Over the past decade or so, Bernie Mac has built a niche for himself as a sturdy, dependable source of comic relief. His spotty film resume ranges from top-notch A-list movies such as Steven Soderbergh's popular \Ocean's 11"" remake to far less impressive ones (""BAPS"" and ""House Party 3"" to name a few), but his presence is a bonus to nearly anything that features him. Finally, with the agreeable baseball comedy ""Mr. 3000,"" Mac has been given the opportunity to carry a film - and he proves that he is more than able to live up to the task.
Mac's character, Stan Ross, is a pompous, selfish, callous bastard who also happens to be a great baseball player. After he secures his legacy with his 3,000th hit (and is dubbed ""Mr. 3000""), Ross immediately retires and exploits his lucrative career with a ""Mr. 3000"" strip mall. Whilst campaigning for induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame, a statistician discovers a clerical error causing three of Ross' hits were counted twice; thus, Ross' namesake (not to mention chances of Hall of Fame induction) is put in jeopardy. Of course, Ross is incensed and threatened by this scandal, so he decides to come out of retirement at 47 and rejoin the Brewers to collect three more hits. Ross finds himself not only struggling to recover his greatness, but his regard for others as well.
""Mr. 3000"" really starts to cook when Mac gets back in the game, fails miserably, and is forced to take stock of his life. Sure, the jokes and introspection are predictable stuff, but under the competent direction of Charles Stone III (of the surprise hit ""Drumline""), the film manages to subvert clich?? and become enormously entertaining in the process. Mac's performance would be crucial to the success of an otherwise formulaic flick such as this, and he is certifiably excellent. As Ross, Mac integrates his trademark gruff but likable shtick, but is not limited by it in the least bit. In fact, the amount of depth that Mac locates in this character is surprising, from his initial abrasiveness to his subtle transformation into a decent guy. There is a bevy of scenes in the latter half of the film in which Mac is genuinely touching (a scene in which he watches Tom Arnold and the guys on ""The Best Damn Sports Show Period"" ream him is downright poignant), and Stone's capable directing brings out his best.
It is slightly unfortunate that the film provides only sporadic laughs, but this minor flaw allows for an unexpectedly stellar dramatic film. Mac's scenes with love interest Angela Bassett are alternately warm and amusing, and his eventual camaraderie with the players, including a selfish superstar that mirrors Ross in his younger years, is fun to watch. Stone keeps the film buoyant and breezy throughout (his use of a jazzy score creates a bouncy tone that is maintained even during dramatic scenes), and the supporting cast is fairly decent. Thanks to Mac's laudable performance and Stone's skill behind the camera, ""Mr. 3000"" manages to be an amiable comedy-drama with a touching undercurrent of sadness.
