BASEketball
| BASEketball | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | David Zucker |
| Written by | David Zucker |
| Produced by | Cleve Landsberg Robert LoCash Gil Netter Jeff Wright David Zucker |
| Starring | Trey Parker Matt Stone |
| Cinematography | Steve Mason |
| Edited by | Jeffrey Reiner |
| Music by | James Ira Newborn |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
Release date | July 31, 1998 |
Running time | 108 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | Transclusion error: {{En}} is only for use in File namespace. Use {{lang-en}} or {{in lang|en}} instead. |
| Box office | $7,027,290 |
BASEketball is a Template:Fy American David Zucker comedy starring South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along with Dian Bachar, Robert Vaughn, Ernest Borgnine, Yasmine Bleeth, and Jenny McCarthy. The movie follows the history of the sport (created by Zucker years earlier) of the same name, from its invention by the lead characters as a game they could win against more athletic types, to its development as a nationwide league sport and a target of corporate sponsorship. This is the only one of Parker's and Stone's works that wasn't written, directed, and/or produced by them.
Plot
At Game 6 of the 1977 World Series, Joe "Coop" Cooper, catches the ball from Reggie Jackson's third home run and proclaims to his best friend, Doug Remer, that "one day, I'm gonna be a big sports star."
Years later Coop (Trey Parker) and Remer (Matt Stone), arrive uninvited at a party hosted by a former high school classmate of theirs. After finding out that their classmates have grown-up and moved on with their lives, Coop and Remer get kicked out of the house and find themselves outside on the driveway basketball court.
There, they are dared by two other classmates to a game. The two see that their opponents are very good at basketball, so they say they will only play a new game they picked up "in the hood". Clearly making this new game up as they go, Coop originally proposes Horse, but changes it to basketball with baseball rules. During the newcomer's first throw, Coop "psyches" him out to make him miss; a rule not explained previously. A "psyche out" can be anything said or done that makes the offense lose their concentration and miss their shot. They then proceed to continue playing their new game, "BASEketball" and form their own league.
Six months after creation of the game, Ted Denslow (Ernest Borgnine), shows up to propose creation of the National BASEketball League (NBL). Five years after creation of the league, the NBL is in full swing with stadiums, teams, fans, and a major championship (the Denslow Cup).
During the championship, Denslow chokes on a hot dog and dies. After the game, Jenna Reed (Yasmine Bleeth) introduces herself to Coop and Remer as they leave the stadium. The reading of Denslow's will reveals that Coop becomes owner of the Milwaukee Beers if he wins the next Denslow Cup, otherwise ownership goes to Yvette Denslow (Jenny McCarthy).
Another owner, Baxter Cain (Robert Vaughn), wants to change the league rules that prohibit player transfers, teams moving to other cities, and corporate sponsorships but Coop refuses to accept any of the rule changes.
In a private conversation at Cain's office, Cain tells Remer that Coop has said no to Cain's rule-change plans without talking to the other members of the Beers. Remer then goes to the Beers behind Coop's back and tells the team what he learned from Cain. After Remer and the other members of the Beers confront him, Coop agrees to split ownership with Remer and the team. The team continues to agree that the rules shouldn't be changed.
With money to Jenna's foundation cut, and Remer profiting from clothing made in sweat shops Coop flies to India to find evidence that this was part of Cain's plan. He does this just as the fifth annual Denslow cup begins. The Beers start with an abysmal performance, failing to make one hit in six innings. At the seventh-inning stretch, the Beers are down 16-0. Thanks to Squeak (Dian Bachar) Coop and Remer become friends again and they finally get back into the game and start scoring.
In the bottom-half, Remer is on second and Coop is up when his custom-made BASEketball (La-Z-Boy) pops. One of the boys from Jenna's foundation Joey (Trevor Einhorn) brings Coop a new custom-made BASEketball made from a Barcalounger for Coop to use. Coop misses, but successfully completes the conversion for the win and the Denslow Cup.
Cast
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Cameo appearances as themselves:
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BASEketball teams
All of the teams represent stereotypes and include references to their respective areas:
- Milwaukee Beers
- Reference to the numerous local beer breweries and the Milwaukee Brewers; the fans wear beer mug "foam heads" and perform "the chug" (similar to the "tomahawk chop" used by the Florida State Seminoles and Atlanta Braves). Their mascot is a walking keg of beer (who can use his "tap" to urinate).
- Miami Dealers
- The players appear to be Cuban drug dealers. Note the chainsaw wielding man on the back of their jersey reminiscent of Scarface.
- New Jersey Informants
- The players are Italian-American stereotypes (one of their failed psych-outs was "Your mother's a terrible cook"); their cheerleaders all have perms and also perform some Italian hand gestures. Features Greg Grunberg, of subsequent Heroes fame.
- San Francisco Ferries
- The players wear white and pastel pink uniforms, and have the only all-male cheerleader squad. The word "Ferries" is meant to be a play on "fairies," a slang term sometimes used to refer to "homosexuals".
- Roswell Aliens
- Reference to the location where a UFO supposedly crashed and the surrounding conspiracies; the team has an alien mascot, an arena shaped to look like a flying saucer, an "Anal Probe Night" promotion.
- L.A. Riots
- Reference to the 1992 Los Angeles/Rodney King riots (and possibly Watts riots); the players appear to be angry Latinos. Their cheerleaders have the skimpiest uniforms and perform on stripper poles.
- Dallas Felons
- Huge muscle types who are probably ex-convicts (a reference to the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, a team on which numerous players had legal problems in the mid-1990s). Their owner, Baxter Cain (Vaughn) is based on Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
- San Antonio Defenders
- Rednecks, their home field includes a giant recreation of the Alamo Mission.
- Detroit Lemons
- Reference to the home of American auto makers (to which "lemon" is a reference)
When the league began to spin out of control, it was supposedly inundated with expansion teams. During the scene describing the extremely complex playoff system (complete with "a blind-choice round robin" and "the two-man sack race held on consecutive Sundays"), references were made to teams in Boston, Atlanta, Indianapolis, Charlotte, Oakland, Toronto, Tampa, Buffalo, Baltimore, Pittsburgh, and Denver. No nicknames or mascots were given for these.
Some teams on the bracket behind Kenny Mayne and Dan Patrick can also be made out if a viewer looks closely, adding even more cities, not all of which make sense. These include Cleveland, New York, Sacramento, Pasadena, Cincinnati, Philadelphia, Green Bay, St. Paul, Anaheim, Salem, Burbank, Morgantown, Tucson, Phoenix, Jackson, Tulsa, St. Louis, Oklahoma City, Chicago, San Diego, Santa Monica, Las Vegas, Lincoln, Knoxville, Memphis, Baltimore and Cairo. It appears there is also a Hawaiian Division, which included Oahu, Maui and a team named "Volcano".
Legacy
Altough the film recived lukewarm reviews and modest box office return when it debuted, over the years it has gained fame for being ahead of its time due to references to, Ridiculous end zone celebrations, stadiums named after brands, teams jumping cities for money. All of which in 1998 seemed sthicky but reflects the current sports landscape alot.[1]
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to the film was also something of a cult success. It featured a bouncy ska cover of Norwegian band a-ha's signature single "Take on Me" by Reel Big Fish. The band also appears as the live entertainment at the home stadium of the Milwaukee Beers, playing "Take on Me" and several of their other songs.[1]
Notes
External links
- BASEketball at IMDb
- BASEketball at AllMovie
- BASEketball at Box Office Mojo
- BASEketball at Rotten Tomatoes