THE 6TH MAN

In the spirit of EDDIE and CELTIC PRIDE, THE 6th MAN is a basketball movie with a lot of heart, but few laughs and little entertainment. This story is about a basketball player who dies and comes back as a ghost to help his struggling teammates. With an occult worldview and an unusually large number of obscenities for a family movie, it will not be a slam dunk at the box office.

Kenny (Marlon Wayans) and Antoine (Kadeem Hardison ) Tyler are brothers and close friends. From a very young age, they have played basketball and shared life’s struggles together. Kenny has always performed in the shadow of his more talented brother, Antoine. With dreams of making it in the NBA, the two brothers play and win side-by-side for the Washington Huskies. They are a strong team with a good chance of going to the NCAA final four basketball championships.

During one game, Antoine falls from a heart attack and dies on the way to the hospital. Everyone is shocked, but Kenny takes it hardest. In fact, Kenny can’t stand having his brother absent, because he cannot fill his brother’s shoes. Everyone expects Kenny to step up to the plate and be leader. In his desperation, Kenny cries out for Antoine to appear. He does as a glowing ghost who is able to pass through objects, but also hurl them through space. Nobody can see Antoine, but Kenny and many of the Huskies think Kenny is going crazy as he talks to the air and makes motions like he is touching somebody.

Eventually, the team mates come to believe that Antoine is helping them, but Kenny gets a conscience. He correctly feels that when Antoine helps on the court, his presence as a 6th man is cheating. They have an unfair advantage. Kenny and the team confront Antoine and tell him that he can’t help any more during the championship game of the final four. Antoine objects, and the final moments of the game reveal if he becomes involved or not. Kenny, too, learns the importance of letting go of the past.

This movie is filled with proverbs and sayings including: “Passion and dignity will take you where you want to go”; “Stick together and anything will happen”; and, “Have faith.” While pleasant, they add little genuine moral strength. Indeed, actions are stronger than words. More powerful is the apparent love between the two brothers. They aren’t afraid to show physical affection for each other. Kenny is so affected by Antoine’s death that he isn’t able to let his memory go. In fact, Kenny is able to call up Antoine’s spirit for help, which is spiritism condemned by God. When Antoine is finished helping the team, he alludes to heaven saying “They are calling for me.” It isn’t until Kenny is able to hold the memory of his brother in his heart, that he is able to let the spirit of Antoine go to reside forever in his final resting place. Of course, the Bible makes it clear that to be separated from the body is to be present with the Lord in eternal glory or in hellish damnation.

This movie ironically opens on the weekend of the actual NCAA final four championship games. Almost anybody who cares about basketball will want to watch the real thing. Young basketball fans may want to see this movie, but parents should beware. Not only does it have a false worldview which states that sprits can walk the earth if evoked by loved ones, but it also has too many obscenities for a PG-13 movie. It also has some mild sexual innuendo suggesting necrophilia, and a blasphemous remark about a plastic Jesus. THE 6th MAN does discourage cheating, but its negatives far outweigh its positives. This movie could be called SPOOK DREAMS.