Mr. Go is the latest player to join the roster of the Bears, a down-on-their-luck team in the Korean Baseball League. He's got biceps that rival Mark McGwire's and a swing that rockets every pitch into the stratosphere.
Oh yeah, and he's a giant gorilla.
"Mr. Go" is a Korean comedy that tells the story of the titular ape, a circus performer turned baseball prodigy. Mr. Go grew up as Ling Ling -- he was renamed by savvy Korean Baseball League executives -- whose companion, a young girl named Wei Wei, must strike a deal to have him play in the league in order to pay off her deceased grandfather's debt.
Mr. Go -- rendered in sometimes lifelike, sometimes laughable CGI, depending on the scene -- is a natural, slamming home runs out of the park to the delight of the giant crowds and scantily clad cheerleaders who flock to his games. But of course, things go south, and eventually Mr. Go must live up to his name and make a run for it -- at one point along the roof of the stadium, where he's pursued by helicopters and heavy artillery.
The movie is based on a popular Korean comic, and while it looks pretty ridiculous, American audiences should note that our country doesn't exactly have the greatest track record with animal sports films, either. After all, "Air Bud" happened, and spawned a bunch of direct-to-video sequels. And 1996's "Ed," starring Matt LeBlanc, was basically the exact same concept as "Mr. Go," swapping in a chimp for the gorilla.
If anything, "Mr. Go"'s real crime is using the overplayed Dire Straits tune "Walk of Life" to soundtrack its trailer. The cheesy track does fit the movie's goofy sensibility, but if you're going to base your film around a baseball-playing ape, you might as well make its promo as original as its premise.
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'Mr. Go' Trailer: King Kong Takes the Plate
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