Joe Pytka

The utterly insane premise still boggles my mind. The Looney Tunes co-star in a serious, if simplified, biopic of an actual career switch in the life of an actual superstar athlete, played by himself, when the owner of an amusement park in outer space sends alien slugs to steal NBA talents in order to challenge the protagonists to a basketball game. On, and in a subplot, Bill Murray -- as himself -- really thinks he's got what it takes to be a superstar basketball player in his own right.

Somehow, it works. The movie's not quite great -- most of the jokes are a bit too rudimentary (it's telling that nearly all the laugh-out-loud moments are provided by Bill Murray and Wayne Knight, not the toons -- and I recall this being the case when watching it as a child, too) -- but it's undeniably good, and with this ridiculous a premise, it has no right to be. Kind of worth it just to gape in shock as the film somehow pulls itself off.… (more)