For those of you who don't know basketball, there's this guy who plays pretty well named Michael Jordan. He's managed to collect four championship rings and a truckload of awards, cash, and merchandise. He also makes the occasional commercial, selling everything from cologne to batteries to Gatorade to sneakers to undies. He has a magical charm about him, a smooth mastery of all he comes near. The only thing he's yet to do is become a movie star. Until now, that is.

Jordan is the star of Warner Brothers' new film Space Jam, and he does himself proud. At the top of his to-do list is to simply hold his own against dozens of screen legends, which ain't that easy when the legends' birth certificates sport names like Bugs, Daffy, and Taz. The plot is a Slick 50: It seems that some animated aliens (led by the voice of Danny DeVito) have a theme park that needs a coat of glitter, and they kidnap the Looney Tunes to be their newest attraction. Bugs Bunny bids for their freedom with a basketball challenge match. Just prior to tipoff, the Aliens fill their talent void with manifestations of Charles Barkley, Patrick Ewing, and other NBA luminaries. The overmatched Tunes hatch a simple plan to compete: go get Mike.

OK, folks, I'm not gonna tell you that Michael Jordan gives an Oscar-worthy performance in this movie. I can assure you, though, that his airness is a jock trying his hand at acting. We all knew he was a riveting personality from his TV spots, but a commercial isn't an 88-minute motion picture. But here the skinny, folks: What Michael had to do was act his butt off with scant supporting actors, and then sit back and let animators usher in the rest of the cast. Not a cake walk through a bakery. Michael acts like Michael, and he is, admittedly, stiff as a popsickle stick at times, but not enough to leave lasting damage. Sure, Bob Hoskins did it better in Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, but, then again, Bob had twenty years of acting experience going into it. The day Bob Hoskins scores 40 against Reggie Miller in United Center, then we can talk about comparisons.

The focus here, people, is fun. You got Looney Tunes, you got Mike, you got basketball. Sit back and let it happen. There are visual jokes for the kids, and plenty of quick but meaningful gags that only the adults are gonna get.

Warner Brothers' went to a lot of trouble to poke fun at themselves, their human star, and everything else. Look for winks about Kentucky Fried Chicken, Disney, Quentin Tarantino, and a hundred other pop culture icons. They're rapid, so look sharp. Truthfully, a second viewing will probably be warranted.

One mystery persists: Why are Bill Murray and Wayne Knight spotlighted so heavily in the trailers and TV ads for this flick? From the looks of 'em you'd think that Bill and Mike are joined at the hip. (Brother Bill is in this movie for the amount of time you'd spend in the bathroom for a Zip-and-Drip. Though he is around long enough to drop off some of the best lines in the show.) And you'd also think that Knight were some kind of major draw for the movie going public. (You hated him in Jurassic Park! You hated him in "Seinfeld!" Come hate him even more with a starring role in Space Jam!)

Why anyone thumbed through the Actors Directory and chose Wayne Knight to co-star is unbelievably absurd. And the general assumption from the Doc is that Murray's track record of late (Kingpin, Larger Than Life) has left the old bank account in a bind, and there was a Range Rover out there in search of a payment.

A special mention should go out to Billy West, the vocal cord king who breathes life into Ren and Stimpy. He got the unenviable task of following up on Mel Blanc's genius and doing the voices of Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd. The Elmer needs a little work (not quite as nasal as it needs to be), but Billy is dead on with his Bugs. At times it's so true that it's scarey. You cannot forget Sir Mel, but Mr. Billy has finally taken a giant step to keeping the memory, and the voice, alive. Thanks, Billy.

Give a cheer for Space Jam! It's a great time for everybody. Look past the landslide of merchandising tie-ins, and watch a fantastic blending of animation and live action. It's great for all ages, and will even appeal to the idle sports fan. In fact, I predict it's gonna create an unprecedented fanaticism for roundball among the grammar school set. So don't be surprised if you start seeing Lucky Charms and Candyland ads on the NBA Game of the Week.