set in Los Angeles]]
[[Category:Films scored by Richard Gibbs]]
[[Category:Michael Jordan]]
[[Category:NBA Entertainment films]]
[[Category:English-language sports comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language fantasy comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language documentary films]]