‘Uncle Drew’ Review: The Transformative Power of Sports

“Uncle Drew”

The following review contains spoilers. 

Lil Rel teams up with basketball star Kyrie Irving in Uncle Drew, the new movie about camaraderie, intergenerational relationships, and growth.  Dax (Lil Rel) is an orphan who, after a traumatic experience on the court, tries to regain love and validation by coaching the winning team on the 50th anniversary of the Rucker Park streetball tournaments.  After losing his initial squad and its star player Casper (Aaron Gordon of the Orlando Magic), being dumped by his girlfriend, and put on the streets, Dax encounters old head, Uncle Drew (Kyrie Irving). The pair then embark on a journey to bring the crew out of retirement for a chance at reconciliation through playing one last game.

While this film is a traditional comedy, it’s about more than laughing at older men pushing through their physical ailments to get buckets.  Instead, it’s about how, by working together, each character overcomes their numerous issues or instead processes them. Some overcame their loneliness by reconnecting with their old friends.  Others reignited their passion by engaging in the activities they enjoyed as a youth. A few even improved their health, regaining their vision through the help of new glasses and their ability to walk by putting on their old sneakers.  Their progress seemed implausible at times, but it was forgivable, considering that the movie is a comedy intended to make you laugh and feel good.

In addition to personal triumphs, relationships were both reconciled and created.  Through the process of getting a team together, the players, Coach Dax, and granddaughter Maya (Erica Ash) bond and become family.  Dax, who grew up an orphan, finds kinship with his new team. Uncle Drew finally apologizes to Big Fella (Shaq) for violating his trust many years ago.  Dax and Maya connect to the older gentleman and Betty Lou (Lisa Leslie) by finding commonalities in the human experience – another critical theme in the movie.  The characters get to know each other by learning about one another beyond their rough exteriors. Looking beyond the turbulent interactions, they understand that at the heart of the matter, the offending person is dealing with their own issues that often have nothing to do with the offended.  Once they reach this space, they are able to speak to the person’s wounds and help usher them into their healing. Uncle Drew gets Dax to confess to his deepest pain and, in doing so, helps him build the confidence to tackle his fears head-on—this willingness to work through conflict results in a mutual respect that spans the generation gap.

Another element they use to connect the youngbloods and old heads is the fact that they root it in the history of the legendary Rucker Park and the larger Harlem community.  In the opening scenes, they include actual Rucker Park legends, providing commentary on the basketball acumen of Uncle Drew. I also appreciate how they connect the Rucker’s history and its role in the Harlem community.  By including the forebearers of the Rucker with the NBA players as aged streetballers, the film pays homage to the community-based spaces that grew the talented stars we’ve come to know and love. They also use sports as a bridge to connect generations.

Although it was fun to see all these young guys act as old men, my favorite was Preacher, played by Chris Webber.  I particularly liked how he graveled his voice and hunched his shoulders. He felt like an old black preacher with his body and his rhythmic way of speaking. Reggie Miller’s portrayal of Lights, an easygoing old dude who unexpectedly breaks out in little dances, communicated a familiarity that kept me chuckling.  Overall, while this was the first time that most of these basketball stars had significant acting roles, you could tell they had a good time filming, and that resonated with me as a viewer.  

I left this movie with a desire to get into basketball.  I am not always engaged while watching basketball games, but I am invested when I understand some aspects of the lives and stories of the players.  This movie inspired me to follow the next basketball season and get to know the players on the court as entertainers and off the court as people.