‘UNCLE DREW’

PG-13 1:43

With a cast dominated by NBA stars, bearing heavy amounts of old-age makeup, “Uncle Drew” naturally inspires laughter and a love for the game of basketball.

As a nod to the ESPN 30 for 30 documentaries, the film begins by telling the story of the legend of Uncle Drew (Kyrie Irving), who became a basketball all star, only to mysteriously disappear a few years later.

For the remainder of the film, we follow Lil Rel Howery as Dax, an orphan who settled for being a coach after his dreams of being a basketball player were crushed by an embarrassing loss. Things only get worse for Dax. He puts all of his time and effort into his star player, only to find that his biggest competition and arch nemesis, Mookie (Nick Kroll) has stolen his entire team, along with his girlfriend (Tiffany Haddish).

Now homeless and penniless, Dax goes on a quest for a new team, without much luck. That is until he happens upon an old geezer who turns out to be none other than Uncle Drew. Dax convinces him to rebuild his old team — cue the road trip.

Drew and Dax together is opportune for senile old man and “youngblood” (as Drew repetitively calls members of the younger generation) jokes, making the trip quite comical. Each member of Drew’s former team has their own hilarious situation that came about after reaching old age — together making a team of a blind man, a man in a wheelchair, a preacher and a martial arts instructor.

Shaquille O’Neal as Big Fella often steals the show with his hilarious facial expressions and character. There’s nothing like seeing Shaquille O’Neal covered in old-age makeup, slightly resembling Wolverine, getting down on the dance floor.

Small conflicts between the players arise here and there throughout the film, but are often very quickly resolved — Drew and Dax have their ups and downs, but by the end of the film find that they share a connection through their past mistakes. “Uncle Drew” leaves you with a heartwarming ending as Dax realizes he’s finally found the family he never had and the courage to pursue his once crushed dreams.

Starring: Kyrie Irving, Reggie Miller, Lil Rey Howery, Nate Robinson (III), Shaquille O’Neal, Chris Webber, Erica Ash, Tiffany Haddish, Lisa Leslie, Nick Kroll, JB Smoove and Mike Epps. (suggestive material, language and brief nudity.)