Film

BASEketball

Name: BASEketball
Genre: Comedy
Released: 1998
Cast: Trey Parker, Matt Stone, Dian Bachar, Yasmine Bleeth, Jenny McCarthy

Comedy
Light-hearted

A 1998 comedy about two slacker inventors who create a sport combining basketball and baseball, then accidentally launch it into professional success. It's absurdist, frequently vulgar, and built on the kind of anarchic energy that made South Park shocking. For viewers who like their comedy crude and their premises ridiculous, this is pure id unleashed. Not for the easily offended.

TMDb rating

3.1

If you liked this

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut1999

The same creators at peak satirical fury, wielding animation to say things live-action never could. It's angrier and sharper than BASEketball, with a real target in its sights.

But Musical comedy from 1999 has not aged smoothly; some of the references feel dated, and the song-heavy structure can feel static compared to the film's manic pace.

South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut poster

DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story2004

Sports-comedy absurdism with the same silly-versus-cutthroat energy. Vince Vaughn and Ben Stiller make something genuinely stupid feel affectionate and fun.

But Relies heavily on early-2000s comedy rhythms and celebrity cameos; the pacing can feel slack if you're used to tighter editing.

The Waterboy1998

Released the same year, it's also about an underdog joining a sport he's never tried. Adam Sandler and Rob Schneider bring earnest stupidity that makes the whole thing work.

But It's broad and extremely silly in ways that feel very specific to late-90s Happy Madison comedy—your mileage varies wildly depending on your tolerance for that sensibility.

Not sure tonight? Get a pick in a minute, starting from BASEketball

The wildcard

Something you would not have found on your own.

Kung Fu Hustle2004

Both films embrace the logic of a video game or comic book—establishing insane rules, then playing by them perfectly. Where BASEketball is all mess, this is all control. Opposite energies, same DNA.

Stephen Chow's Hong Kong action-comedy is absurdist, cartoonish, and wildly inventive. It takes its own ridiculous premise completely seriously and executes it with technical brilliance.

But It's in Cantonese, subtitled. The action sequences are loud and densely choreographed; if you're watching casually, you'll miss details.

Tropic Thunder2008

Unhinged comedy about people behaving badly, with the same willingness to make everyone despicable and let chaos win. Sharply written beneath the surface pandemonium.

But The humor relies on understanding Hollywood in-jokes and a pretty cynical view of everyone involved. If you need someone to root for, you're in trouble.

Grandma's Boy2006

Video-game comedy with genuine heart underneath the stupidity. Adam Sandler's presence (as producer) means low stakes and high absurdity, which works beautifully here.

But The plot is thin to vanishing, and the whole thing is basically an excuse for stoner jokes and weird side characters. If you need structure, keep walking.

PCU1994

College comedy that knows the world is ridiculous and everyone's ideology is performative. Anarchic energy and a cast clearly having the time of their lives.

But It's deeply of its moment (early-'90s political correctness satire) and hasn't aged into timelessness. The targets feel like ghosts now.

The Comebacks2007

Direct sports-comedy parody in the same vein, mocking the entire genre's tropes. If you enjoy dumb jokes thrown at the wall, plenty stick.

But It's aggressively unfunny to most people. The parody structure means there's no real plot, just sketch comedy strung together.

Semi-Pro2008

Will Ferrell as a failed athlete trying to launch a basketball team. Same energy of well-meaning idiots with delusions of grandeur.

But Ferrell's schtick requires a very specific comedic tolerance; if you find him grating, this will not change your mind.

The Toxic Avenger1984

Both are the products of creators who said 'the rules don't apply to us,' then made something that couldn't exist in any system with taste or oversight. BASEketball is the comedy version; this is what happens when you mean it.

Troma's cult masterpiece: a nerdy janitor becomes a mutant superhero. Shot on a nothing budget with genuine anarchic fury and practical gore. It's stupid and wrong and somehow transcendent.

But It's genuinely nasty—graphic violence, sexual content, and a filmmaking style that looks like it was shot in a basement because it was. Not a movie; an assault.