BASEketball (1998)
★★½ — BASEketball (1998)
BASEketball arrived in the summer of 1998 at an odd convergence of circumstances: Trey Parker and Matt Stone had just launched South Park on Comedy Central the previous year and were, briefly, the hottest comic names in American entertainment. Universal and David Zucker (the co-creator of Airplane! and the Naked Gun series, working here through his own production banner) paired them with a $25 million studio budget, which was a significant gamble given that Parker and Stone had no real film-acting track record to speak of. Zucker wrote the script with Robert LoCash and Lewis Friedman, building a broad sports parody in the mould of his earlier work, though the resulting box office, just over $7 million domestically, made it one of the more conspicuous misfires of that summer season.
Baseketball is the kind of movie that makes perfect sense coming from Matt Stone and Trey Parker, two guys with sharp, absurd minds who clearly had fun inventing a fake sport where “dick moves” are fouls and players get penalised for “emotional meltdown.” As creators of South Park, they’re comedy geniuses when it comes to satire, timing, and pushing boundaries. But translating that brilliance into a live-action feature, it just doesn't land. The film follows two slacker best friends (played by Parker and Stone) who accidentally create a new national sport and become unlikely heroes. There are definitely laughs, some gags are genuinely stupid-funny in that signature Parker-Stone style, and you can see flashes of the dark, satirical edge that defines their later work. The concept itself is ridiculous in the best way, and that’s part of the charm. But outside of the jokes, it’s thin. The plot drags, the pacing sags in the middle, and the humour leans too hard on juvenile antics and filler instead of the biting wit they’re known for. It feels more like a stretched-out sketch than a fully developed story. And while it’s clear they’re mocking American sports culture, the satire never bites as hard as it could. Funny in bursts, undeniably silly, and worth a watch if you’re a fan of their early work. But compared to South Park or even Team America, it’s a miss. Not terrible… just not great. Like a jump shot that hits the rim and bounces out.
Rating: ★★½ | Year: 1998 | Watched: 2025-09-17
Where to watch (UK)
Rent: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Buy: Apple TV Store · Amazon Video · Google Play Movies · Sky Store
Physical: Amazon UK
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Related on Movies With Macca
More from David Zucker: The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988) · Airplane! (1980)
More with Trey Parker: South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut (1999) · Despicable Me 3 (2017) · Team America: World Police (2004)
More from the 1990s: Lessons of Darkness (1992) · Shinjuku Boys (1995) · Blue (1993) · Cemetery Man (1994)
More comedy: The Eagle (1925) · The General (1926) · Americana (2023) · The Naked Gun: From the Files of Police Squad! (1988)
