Mr. 3000 Parent Guide
Parent Movie Review
Stan Ross (Bernie Mac) is anything but humble. In fact, the swaggering, self-congratulatory former baseball player is just about as nauseatingly cocky as they come.
Nearly a decade ago, he walked out on his team after batting his 3000th hit and spoiled the Milwaukee Brewers’ run for the pennant. Since then he’s been dishing out applause for himself and building a little strip mall of Mr. 3000 businesses.
Stan may be thoroughly besotted with himself, but not everyone else is. The sportswriters haven’t forgotten his rude treatment of the press during his stint in the big leagues or his arrogant antics. As a result, they’ve conveniently neglected to vote him into the Baseball Hall of Fame. That is until some outside pressure forces their hand for the upcoming inductions.
However, when doing a final run of the stats, Hall of Fame officials (John McConnell, Ric Reitz) discover Stan is actually three hits short of the record—-making him Mr. 2997 instead of Mr. 3000.
Wanting desperately to be a legend in the record books (like he is in his own mind), the pudgy and pompous first baseman comes out of retirement and suits up for another season with the Brewers in order to make good his claim to fame.
Stan and the general manager (Chris Noth), who sees this publicity stunt as a way to increase the dwindling fan base, are attracted to the idea of a comeback. However, his former coach (Paul Sorvino) and the young lineup he is playing with are anything but happy about the deal.
Its likely parents won’t be too happy with Stan’s return to the stadium either. This man has a nasty habit of spitting out profanities as quickly and consistently as a good batting cage pitching machine. He also recounts his past sexual exploits as eagerly as his batting average. And while he makes a few attempts at being an agreeable team player, his efforts are unbelievable and about as short-lived as an infield pop fly.
He is equally inept on the relationship playing field. More interested in self-satisfying sex than commitment, he sees a network reporter (Angela Bassett) as little more than a warm body in bed and a means for promoting himself on national TV. In reality, the only person he seems able to connect with is the bartender (Michael Rispoi) at his sports bar who regularly strokes his ego.
Unfortunately, even the inclusion of a feel good ending and cameos from a whole roster of big sluggers like Tom Arnold, Larry King and Jay Leno can’t save this film from racking up the errors. Checking the content stats, it’s easy to see that Mr. 3000 strikes out long before the final inning is played.
Theatrical release September 16, 2004. Updated July 17, 2017
Mr. 3000 Parents' Guide
At 47-years-old, Stan has few, if any, friends. How does his attitude and behaviors affect his ability to develop friendships? Why is being Mr. 3000 so important to him? What do you think contributes to his obnoxious mannerisms?
The younger team players on the Brewers are portrayed as indifferent and apathetic about their game. What may be contributing to their feelings? Is this a true depiction of all sports players?
Home Video
The most recent home video release of Mr. 3000 movie is January 1, 2005. Here are some details…
Related home video titles:
Stan Ross isn’t the only ball player looking to make a comeback. In The Rookie, Dennis Quaid plays a high school coach who tries out for one more shot at pitching in the big leagues. The struggling California Angels baseball team gets a little heavenly help when a young boy prays for their success in Angels in the Outfield. A group of girls keep the game alive while the boys are away at war inA League of Their Own.