BASEketball: Sports Movie Humor At Its Finest

Everyone loves a good movie.  Most people enjoy sports in some way, shape or form.  Sometimes, people enjoy sports movies, provided that they either a) are funny, b) have a good storyline, or c) are complete and utter farces.  From Rocky to Rudy, from No Holds Barred to Beyond the Mat, from Miracle to Hoosiers, sports movies have given us some classic moments that will never be forgotten, or in some cases, one might never wish to remember.

That brings us to today’s topic, the movie BASEketball, which was a brainchild of South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone.  It came out in 1998, directed by David Zucker, the only project of Parker and Stone that they failed to direct themselves.  It centers around a game that their characters, Joe “Coop” Cooper and Doug Remer, supposedly picked up “in the hood” after seeing they would be outclassed in a regular basketball game against two prepsters.  The premise of the game is that it has baseball rules, but that you can do anything to make your opponent miss, or “psyche out”.

Most of the time in the early going, this involves Journey references or Steve Perry comments.  After a local tournament, the two are approached by billionaire Ted Denslow, played by Ernest Borgnine, who pitches the idea of a National Basketball League, where players couldn’t change teams or be traded, franchises couldn’t relocate and athletes were treated like “indentured servants.”   The movie fast forwards five years to see the Denslow Cup Final between Coop and Remer’s Milwaukee Beers and the Dallas Felons.  With the Beers trailing in the ninth, Denslow chokes on a hot dog and ends up dying.  Coop misses the fateful final shot, giving the title to the Felons.

At the will reading, it is announced that Coop gains possession of the team, provided that he can lead the Beers to victory in Denslow Cup V, or else the team reverts ownership to Denslow’s young, hot trophy wife, Yvette, played by Jenny McCarthy.  I won’t give away the storyline as it unfolds, but let’s say that there is a lot of innuendo, hilarity, and great comedy bits, even if some of them are sophomoric in nature.  In fact, the movie even has what may be the lone live action appearance of the voice of South Park’s Eric Cartman when Coop uses it on the Felons’ Grunsky to psyche him out in the ninth inning.

The movie also features plenty of big name celebrity names and cameos from the sports world in it, lending credibility to the film.  You can see former Playmate of the Year Victoria Silvstedt making out with Remer in a hot tub, giving the film two Playmate of the Year actresses, as McCarthy was one as well.  Robert Vaughn, famous for being in The Man From U.N.C.L.E. and the A-Team, among other things, plays the owner of the Felons, Baxter Cain.  Yasmine Bleeth of “Baywatch” fame has a hefty role as Jenna Reed, of the “Dream Come True” Foundation, and love interest for Coop.  Robert Stack of “Unsolved Mysteries” fame has an entertaining couple of spots late in the film as well.

From a sports perspective, you have Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the NBA’s all time leading scorer.  Throw in well known announcers like Al MIchaels, Bob Costas, and the droll Tim McCarver, and you have a start.  Dan Patrick and Kenny Mayne give a playoff update on the BASEketball playoffs on Sportscenter, while the late Dale Earnhardt portrays a cab driver, with his cab replete with the number 3 painted on the side we all grew to identify with.  You even get to see Coop’s icon, Reggie Jackson, have a conversation near the end of the film with Coop.  It’s a fitting closure, as the movie comes full circle with that.

If you’re looking for a sports movie, or just looking for a movie that is entertaining, that will make you laugh, and take your mind off things troubling you, go check out BASEketball, either via rental, or if you can find it on television.  It won’t win any Academy Awards, but it will make you laugh.  Right now, that is something that everyone can need.

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Posted by chris on Dec 1 2011. Filed under Basketball. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.