A brilliant film that helped define a genre

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

There are moments in this movie where the great movie it could've been peek out... They're fleeting, here, but they're worth savoring, and they happen often enough to make it worth your while.

i watched "like mike" yesterday night and it was a great movie to watch with your family,, so i gave my vote as 10 out of 10. it seems at first, just a ordinary kid's movie, because of the sneaker thing. so i thought it was kinda boring and ordinary,but it becomes better as the movie goes on. ah i felt so touched by "tracey Reynold -morris chestnut" adopting "calvin Cambridge - bow wow" as his son I LOVE THIS MOVIE... and if you have a small kid in your family, rent a DVD and watch it...i bet the kid will love it... even i love it even though I'm not really a young child! lol..........................................................

Like Mike is a quite formulaic and cheesy family movie about an outsider who is having dreams of becoming somebody famous and of course his dreams come true. Our hero, Calvin Cambridge, (played by Lil Bow Wow) lives in an orphanage in Los-Angeles, near basketball stadium where his favorite NBA team – L.A. Knights plays (by the way fictitious team, real teams in L.A. are Lakers and Clippers). He also loves to play basketball very much and l this game is the only sweet thing that he got in his miserable life in an orphanage. But he is just an ordinary thirteen or fourteen year boy without any special talent for playing his favorite game. One day his finds old sneakers, which are supposed to belong before to some famous basketball player and he believes that was legendary Michael Jordan. After a short confrontation with his rival those sneakers get stuck on a power line and when Calvin is trying to get them back the lightning hits near him and he is shocked by power line. Soon he realizes that his shoes are magic and they give him extraordinary abilities for playing basketball and he wins an exhibition match against real NBA star. There is nothing surprising that after such win he become a player of his favorite team Knights and his life is going to change. The magic promised in the beginning of the story is gone within few minutes and we just see how young celebrity is trying to get into contact with his new partners and fragments of NBA matches with our hero who easily become one of the best players in the whole league and jumps like a … well I don't know exactly like what but one is obvious that he beat some records with his jumps. So Calvin became a NBA player and a celebrity but somehow he has no contract and he still has no any money. Sense of reality is obviously completely lost here. Numerous and mostly silly appearances of actual NBA stars throughout the movie (though some basketball fans obviously would like that), with mentioned scenes of basketball matches and inside the team scenes make that some parts of the movie look like a some kind of silly NBA promotion. And all those basketball elements of the story most of the time easily overshadow all possible morale messages in Like Mike. Well, I believe I have paid enough attention to the movie plot and negative elements and flaws. Despite all above mentioned besides its primitiveness Like Mike is a harmless movie (today that already means something) and not so rude, compared to some recent family friendly movies. The acting is mainly mediocre (the bad guy was really pathetic) with Morris Chestnut (as Tracey Reynolds) as the only bright spot. The chemistry between his character and Lil Bow Wow (who also in some moments shows some acting abilities) is one of a few really decent moments about Like Mike. In the conclusion if you are looking for a good family movie I would rather recommend to find something else than Like Mike, though some kids might like it, particularly die-hard basketball fans.My grade 5 out of 10.

I watched this movie and thought it was great. I have two younger sisters, and nowadays I cannot find a good movie that I enjoy, and that is appropriate for my 10 year old sister. This was a very good movie, very clean and enjoyable. Other than the fact that Bow climbs an electric wire in the rain, and that the shoes were magic, the storyline was just enough realistic so that kids can see that life isn't perfect for everyone. Other people have problems too. And there were a surprising twist of events. All in all, I think this was a great show. I really appreciate finding a movie that I don't have to worry about my sisters, and that my parents feel okay with us watching. Thank you!

just had to put in my 2 cents because of all the old and poor reviews. I'm not ashamed, but I've watched this movie several times already this past month!! granted, I caught it in bits and pieces at first. but ultimately this is a charming fantasy movie. who cares if Michael Jordan is never mentioned in name or makes an appearance?! at the risk of losing all credibility, I also thought "Eddie" starring Whoopi Goldberg was another great fantasy sports movie.anyhow, the Morris Chestnut character reminded me of the LL Cool J character in "Deliver Us From Eva." very likable. Crispin Glover plays his usual role. Brenda Song is cute, and hope that bigger better things happen for her. Jonathan Lipnicki is getting more annoying to watch, I almost wish he'd just quickly grow up and become another child actor failing to make it as an adult. sorry that sounds so mean ;-) I don't know any of his music, but Bow Wow is a great natural actor, and I can't wait to see his upcoming movies.