BASEketball (Widescreen)

 

 

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The movie was funny at times. The DVD is horrible. There is nothing "extra" about it. The VHS version has more "extras" than the DVD.

Huh?

Avoid this like the plague.

A lot of people may not know it, but BASEketball is a truly classic comedy. Don't let the high-minded among us (and there are a lot of Parker-Stone haters out there) tell you any different. Not only is this film hilarious, it - like virtually everything Trey Parker and Matt Stone do - has a lot to say in a surprisingly incisive way; those who see only puerile humor and grossness in this film are not watching it closely. The opening of the film is brilliant, with its hilarious spoofing of modern showmanship and its lament for the death of tradition in sports. Nobody seems to play for the love of the game anymore - it's all about money and fame. Ever since he caught Reggie Jackson's historic third home run in that crucial game of the 1977 World Series, Joe Cooper (Trey Parker) has dreamed of becoming a sports star. Unfortunately, he and his pal Doug Remer (Matt Stone) are basically losers who have never grown up - but all that changes when their home-grown game of BASEketball (basketball without all that running, played with baseball rules) grows from a neighborhood obsession to the new national past-time. Professional BASEketball is sports as it was meant to be - the rules preclude the moving of teams from one city to another, free agency and the trading of players are not allowed, and every single athlete, even Squeak (Dian Bachar), gets paid the same amount - and it's a sport than anyone can participate in since it requires almost no athletic skills. Of course, some people want to change those rules so they can make millions off of the new national obsession. When the founder of the league and owner of the Milwaukee Beers dies, it's up to Coop to preserve the integrity of the game - and he will have to lead the Beers to the Denslow Cup championship in order to do it.

I personally invented the game of baseyball as a kid, but that sport never seemed to catch on. Maybe I should have incorporated a form of defense along the lines of BASEketball's- the Psyche Out. When a player is ready to shoot the ball, you can do almost anything in order to psyche him out - and the guys come up with some incredibly funny defensive plays as this movie progresses. And the league itself comes stocked with buckets full of laughs in and of itself - what with teams such as the Roswell Aliens, Miami Dealers, New Jersey Informants, L.A. Riots, and San Francisco Ferries. Each team's cheerleaders are also a sight to behold, as is the wild pageantry that surrounds each game - what other sport gives you Dozen Egg Night and Free Range Chicken Night? Tons of professional sportscasters make cameo appearances to talk about the sport - Jim Lampley, Dan Patrick, Kenny Mayne, Bob Costas, Al Michaels, Tim McCarver, Pat O'Brien. The film's cameos don't stop there, though. The only thing more amazing than the number of recognizable faces that turn up here - including Robert Stack, Dale Earnhardt, Reggie Jackson, Ernest Borgnine, Kato Kaelin, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and Victoria Silvstedt (not to mention the future voices of Mr. Garrison and Eric Cartman) - are the crazy things they got most of these guys to say. I guarantee you've never seen a segment of Unsolved Mysteries like the one featured here.

Can the sport of BASEketball survive the onslaught of commercialization brought to bear upon it by Dallas Felons owner Baxter Cain (Robert Vaughn)? Remer falls prey to the glories of money and fame (taking it to ridiculous extremes), and the Beers team falls apart as Coop and Remer clash over tradition vs. money - and over the affections of Jenna Reed (Yasmine Bleeth). And what of young Joey and the other sick kids Jenna cares for? And will the Beers ever win that elusive Denslow Cup?

I love BASEketball. This is a film you can watch over and over again, always discovering even more subtle jokes and gags lurking in the background. As for Parker and Stone, they make for a great team in front of the cameras; Parker in particular is really quite a good actor. (I might also mention the fact that Parker's and Stone's band D.V.D.A. contributes a memorable song to the soundtrack - and, no, I can't tell you what the band's initials stand for - not here, anyway). Sure, the humor is a little on the crude side at times, and some people just won't get it, but this movie is absolutely hilarious and a cult classic for many of us. South Park fans should definitely enjoy the oddball humor of BASEketball. If you ask me, it's one of the funniest movies ever made.

i love this movie i've seen it atleast 8 times in 2005 i bought the dvd hilarious.the quotes. the special features all great. im also a big fan of orgazmo, southpark the movie, team america. and just south park. and just how they had rbf in there was awsome

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5.0 out of 5 stars funniest dvd
I'm a big fan of South Park and this dvd is one of my favourites. When I first saw it , i was like oh cool a movie with the guys that made south park. Read more

Published on April 10 2004 by Antoine

5.0 out of 5 stars An underrated treasure
Disgusting? Check. Juvenile? Check. Sadistic? Check. BASEketball is all these things, but it is also so much more, thanks to the Zucker (Airplane, Top Secret! Read more

Published on Mar 25 2004 by Edward Swan

5.0 out of 5 stars Humor Only a Prepubescent Boy Could Love...
Okay, so I'm not a prepubescent boy. I'm a nearly thirty-year-old woman who was made to watch this ridiculous film quite against her will... Read more

Published on Mar 8 2004 by JR Peterman

5.0 out of 5 stars "Steve....Perry!"
This is one of my favourite movies of all time, no doubt! Matt and Trey have been my heroes since I was ten years old (I was a very demented 10 year old). Read more

Published on Feb 23 2004 by Cassie

4.0 out of 5 stars It's this new game we learned...in the hood!
BASEketball is a surprisingly clever comedy that works on many different levels. While it parodies feel-good sports movies it also posts a savage social commentary on the... Read more

Published on Dec 3 2003 by kendall lopere

5.0 out of 5 stars Stupid friggin' lame DVD...argh
The DVD contains a featurette in which director David Zucker states that he originally cut BASEketball at 2 hours! The movie is maybe an hour and a half, now, so... Read more

Published on Oct 14 2003 by Tyler Foster

5.0 out of 5 stars "I Heard your sister is going out with Squeek"
This is a terrific story of two friends and their struggle as they go from losers to athletes on the national level within a few years. Read more

Published on Sep 4 2003 by pilgrimskrew

5.0 out of 5 stars Most Underrated Comedy of last ten years
Trey Parker and Matt Stone, while obviously very funny men, are extremely underrated in their ability to direct movies. This fact is no more true than in BASEketball. Read more

Published on Aug 23 2003 by Kevin C. Siqveland

4.0 out of 5 stars Very Funny
This movie is incredibly funny. The south park guys do have a life out side of south park. This movie will make you laugh out loud several times. Read more

Published on July 8 2003 by Nic

5.0 out of 5 stars The Perfect Fun Comedy
This movie is a lot of fun! You will still be laughing at the jokes a week after seeing the movie. There's no way to describe it except to say that it's funny. Read more

Published on Jun 14 2003 by Vivian

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