Cheeky dig you missed in hit movie Space Jam
Опубликованно 19.08.2020 21:48
Space Jam, which has just hit streaming on Binge, was released in 1996 and became a surprise hit, immediately sparking calls for a second movie.
Grossing $US230 million worldwide against a $US80 million budget, the original saw NBA star Michael Jordan team up with the Looney Tunes animated characters for a fictionalised story about what happened between Jordan’s initial retirement from the NBA in 1993 and his 1995 comeback.
It became the highest grossing basketball film of all time, and has since achieved cult classic status. The sequel, Space Jam: A New Legacy, will instead see LeBron James join the cast. It is currently set for a July 21, 2020 release date.
In the meantime, we’ve dredged up some facts you probably didn’t know about the original movie.
Warner Bros. built a court specifically for MJ
When Michael Jordan says “jump” – you jump.
Warner Bros. built the NBA superstar his own basketball court on set to keep him busy while in between shoots.
Jordan made it clear he wasn’t going to be involved unless Warner Bros. installed the type of world-class training facilities he was used to. Enter: The Jordan Dome.
The Jordan Dome.
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It’s the highest-grossing basketball film of all time
Featuring Michael Jordan as a lead, it’s not hard to see why Space Jam is the best-performing basketball flick in box office history.
Accompanied by Hollywood heavyweight Bill Murray, MJ helped Space Jam accumulate $US230 million over the Christmas holiday period in 1996.
It still has a hilarious ’90s themed website
Warner Bros. took the term “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” to new levels with their site dedicated to Space Jam, which features a hilariously simplistic AOL website complete with Times New Roman font and a simple star-clad wallpaper as a backdrop.
And it still exists today!
Ancient.
RELATED: How Space Jam predicted the coronavirus pandemic
MJ’s quirky superstition
When Michael Jordan asks for his uniform before the big game, he requested his college shorts from his days at North Carolina which he wore under his regular uniform during filming.
And this wasn’t just a movie quirk, MJ actually wore his old UNC shorts underneath his Bulls kit throughout his professional career.
There’s a cheeky dig at Madonna
In one scene, Charles Barkley loses his talent and then prays in a church, pleading for a return to form. He then promises he won’t ever date Madonna again if his prayers are answered.
This was a cheeky reference to the rumour that surrounded Barkley in 1993 where there was speculation around him having a fling with the pop superstar.
Despite it being a huge topic of gossip at the time, both Barkley and Madonna deny ever having any relationship together.
Danny DeVito loaned a helping hand
A-list actor Danny DeVito shared his husky voice for Space Jam, playing the character of Swackhammer, who is the proprietor of the intergalactic theme park “Moron Mountain” who looks for fresh attractions to save his business.
Famous TV stars make a cameo
Patricia Heaton (Everybody Loves Raymond), and Dan Castellaneta (the voice of Homer Simpson) make a brief appearance in the scene where the MonStars go to a game to steal the talent of other players.
Iconic.
Breaking the fourth wall
It’s always great to see a film that doesn’t take itself too seriously.
When Bill Murray is asked by Daffy how he got there, he replies: “the producer is a friend of mine”.
Murray was actually good friends with Space Jam’s producer Ivan Reitman, who produced other films he previously starred in such as Ghostbusters (I and II) and Stripes.
Warner Bros. took a sneaky jab at Disney
Daffy suggests naming the team the “Ducks” to which Bugs Bunny replies: “What kind of ‘Mickey Mouse’ organisation would name their team the Ducks?”
This was a hilarious jab at the Disney-owned NHL team “the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim” who were inspired by the 1993 film of the same name.
Looking back on it, this one wasn’t too subtle – but it did provide hilarious insight into the rivalry between the two animation giants.
Space Jam is now streaming on Binge
Категория: Искусство