Media packets and previews proclaimed “Mr. 3000” to be the comedy it hardly was. Humor came and went in spurts, but the film never did establish itself as a true comedy.The main problem with this movie is that the wrong man played Stan Ross, a first baseman for the Milwaukee Brewers. Ross, who is one of the greatest players in the game, is also the most arrogant man in baseball.
Bernie Mac is hilarious, but he really doesn’t fit the part of Ross, who is more arrogant than comical. Mac tries to be arrogant like Ross was but really doesn’t do a good job. Although Mac is very funny, Chris Rock or Jamie Fox would have been better for the role because they can both protray the personality of Stan Ross very well .
With his main goal in life being to reach Cooperstown (professional baseball’s Hall of Fame), Ross swings his way to 3000 hits and then abruptly retires, because he has reached the milestone that will likely catapult him into the Hall.
The only problem for Ross is everyone but the fans hate him. Teammates despise him, and the media will have no say-so in his being voted into the Hall of Fame due to his arrogance and the way he treats them.
Ross spends life after baseball as an entrepreneur with a strip mall of business all with the “Mr. 3000” title in them.
It’s pretty pathetic, although a bit amusing how all of his businesses have “Mr. 3000” in each of them.
Ten years after his retirement, Ross is notified that he doesn’t have 3000 hits-2997 to be exact-because three hits in one game were counted twice. Undaunted by the fact of being a 47-year-old man, Stan is determined to re-enter baseball with the sole purpose of gaining his three remaining hits.
Confident in his ability to make a comeback for the Brewers, Ross reports for training with as big a head as ever only to find out he isn’t exactly in the shape he thought. He goes through a rigorous workout, including Pilates to get his overweight, under-prepared body back into shape.
I enjoyed watching Mac attempt to do Pilates, although I do not see how it had anything to do with baseball. I guess it was just another attempt to bring out humor in this movie.
Among Ross’s new teammates is T-Rex Pennebaker (Bryan White), who is a home-run machine, and the only offensive spark for the Brew-Crew. Also there is Fukuda (Ian Anthony Dale), a Japanese-born pitcher with a perfect command of the English language except that he doesn’t know how to curse.
Bryan White is the perfect fit for Pennebaker. His swagger and attitude are an excellent addition to this movie. Someone of his nature is needed to play Ross as well.
Ian Anthony Dale has a strong resemblance to Ichiro Suzuki (Seattle Mariner’s right fielder), but he is a pitcher and not on the same playing level with Suzuki. Fukuda does make things interesting though with his ways of trying to insult Ross although he never quite gets it right.
Mo (Angela Bassett), an ESPN reporter, is an old flame of Ross’s who is covering him in his chase for the three more hits he needs.
Bassett did an outstanding job playing Mo. I was very impressed with her acting skill and ability to portray an ESPN reporter. Her beauty and skill with the microphone are comparable to those of Jill Arrington, also a sports reporter for ESPN.
Despite my harsh criticism, I would still recommend that everyone view this movie, because it really is good once you get past the lame beginning.
If I had to give this movie a rating, I would give it four stars out of a possible 10.
