Like Mike
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation | Release Date: July 3, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
47
METASCORE
Mixed or average reviews based on 27 Critic Reviews
Positive:
8
Mixed:
13
Negative:
6
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
80
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
Sure-fire heart-warmer: lively, funny yet emotion-charged and uplifting. Read full review
75
San Francisco ChronicleMick LaSalle
Appealing movie, one of the summer's pleasant surprises. Read full review
75
Chicago TribuneLoren King
Doesn't win any points for originality. It does succeed by following a feel-good formula with a winning style, and by offering its target audience of urban kids some welcome role models and optimism. Read full review
75
Boston GlobeTy Burr
I don't want to sell Like Mike as something it's not. It's a cash-in, all right - just better written, more tightly edited, sharply performed, and a little more heartfelt than most. Read full review
75
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
The movie overcomes its lack or originality in the setup by making good use of its central idea, that a pair of sneakers could make a kid into an NBA star. This is a message a lot of kids have been waiting to hear. Read full review
70
Chicago ReaderTed Shen
Rides high on its old-fashioned sentiments and the precocious charms of its teenage star, who can be both obnoxious and endearing. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerSean Axmaker
The charisma of L'il Bow Wow's spirited screen presence turn a contemporary Cinderella gimmick and a by-the-numbers script into a better film than anyone would have expected. Read full review
63
Philadelphia InquirerCarrie Rickey
It's basketball Fantasy Camp for the cost of a movie ticket. Read full review
60
Washington PostMichael O'Sullivan
Sappy but sweet B-ball Cinderella story that succeeds thanks largely to the outsize charm of its 4-foot-8-inch, corn-rowed protagonist. Read full review
60
Wall Street JournalJoe Morgenstern
This Flubbery fantasy won't win any prizes for elegant craftsmanship or originality, but it's entertaining, good-natured and a slam dunk to be a hit with young kids.
60
L.A. WeeklyDavid Chute
A solidly crafted family comedy. Read full review
50
Charlotte ObserverLawrence Toppman
Lil' Bow Wow deserves a better-made film than this pleasant, sloppily assembled fairy tale. Read full review
50
New York Daily NewsJami Bernard
Has something going for it that you wouldn't expect from the tired mechanics of the story — and that is the star-making appearance of 15-year-old rapper Shad Moss, who goes by the name Lil' Bow Wow.
50
New York PostMegan Lehmann
Unfortunately, the vehicle chosen for the corn-rowed cutie's Hollywood coming-out party is pretty lame. Read full review
50
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Weirdly earnest and earnestly weird. Read full review
50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Liam Lacey
It's not so much a movie as a joint promotion for the National Basketball Association and teenaged rap and adolescent poster-boy Lil' Bow Wow. Read full review
50
USA TodayMike Clark
Pleasant but not more than recycled jock piffle. Read full review
50
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
The director's breezy steadiness keeps the movie from hitting us over the head -- well, not too hard, anyway, no small feat since the steroid-juiced sentimentality of the ending may force some to flee before the outtakes unspool under the credits. Read full review
42
Entertainment WeeklyOwen Gleiberman
Like Mike has the synthetically wrapped pseudo-charm of a perfunctory ''Flubber'' sequel. Read full review
40
New Times (L.A.)Robert Wilonsky
I liked when they had the paint fights and the pillow fights.
40
VarietyRobert Koehler
The court action contains only a fraction of the hoops energy one would expect from a pic co-produced by NBA Entertainment -- and film suffers from the conspicuous absence of the title's Michael Jordan. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
A soulless jumble of ineptly assembled cliches and pabulum that plays like a 95-minute commercial for NBA properties. Read full review
30
Washington PostAnn Hornaday
The frightening myths about adoption that run through Like Mike make even its happiest endings a little bit creepy. Read full review
30
TV Guide MagazineSteve Simels
A harmless, if ultimately inane, fantasy-comedy vehicle for youngsta-rapper Lil' Bow Wow, a 15-year-old who's already an alarmingly accomplished scene stealer. Read full review
20
Austin ChronicleMarjorie Baumgarten
Like Mike is a slight and uninventive movie: Like the exalted Michael Jordan referred to in the title, many can aspire but none can equal. Even "Space Jam" was better than this. Read full review
10
Village VoiceMark Holcomb
A valueless kiddie paean to pro basketball underwritten by the NBA. Read full review
10
Film ThreatMichael Dequina
There's no excuse to come within a hundred feet of a screen playing this monstrosity of a movie. Read full review
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