‘Uncle Drew’ stretches short films into big fun
There is no way that “Uncle Drew” should be anything more than a cynical, stretch-marked cash grab, since it cobbles together a feature-length movie from a series of Pepsi-funded short films made by and starring Boston Celtics superstar Kyrie Irving.
Yet here we are. Somehow, as corny and predictable as it is, and even with a tsunami of product placement, it works. It’s pretty funny; it’s pretty charming; it’s good-natured. And as a bonus, it’s neither a “Star Wars” nor a Marvel movie.
The Uncle Drew shorts launched a Pepsi Max campaign, and vice versa, back in 2012. Encased in convincing-enough old-age latex prosthetics and makeup, Irving posed as an arthritic, mumbling coot reluctantly (at first) taking on “youngbloods” in games of street ball and punking them as only a disguised NBA Allstar could.
The amiably slapdash film version, written by Jay Longino, reorients the premise. In this retelling of the viral prank, Drew was a massively famous and respected street court star who could outplay an entire opposing team while carrying a ham sandwich. (The sandwich gag, thrown away just so, is a clear indicator: If you laugh, you’ll probably enjoy the rest of the picture.) But time was not kind to Uncle Drew, and he more or less disappeared.
The movie concerns his resurrection, and we get to his story by way of the underdog portrayed by Lil Rel Howery. His character, Dax, gave up playing basketball after getting a crucial buzzer beater swatted out of the sky by his nemesis, Mookie (Nick Kroll, a compacted heap of trash talk). Now Dax coaches Harlem street ball and has sunk his life savings into the Rucker Classic tournament. He’s maintaining, barely, a relationship with untrustworthy Jess (Tiffany Haddish, hitting a hackneyed gold-digger cliche harder than necessary). Uncle Drew holds the key to Dax’s redemption.
Under the direction of Charles Stone III (“Drumline,” “Mr. 3000”) the movie’s a road trip to glory, as Drew and Dax head out in Drew’s shag-carpeted, eight-trackplayer-equipped van to gather his former squad members. Real-life players Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, Nate Robinson and Lisa Leslie hop on board when the plot dictates, under mounds of latex and wigs.
They’re good company, but upon the arrival of Shaquille O’neal, it’s clear who’s going to provide the anchor for this particular party van.
“Uncle Drew” can do only so much to surprise the audience. But the movie succeeds on the simplest possible terms: It’s fun to hang out with these people for a while.