Mr. 3000

An arrogant baseball star (Bernie Mac) walks out on his team when he gets the 3,000th base hit that should assure him a place in the Hall of Fame. Then, nine years later, it comes out that his hits were miscounted; he’s three short and has to get back into uniform and try again—but his new teammates don’t like him any better than the old ones did. Is it really true that the script (by Eric Champnella, Keith Mitchell and Howard Michael Gould) originally was written for Kevin Costner? Hard to believe—so perfectly does it fit Bernie Mac, in the character of a selfish (though likeable) loudmouth who learns that, even at 47, you’re never too old to grow up and join the team. Charles Stone directs with robust good humor, and Mac is ideally matched by Angela Bassett as an ESPN reporter and former lover.