BASEKETBALL - REVIEW

Talk about a weird movie idea...

BASEketball was Trey Parker and Matt Stone's acting follow-up to Orgazmo but this time, neither of them was on-board as director or writer so with David Zucker (of The Naked Gun fame) in charge, this was always going to have a different vibe altogether.

Luckily, these two guys are likable enough to keep the movie afloat throughout.

That said, had they not been the stars of the show, it's unlikely that BASEketball would have been as watchable as it is. For one, it's unclear whether the movie is a straight-up parody of sports movies in general or just a goofy, not-so-gross-out comedy with a spoofy vibe to it. The core concept is an interesting one with sports having become so bloated and inaccessible that the world has basically given up on them. So when two random dudes come up with a new (if ludicrous) one, the world embraces their fresh, genuine, playful take until that sport finds itself in danger of falling into the same money-driven traps that the other ones did. I don't know about you but that sounds like the concept of a fun sci-fi comedy in the vein of Idiocracy with a little Rollerball and a little The Running Man thrown in. As a parody, however, BASEketball falls more into the Dodgeball/Happy Gilmore category of not-bad-but-not-great by-numbers sports-coms. It's a childish movie, for sure, but with the right tone and the right approach, that can work really well. Here, you're just happy to see Trey Parker and Matt Stone in another movie but everything around them is completely expendable. It's near-impossible to care about anything in this movie when it's so obvious that its plot really isn't the focus and really isn't going anywhere all that interesting.

However, BASEketball is a fun little movie and it does have its moments. Yes it's all pretty superficial and overall kinda forgettable but when a joke works, it works. The script lacks a certain focus when it comes to the jokes (and the plot) but occasionally something so irreverent happens that it gives you just enough lols to keep you on-board. A few lines and recurring jokes in this movie are straight out of a South Park episode and you even get a Trey Parker song near the end so parts of BASEketball are, indeed, worthy but next to stuff like Team America or even Orgazmo, it's no contest. This really is one for fans of the duo who want to see more of them, since they're not on camera, on the big screen all that often. The uninitiated won't be too impressed, I don't think, and by the time Trey and Matt make-out in what is quite probably one of the best, most unexpected make-out scenes ever put on film, they'll be REALLY confused.

All in all, BASEketball is a fun, if forgettable little comedy starring two people who are capable of much better things and who have made much better things. The film is extremely hit-and-miss but it has its moments and I do enjoy checking it out once in a while so I'd say give it a go if you like these guys and have never seen it.

You'll be entertained, at the very least!