Mr. 3000 has come at a perfect time as it has been strategically released during the tail end of the major league baseball season. It's too bad the movie isn't as tight as the current MLB race for the post season. Still, Mr. 3000 isn't half bad thanks mostly to it's lead player, the charismatic Bernie Mac.

The story is a stretch to say the least. Bernie Mac is Stan Ross, a egotistical pro baseball player who also happens to be an incredibly talented athlete. Upon getting his 3000th hit in the majors, he decides to walk away. Nine years later, his bid for the Hall of Fame is taken away when it is discovered that he actually only had 2,997 hits due to an error in tabulation (you'd think that-since Ross has a collection of all the balls he hit-he'd have counted the damn things at some point). So, Ross decides to head back to the big show so that he might claim what is rightfully his. After arriving, he isn't exactly greeted with open arms by his much younger team mates. They're offended by comments he made about the team at a press conference. So naturally, when he gets to the locker room, he's given the cold shoulder. Before long, the other players do open their mouths, but mostly it's just to spew jokes about Ross' age.

I have to be honest. I expected to hate this movie, and in the end, I have to admit it wasn't horrible. The first act of the picture is of particular interest, because the film appears to making a direct statement towards a certain San Francisco Giant, and I really admired it's balls. (If you'll pardon the pun) It doesn't screw around. Mac's Ross is not a very nice guy. He's a gifted athlete on the field, and he has fans, but his self serving nature and inability to be a team player lend the movie an edge I wasn't expecting.

Mr. 3000 does slip into the conventions of the typical sports film at times. The idea of the hits miscount is patently absurd and the whole plot structure has a sort of sitcom feel to it, but the fact is, Bernie Mac does sell it, even if we can't physically buy him as a ball player. He's really good. I expected this to be a vehicle picture for Mac to showcase his comedy by means of a one dimensional character. Surprisingly, his Ross is quite interesting. He really becomes this son of a bitch, selfish, flawed, bastard of a player, but because Mac is able to bring humanity and a little vulnerablility to the table, we never truly hate the guy. And that's the neatest trick this talented comedian pulls off. We care about him.

Angela Bassett adds support as a sports journalist and the all important love interest. Not surprisingly, she makes the character stronger than was probably written. In fact, she and Mac deliver real sparks. Some of their scenes together are quite charming.

I also enjoyed a virtually emotionless Paul Sorvino as an all-too-quiet baseball manager. He's quite funny in a bizarre little role that could be best described as Silent Bob on the baseball field.

Most of the scenes featuring friction between the baseball players are dull. It's nothing but a compendium of cliches. And the comedy is fairly labored. There's a bit in which Mac attempts to teach an Asian player how to properly cuss. Perhaps they should have rented "Major League", a sports comedy that delivered big laughs and lots of foul (but hilarious) language. That would have been all the teaching he needed.

At any rate, I kind of liked that the movie doesn't degenerate into a dumb comedy with stupid processed laughs. Not that I didn't laugh. There were some really funny moments here including a great Viagra bit.

Mr. 3000 works best when it's focusing on Stan Ross and his learning process, which, thankfully, is a big chunk of the movie. It is through this part of the story that the film manages to become surprisingly unpredictable. Sure, we get all the inevitable scenes in which Ross realizes what a prick he's been. He even sees a little bit of himself in the cocky younger players. I was also pretty confident I knew where the end of the movie was headed, but I liked that at the peak of Ross' important life lesson, he sort of turns back into his old bastard self after experiencing just a little taste of success again.

I suppose the end of the film is a little too pat, but I like what the team plays for during the climax. It wasn't what I was expecting. And I also like that Mr. 3000 doesn't take the easy way out. After it was over I got to thinking about athletes like Karl Malone. Here's a guy that may retire without ever having won a championship ring in the NBA. Should he choose to hang up his shorts, will he be remembered for his accomplishments, or for not winning the ring? Only time will tell. Ross' fate in Mr. 3000 plays on a similar scenario. Winning and losing go hand in hand.

But mostly, Mr. 3000 reminded me of that certain San Francisco Giant I was speaking of earlier. All the signs are there. The cockiness, the apparent inability to be a team player, the turbulent relationship with the press and, of course, the undeniable talent. He's an amazing athlete, but sometimes he doesn't look like he enjoys it and that's just sad. Maybe watching this movie will change his mind set. For the rest of us, Mr. 3000 is a marginally fun time.