Mr 3000 (2004)

Director:

Charles Stone III

Writers (WGA):

Eric Champnella (story) &
Keith Mitchell (story) ...

Release Date:

17 September 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

He's putting the "I" back in team.

Plot:

Aging baseball star who goes by the nickname, Mr. 3000, finds out many years after retirement that he didn't quite reach 3,000 hits. Now at age 47 he's back to try and reach that goal.

Plot Keywords:

Baseball | Retirement | Wager | Milwaukee Wisconsin | Sports Bar

Awards:

1 win & 5 nominations

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Bernie Mac	...	Stan Ross
Angela Bassett	...	Maureen "Mo" Simmons
Michael Rispoli	...	Boca
Brian J. White	...	Rex 'T-Rex' Pennebaker
Ian Anthony Dale	...	Fukuda
Evan Jones	...	Fryman
Amaury Nolasco	...	Minadeo
Dondre Whitfield	...	Skillet
Paul Sorvino	...	Gus Panas
Earl Billings	...	Lenny Koron
Chris Noth	...	Schiembri
Neil Brown Jr.	...	Clubhouse Assistant
Scott Martin Brooks	...	Eddie Richling (as Scott Brooks)
Rich Komenich	...	Big Horse Borelli
David Devey	...	Cecil Gervis

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for sexual content and language.

Runtime:

104 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

Hungary:14 | Netherlands:AL | Argentina:13 | Australia:PG | Singapore:PG | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Canada:G (Quebec) | Canada:PG (Ontario)

Filming Locations:

Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, USA

Company:

Touchstone Pictures

Trivia:

When Stan Ross is walking to the plate with 2,999 hits (the first time...at the beginning of the movie), the announcer states "Will this be the at bat..." then states the date..."that Stan Ross hits number 3000." This is almost identical to the real television call by Joe Buck when Mark McGwire was sitting on 61 home runs and stepped to the plate and hit number 62 to break the single season home run record set by Roger Maris in 1961.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The glove used by the pitcher in the 1995 game when Stan hit his 3,000th hit was a Rawlings "Pro Preferred" model. This model glove was not available at that time.

Quotes:

[Stan is in a commerical]
Stan: You don't like me because I sign autographs.
[hits a baseball]
Stan: You don't like me because I tell you what's on my mind.
[Hits another baseball]
Stan: But you love me because I am the greatest hitters alive!
[swings a few more hits]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Family Guy: Whistle While Your Wife Works (#5.5)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Nutcracker Suite

Bernie Mac hits a triple

I love movies and I love watching sports. Not surprisingly, I really enjoy sports movies. Good ones. This is a very good one.

Bernie Mac, as the ragingly ego maniacal baseball star Stan Ross, accomplishes the near impossible. He makes us despise his character, then pity him, and finally adore him. He is completely comfortable in the role, and commands the screen with almost shocking ease.

The movie doesn't go for a home run, and therein lies much of its strength. This isn't "The Natural." The director and writer are content to tell a straightforward but very entertaining story with a good message for athletes of all ages. "Mr. 3000" is funny and ultimately quite touching, and the ending is both surprising and fitting.

My kids enjoyed the movie as much as I did. So count this as three "thumbs up" for a Hollywood movie with a little bit of heart.