The Sixth Man

Kenny and Antoine are brothers raised on the basketball court – Kenny is the workhorse who has bigtime assists but it is Antoine that knocks them down. Playing college ball they both are on the verge of being solid draft picks at very least but a big game against UCLA brings tragedy when Antoine is badly hurt and dies on the way to the hospital. The team is devastated, naturally it hits Antoine the most and, although they all try to carry on, the team slides to a massive losing streak and Antoine is inconsolable. Until that is, Kenny gets some help from an unexpected source.

This is a strange film because it can't settle on what it wants to be and the resulting mix of tones doesn't work well. The first 30 minutes of the film is overly sentimental and played as if we are supposed to be emotionally involved with the brothers but then it immediately turns into a goofy, silly comedy where the laughs are all meant to come from unbelievable moves on the basketball court. In the early stages it is interesting enough but you do always sense that it is just looking to get to the ghost part and the joking. Once it gets there it becomes all about the effects and obvious "dunking from halfway" stuff; problem is it isn't funny and it stops the film having any sense of excitement or involvement in the games or the characters The cast don't help either. Wayans spends most of the film mugging, hoping that that will be enough. Hardison doesn't quite do that but he is all about the ghost jokes rather than the people. Michele is cute but her romantic section is unconvincing and unnecessary while support from Paymer, Dunn and others don't have much to do. The problem with them is not their performances so much as the fact that material isn't very good. Without laughs, characters or a decent story, it only is periodically amusing and certainly not worth hunting down as a sports movie, comedy or story. Die-hard fans of Wayans brand of mugging will maybe enjoy it but most people will see it for what it is – a very basic comedy.

James Tyler (Harold Sylvester) runs a plumbing and heating business, but he coaches a kid's basketball team in his off hours. His two sons are on the team. His son Antoine (Kadeem Hardison) is the flashy, talented show-boater. Kenny (Marlon Wayans) is the smaller, shyer of the two. Dad wants them to stick together. He gives Kenny the ball, even though he knows Antoine is more talented. Their mother Camille (Saundra McClain) provides moral support and keeps the family on track.

We next see Antoine and Kenny as teammates on the Huskies, a fictional college team in Washington. Something terrible happens that takes Antoine out of the picture, leaving Kenny to go it alone. Kenny also lost his father to a heart attack. So, how can Kenny go on? Can he? Can coach Pederson (David Paymer) win without Antoine? Well, maybe they won't have to.

I don't have to worry about spoilers here because it is on the poster and in the trailer. Antoine comes back, sort of. Yep, he's a ghost. The only thing is, only Kenny can see him. This sets up some strange moments that are hard to explain, teammates who see Kenny pretending to hug an imaginary person and making excited sounds. R. C. St. John (Michael Michele) is a student journalist who covers the team. She likes Kenny, and he likes her. But will this strange behavior keep them apart, or bring them together?

Wayans does a fun job of playing those moments when we do not see what he sees. In other words, plenty of physical comedy. This is no more pronounced than when him and his brother engage in some kung fu fighting on the basketball court during practice. How does he explain himself? He is doing some kung chi - an ancient Chinese art. The guys do not buy it, so he tries to tell them. They still do not believe him. So, Antoine agrees to help him out, hopefully turning unbelievers into believers.

90s Ghostbuster-like special effects abound as the team gets a touch of the supernatural, leading them to play as a team with, you guessed it - the 6th man. Dick Vitale makes an appearance as himself, and Kevin Dunn plays a sportswriter for The Sporting News named Mikulski. Other real-life college coaches make brief appearances (John Thompson and Jerry Tarkanian), and pro-basketball veterans Billy Packer and Bill Walton. And let's not forget Octavia Spencer as Nativity Watson.

If you believe in ghosts, and life after death, and if you have ever wondered whether someone would be the same person both in the here and in the hereafter, The 6th Man addresses that question. How will this all play out in the big final four game? Well, that is how these sports-based movies usually end, although they usually do not have ghosts playing in them.

This movie is excellent. It is hilarious and has great drama. Kadeem Hardison and Marlon are just as convincing as brothers as Marlon is with his real life brother Shawn on "The Wayans Bros." The acting was great, the comedy was great, and the writing was great. This is the film that made me look at Marlon Wayans as more than just a funny guy, but also as a very talented actor. I give this movie a 10.

While not as good as I hoped it would be, THE SIXTH MAN does deliver a few laughs. It wasn't the best movie I've ever seen, but it wasn't the worst. It could have been a little better if it didn't go for such cheap laughs and didn't depend so much on slapstick humor.

There's nothing more worst then losing a sibling especially with one you grew up with. This movie is real touching especially when the teammates gave a moment of silence and hung up his jersey. A real tear-jerker. Then it became humorous when they were winning games by the help of Antione's ghost and kidding around with his younger brother. The movie is often silly at times but enjoying.