‘Mr. 3000’ scores big

Evan Marmol

Bernie Mac slams a homerun in the off-base comedy “Mr. 3000.”

Stan Ross (Bernie Mac) assumes the moniker, “Mr. 3000” after

slugging his 3,000th base hit, placing him in the pantheon of

baseball legends. This bumptious, pompous, and self-absorbed dynamo

builds an empire based entirely on that accomplishment. His only foil

is the media’s refusal to vote him into the Cooperstown Hall of fame.

Stan Ross’ lack of ultimate recognition is the bane of his existence.

On the verge of an upcoming hall of fame vote, it is discovered

that a mathematical error has erroneously recorded three of Stan’s

hits, dropping him to 2997 and completely out of contention for his

ego placating enshrinement. This is when the true comedy starts

batting away.

The loud mouthed, pugnacious player decides to come out of

retirement and recapture his illustrious mark on baseball history.

Nine years out of retirement, husky and as stilted as ever, the

skeptics have a field day. His homecoming from the team is a walker,

which treats him like a geriatric patient.

To make things worse, the media jabs are ample and ruthless. He is

referred to as a flailing baby recently out of the womb, a foolish

dotard, and incapable of hitting the ball with a Wiffle ball bat.

Bernie Mac, though, always has his sardonic quips. His brand of

stylish humor packs a punch with his backlash to the unfriendly

pundits.

Slowly Ross learns that the record is secondary to the team. He

does have a few character hiccups, but this is more of a growing-up

type comedy. Ross motivates his team, teaches a Japanese player to

properly pronounce profanity and fosters a winning spirit.

There is also a subplot, something I usually find totally boorish,

but this one is touching and gives depth to the film. Ross meets an

old love interest and rekindles the romance, but to find out more and

hear the actual jokes, you’ll have to watch the flick.

* EVAN MARMOL is Laguna Beach resident. He graduated from UC

Irvine with a degree in psychology and social behavior. He can be

reached at Evan_Marmol@hotmail.com.