Uncle Drew facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Uncle Drew
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Charles Stone III
Produced by	Marty Bowen Wyck Godfrey
Written by	Jay Longino
Starring	Kyrie Irving Lil Rel Howery Shaquille O'Neal Chris Webber Reggie Miller Nate Robinson Lisa Leslie Erica Ash J. B. Smoove Mike Epps Tiffany Haddish Nick Kroll
Music by	Christopher Lennertz
Cinematography	Crash
Editing by	Jeff Freeman Sean Valla
Studio	Summit Entertainment Temple Hill Entertainment Pepsi Productions
Distributed by	Lionsgate
Release date(s)	June 29, 2018 (2018-06-29) (United States)
Running time	103 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English
Budget	$18 million
Money made	$46.7 million

Uncle Drew is a fun sports comedy film from 2018. It was directed by Charles Stone III and written by Jay Longino. The movie stars Kyrie Irving as the main character, Uncle Drew. This character first appeared in popular Pepsi Max advertisements starting in 2012.

The film also features many famous former basketball players. These include Shaquille O'Neal, Chris Webber, Reggie Miller, Nate Robinson, and Lisa Leslie. Other actors like Lil Rel Howery, Erica Ash, J. B. Smoove, Mike Epps, Tiffany Haddish, and Nick Kroll are also in the movie.

Uncle Drew was released in the United States on June 29, 2018. It received different opinions from critics. Many people liked the actors' performances. However, some felt the story was a bit predictable.

Story of Uncle Drew

The movie begins by telling us about Uncle Drew. He was a basketball legend who was supposed to play in the famous Rucker Classic tournament. But then, he and his team mysteriously disappeared.

In the present day, we meet Dax Winslow. Dax is a basketball coach who isn't appreciated much. He coaches a team called the Harlem Money, and their best player is Casper Jones. Dax spends a lot of money to keep his girlfriend, Jess, and Casper happy.

During a practice, Dax's old rival, Mookie Bass, shows up. Mookie makes fun of Dax about the upcoming Rucker Classic tournament. Dax used to play basketball when he was younger. But Mookie embarrassed him by blocking his shot, which made Dax give up on playing.

The next day, Casper demands expensive new shoes from Dax. Dax buys them, which leaves him with no money. Even so, Mookie convinces Casper and the rest of Dax's team to join his side. Dax gets upset and tries to take Casper's shoes back. This moment is filmed and shown on ESPN, embarrassing Dax. After this, Dax's girlfriend Jess breaks up with him and kicks him out of her apartment.

Dax feels very sad and can't find new players for a team. Then, an older man named Angelo tells him to find Uncle Drew. Dax finds Drew, who is surprisingly good at basketball, even though he's old. After seeing Drew play, Dax asks him to join his team. Dax doesn't tell Drew about the prize money for winning the tournament. Drew agrees to join, but only if they gather his old teammates.

They travel in Drew's van to find his old friends. First, they find Preacher, who is now a real preacher. But his wife, Betty Lou, gets angry and chases them as they leave town. Next, they meet Lights, who can barely see, and Boots, who uses a wheelchair. Boots' granddaughter, Maya, helps take care of them at a nursing home. They escape and head to Big Fella's karate dojo.

Big Fella doesn't want to join the team at first. He's still mad at Drew about something from the past. But Dax convinces him to come along. Later, Dax tries to win money by playing a youth girls' basketball team because his credit card is declined. Dax's team loses, but Drew gives him money for gas. Maya starts to like Dax because he treats the older players well.

Back at Rucker Park, Drew gives his team special gear. This makes them feel confident and helps them play better. But Big Fella still has trouble getting along with Drew. During their first game, Big Fella and Drew argue on the court. Drew finally admits his mistake from the past involving Big Fella's wife. He says he also cared for her, and they make up.

Meanwhile, Dax finds out that Mookie and Jess are now dating. Dax also starts to like Maya. Drew learns about the tournament's prize money from Angelo. He gets angry at Dax for not telling him. Dax then tells Drew about his past with Mookie, and Drew forgives him.

During the semi-finals, Big Fella has a heart attack and goes to the hospital. Betty Lou arrives, but instead of being angry, she agrees to play as the team's fifth member.

Dax's team, now called the Harlem Buckets, plays Mookie's team in the finals. It's a very close game. Late in the game, Lights and Casper get hurt. This means Dax and Mookie have to play. Dax still feels unsure of himself, but his teammates encourage him. He makes the winning shot, beating Mookie and earning everyone's respect. They visit Big Fella in the hospital. Dax uses the prize money to pay Big Fella's medical bills. ESPN now sees Dax as a hero.

During the credits, Jess tries to call Dax to get back together, but he doesn't answer.

