If you wanna know just how much this movie isn’t made for someone like me, all I have to tell you is that – one, I had no idea this was based off a character from a series of Pepsi Max commercials, and two, aside from Shaquille O’Neal, I have no clue who these other players in the cast are. But the interesting thing about Uncle Drew is despite all that, I was won over by the film.
I don’t know if the story follows anything specific from the commercials, but the film revolves around Dax (Lil Rel Howery), a down-on-his-luck basketball coach from Harlem, who is desperate to find a way to win the annual Rucker Classic street tournament, so he can defeat his rival, Mookie (Nick Kroll), and win back his girl, Jess (Tiffany Haddish). His only hope to win is by recruiting local legend Uncle Drew (Kyrie Irving), who brings in his old friends, Big Fella (Shaquille O’Neal), Preacher (Chris Webber), Lights (Reggie Miller), and Boots (Nate Robinson), back together for one last game.
Writer, Jay Longino, and director, Charles Stone III, keep their ambitions modest here, creating a fairly small and low stakes sports comedy that feels like it could’ve been made in the 90s. It is very by-the-numbers when compared to other films like this. It keeps things simple and very straightforward, as it doesn’t take long before Dax makes the choice to enlist Uncle Drew, and they begin their road trip to pick up the other members of the team before finally coming back for the tournament. There aren’t a whole lot of detours or surprises during this, but that’s not usually a big problem. After all, the main appeal of an underdog story like this is creating characters that are endearing and likable, so that you can root for them once we enter the big game.
The characters here aren’t the most deep by any means, but they are functional, and it helps that the casting is right on the mark. Lil Rel Howery shows that he has what it takes to command a lead role, and he sells the main conflict with his character. That conflict being the fear of following your passion due to a past failure. Like I said, well tread territory, but why bother fixing what isn’t broken. Plus, the real focus is ultimately on the comedy, and that is something the film does a really good job at.
The film leans on the absurdity of seeing older guys playing basketball against a younger opposing team, but the the real strong suit is how it creates these big, broad personalities with the strange cast of characters. The way they bounce off each other, and lead the film into various shenanigans is fun to watch. Some of the jokes can be considered easy and obvious, but it’s hard to complain when they’re delivered with such pizzazz. The five players also prove to be compelling and charming on screen, making each character distinctive and believable, despite acting through heavy makeup. They are weirdly convincing as old men (and woman in the case of Preacher’s wife, Betty Lou, played by Lisa Leslie), and it’s a blast to see them in action. And of course, supporting actors like Nick Kroll and Tiffany Haddish are as great as you’d expect. Although, Mike Epps and J.B. Smoove appear for two scenes, and don’t contribute much to the movie, which is strange. And Erica Ash is left with a thankless role as Boots’ granddaughter, who develops a relationship with Dax through the course of the film.
I’m sure there are a number of cameos and in-jokes for people who actually follow basketball scattered throughout the film, but they flew right over my head. Thankfully, it’s never really done in a way that’s distracting or seemingly brings attention to itself. There wasn’t a moment where I felt like I was left out of a moment due to the movie stopping to deliver a reference that I wouldn’t get. If there is any flaw I can point out, it’s the near fatal decision to give the one straight-faced dramatic beat of the movie to Shaquille O’Neal, but it’s thankfully over pretty quickly.
There’s not a ton to say about Uncle Drew because the pleasures of it are simple and comforting in the way a lot of films like this often strive and fail to be. It’s not the most interesting or memorable comedy I’ve seen this year, but it’s one that I still found shockingly effective and charming. Even though the origins of the film are purely commercial, it honestly doesn’t show as much as you might expect. It moves at a fast pace, it’s light on its feet, and it smartly utilizes its cast of athletes (a rare feat, I may add). It’ll definitely be a treat for fans of the sport and these particular players, but even if you aren’t in the know – like me – this will still be a good time.