Mr. 3000
Bernie Mac carries this risqué minor league film.
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this movie.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that this movie has strong language for a PG-13, with a wider range of bad words than normally occur in movies of this kind. There are a series of jokes about the inability of a Japanese ballplayer to curse correctly. The movie has non-explicit sexual situations and explicit sexual references. Characters discuss what made sex with each other the best either of them had ever had and make Viagra jokes. There's a reference to an alcohol abuse problem, and there are many scenes in a bar. A strength of the movie is the portrayal of intelligent and capable African-American and female characters.
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What's the Story?
Stan Ross (Bernie Mac), known as "Mr. 3000." As soon as he got the 3000th hit that he thought would ensure him a spot in the Baseball Hall of Fame, he announced his retirement from the Milwaukee Brewers. He opened up a strip mall with a pet store (3000 Paws), a cell phone store (3000 beeps), a Chinese restaurant (3000 Woks), a hair salon (3000 cuts) and a bar with a wall of 3000 baseballs. But then the hotshot statisticians in Cooperstown found out that one of Stan's games was counted twice. He's not Mr. 3000. He's Mr. 2997. So, he has a month to get back in shape and suit up, to try to get those last three hits in the final month of the season. And who should show up to report on the story for ESPN but Stan's on-and-off love, Mo (Angela Bassett). Stan has to learn that he needs more than a swing and more than a hit to win.
Is It Any Good?
Bernie Mac doesn't hit this one out of the park in MR. 3000, but he manages a solid double in his first starring role. There are no surprises here, but director Charles Stone III provides a little of the flair he showed us with the marvelous Drumline. There are some disappointing musical choices (really, how many times has "Let's Get it On" been used for romantic interludes) but also some charmingly surprising ones (the portion of "The Nutcracker Suite" best remembered as the music for the mushroom dance in Fantasia as the ball players warm up).
Bernie Mac is wonderfully assured. We knew he was funny, but he is unexpectedly tender here as well. Angela Bassett allows herself to be a little more vulnerable than we have seen before, making their romance something we really root for.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about why Stan did not care about his team and what made him realize how his behavior had affected other people. How would he have reacted if someone had spoken to him the way he spoke to T. Rex? How did Mo's not having faith in Stan make him feel? What makes people feel like a team?
Movie Details
- In theaters: September 17, 2004
- On DVD or streaming: February 1, 2005
- Cast: Angela Bassett, Bernie Mac, Paul Sorvino
- Director: Charles Stone
- Studio: Buena Vista
- Genre: Comedy
- Run time: 90 minutes
- MPAA rating: PG-13
- MPAA explanation: sexual content and language
- Last updated: December 27, 2022
Our Editors Recommend
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Bull Durham
Winning but mature comedy about sex and baseball.
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The Natural
Sappy baseball movie has violence, emotional intensity.
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