Characters in the Movie

• Kyrie Irving plays Uncle Drew, a famous streetball player.
• Shaquille O'Neal plays Big Fella, Uncle Drew's old teammate who now runs a martial arts school.
• Chris Webber plays Preacher, Uncle Drew's old teammate who is now a church minister.
• Reggie Miller plays Wilbur "Lights" Wallace, Uncle Drew's old teammate who has very poor eyesight.
• Nate Robinson plays Boots, Uncle Drew's old teammate who uses a wheelchair.
• Lisa Leslie plays Betty Lou, Preacher's wife.
• Aaron Gordon plays Casper Jones, a skilled streetball player.
• Lil Rel Howery plays Dax Winslow, a manager for a streetball team.
  • Ashton Tyler plays Young Dax.
• Erica Ash plays Maya, Boots' granddaughter and Dax's friend.
• J. B. Smoove plays Angelo, an older man from Harlem who remembers Uncle Drew.
• Mike Epps plays Louis, Angelo's friend from Harlem.
• Tiffany Haddish plays Jess, Dax's ex-girlfriend who likes expensive things. She is now Mookie's girlfriend.
• Nick Kroll plays Mookie Bass, Dax's rival from a long time ago.
• Wesley Witherspoon plays Mario, another streetball player.
• Barry Rohrssen plays a referee.

Many famous people also make short appearances as themselves: Selema Masekela, John Calipari, Jon Hammond, Scoop Jackson, Pee Wee Kirkland, Earl Monroe, Chris Mullin, Bill Walton, George Gervin, Steve Nash, David Robinson, Jerry West, Dikembe Mutombo, NeNe Leakes, Rick Barry, Rick Ross, Scott Van Pelt and Ben Nethongkome.

Making the Movie

On February 16, 2017, PepsiCo announced they would work with Temple Hill Entertainment to make the film. The movie would feature the Uncle Drew character from the Pepsi Max advertisements. On September 5, 2017, the TV show SportsCenter announced the cast for the movie. Lil Rel Howery shared that Kyrie Irving found out about his trade from the Cleveland Cavaliers to the Boston Celtics while they were filming.

Movie Music and Soundtrack

The movie's soundtrack is called Uncle Drew: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack. It was released on June 18, 2018, by RCA Records. Many popular artists contributed songs to the album.

Here is a list of the songs:

• "Harlem Anthem" by A$AP Ferg
• "1492" by G-Eazy featuring Yo Gotti and YBN Nahmir
• "New Thang" by French Montana and Remy Ma
• "Cocky" by A$AP Rocky, Gucci Mane and 21 Savage featuring London On Da Track
• "I Can Feel It" by GoldLink featuring H.E.R.
• "Light Flex" by Tone Stith featuring 2 Chainz
• "Chain Gang" by Leikeli47 featuring Clyde Guevara
• "Ballin" by Logic
• "Records" by Cousin Stizz
• "Stronger" by Dipset featuring Drama
• "I Need Your Lovin" by Nao
• "Stay" by Khalid
• "Us" by Kid Ink featuring Elley Duhé
• "What's the Play" by Wiz Khalifa
• "Clap Your Hands" by Grace
• "Ridiculous" by Kyrie Irving featuring LunchMoney Lewis

Uncle Drew Pepsi Max Ads

In 2012, PepsiCo started an online ad campaign for Pepsi Max using the character "Uncle Drew." Kyrie Irving played this character. The first ad was made like a short film, not just a regular commercial. These short films were very popular. The first one was one of the most watched "advertisements" on YouTube that year. It had over 22 million views!

Because it was so popular, PepsiCo quickly made more "Uncle Drew" ads. These new ads featured other NBA stars like Kevin Love and basketball legend Bill Russell. Over the next few years, more chapters came out. They included NBA and WNBA stars such as Maya Moore, Nate Robinson, Ray Allen, Baron Davis, and J.B. Smoove. Some of these players later appeared in the 2018 movie. Each short film was about 5 to 7 minutes long. Together, they had over 118 million views on YouTube by mid-2020.

The goal of these shorts was to advertise Pepsi Max. However, Pepsi didn't want to push the product too hard. They simply placed coolers of Pepsi Max near the basketball court. People naturally drank it because it was a warm night and the drinks were free. PepsiCo also owns the Gatorade brand, which can be seen in the shorts and the movie.

Kyrie Irving is listed as the writer and director for these ads, but this isn't completely accurate. He did help create the character's personality and improvised some lines. But the "Uncle Drew" world was created by Marc Gilbar and the Davie Brown team. The character's look was designed by makeup artist Ed French. Jonathan Klein was the actual director. Klein reportedly gave Irving the credit to make the shorts seem more interesting. Marc Gilbar also helped produce the 2018 movie.

See also

In Spanish: Uncle Drew para niños