Uncle Drew is Full of Comedy - Erin's Review

Uncle Drew is in theaters on June 29th, 2018.

Uncle Drew is full of comedy! In fact, it should get equal billing as a comedy as it does for being a basketball movie. It’s a good pick for everyone. Take it from me, you don’t need to know a thing at all about basketball in order to enjoy it. It might even spark moviegoers to look into some of the basketball players from the film – I sure did. On the other hand, those who do follow the sport will be equally happy watching Uncle Drew and discussing the plays and realistic portrayals of basketball and “hoop dreams.”

Uncle Drew treats you to an all-star cast combination of up-and-coming stars, established comedians, and well-known basketball greats, not to mention a whole host of cameos (notably, none of these cameos take away from the film – they only help to spur it on). The observant moviegoer might even notice a few subtle nods to the classically-90s movie Space Jam sprinkled throughout the film. Uncle Drew’s direction and production were put together very well. At just under 1hr 45 min, it works as a good, quick journey through a realistic and well-known plotline – losing your way and subsequently trying to find yourself on a literal and metaphorical journey – this time with a basketball theme twist.

The writing of this movie is also pretty good – I didn’t feel like I was listening to scripted material that’s been practiced and done over multiple times. I think this is partly due to the fact that cast chemistry and comedic timing really are the spotlights of the film. Each actor and basketball player effortlessly showed their own brand of comedy and holds their own next to more seasoned comedians. Plus, it felt like they were letting me be in on the jokes. After a little while, I started realizing I was forming some sort of emotional attachment to the team and their story thanks to all the comedy. I wouldn’t be surprised if the cast did an interview saying they ad-libbed most of what I saw and heard on screen. Even through the credits, I laughed.

The storyline really doesn’t have many negatives. There are a few minutes here and there that seem drawn out and a few minor scenes that seem to rely on more obvious screenwriting ploys. Also, there’s a mystery reason for a conflict that gets talked about throughout the film. When it’s finally revealed what this mystery conflict-causing situation was, I felt a bit let-down because the reason seemed slightly far-fetched and stereotypical based on the setting and characters. But I feel like all of this could be mostly overlooked because there really weren’t many issues and the rest of the film made up for it. For instance, at one point, after getting very engrossed in the basketball being played on screen, I remembered that I wasn’t watching a real basketball tournament. Overall, Uncle Drew has all the makings of a feel-good film that I wouldn’t mind watching multiple times. I think audiences will appreciate that because really, we all could use a good laugh.

Rating: 4 out of 5

Erin (Contributor) lives in New Orleans. She loves watching tv and movies of any genre except horror and is always up for a good book.
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