3 Beer Pairings for ‘Space Jam: A New Legacy’

It won’t shape a generation like its 1996 predecessor, but the new movie does offer a lot of funny moments for viewers young and old. 

The Movie: Live action-meets-animation comedy reboot / 2021 / Warner Bros. Pictures

The Beers: Two IPAs and one Stout), all with fun names / various breweries

*Spoilers*

Space Jam: A New Legacy, or Space Jam 2 as so many are calling it, is at its core a reboot of a classic. And just like so many reboots (ahem, the 2016 Ghostbusters), it’s easy to go into it skeptically without giving credit to where it does succeed.

So, I’ll start by saying that A New Legacy has some very, very funny moments indeed. In a lot of ways, it’s more richly hilarious than the original Space Jam. Especially for those who love movies and pop culture references (which likely applies to you if you’re reading this), the new movie is chock-full of hilarious ones. And while, no, Michael Jordan does not make an appearance, the movie does its best to make up for it with Michael B. Jordan. Bill Murray also does not appear and neither do any of the stars of the previous film, but we get a delightfully evil Don Cheadle, Sarah Silverman and a lineup of modern basketball stars in their place.

All in all, it’s a lot of fun. Skip ahead to the beer pairings if you’ve like details on some of the best moments. Otherwise keep reading for where the movie does miss the mark.

As most people know, the original Space Jam was a huge hit back in 1996 (despite poor critical reviews) thanks to its genius pairing of two things both millennial children and their Boomer / early Gen Xer parents adored: Michael Jordan and the Looney Tunes. The new movie’s biggest updates are modern Looney Tunes animation and swapping out Michael for Lebron. But that is precisely why it fails to have the same cultural impact as its ’96 predecessor.

Whereas the old animation had multi-generational appeal with its familiarity, the new animation takes a little getting used to. But more importantly, James is a huge star and an icon, but his fame simply has not gripped society the way Jordan’s did in the ’90s. Everybody was constantly tuning into Chicago Bulls games back then, and the popularity of Jordan and his team helped launch the sport into worldwide interest. As numerous articles over the past decade have noted, Jordan is the O.G. of the b-ball star as his own cultural and business brand. His Air Jordans line with Nike isn’t just full of best-sellers, it’s the sneaker line that launched sneaker culture.

It’s not LeBron’s fault he hasn’t attained that level of cultural relevance. Until Jordan one day dies and all his businesses, endorsements, and athletic records eventually fade away into the ether, he’s simply untouchable. Even if Space Jam: A New Legacy was a perfect film (and it isn’t), there’s just no way to achieve the same kind of impact on global audiences. There just isn’t, and we’re not even talking about which player is technically better.

But let’s pretend this is a world without the original Space Jam and examine A New Legacy‘s other pitfalls. For one thing, it’s a relatively lazy story of LeBron trying to force basketball on his son, who is actually a talented video game designer. Surprise surprise, father learns to support son’s dreams. But then there’s the whole shebang of Don Cheadle as a Warner Bros. alorgithm “Al-G Rhythm” who wants to delete the Looney Tunes and LeBron for some reason that’s a bit unclear — because people like them better? Because nobody knows who he is and somehow getting LeBron involved will make him into a real boy? His exact motivations and reasoning behind his actions is a little foggy.

But what is clear is the immense level of praise heaped upon LeBron by the other characters. It gets weird fast, and it comes across as both insecure and just plain bad writing. We are constantly bombarded with the fact that he’s not just a sports star, but a family man, an entrepreneur, the king, an all-around god among men that nobody can stack up to!

Don’t get me wrong — the old movie was an oddball too. But as my boyfriend so eloquently put it, “Somehow Danny DeVito as an alien trying to kidnap Bugs Bunny for his space theme park is more plausible than this.”

All the same, it’s still a fun flick worth a watch or two, even if its “New Legacy” won’t last anywhere near as long as that of the original film. Here are some beer pairings!

Space Jammer – Moonraker Brewing Co.

Brewed with Enigma, Strata and Centennial hops, this 7% ABV brew’s a slam dunk on tropically dank flavor (ha. ha. ha.) It’s a New England IPA, so it’ll appeal to tons of modern adults as one of the most popular beer styles of the past several years. California’s Moonraker Brewing is a craft powerhouse too, and their stuff is always worth trying.

Space Jam: A New Legacy has a lot of appeal too for adults today. With references to Casablanca, Austin Powers, The Matrix, Wonder Woman and even Mad Max: Fury Road, it’s actually surprising just how much there is for older audiences. The best part is easily Wile E. Coyote spraying his mouth silver during a high-speed desert chase with other war boys and holding up a sign that reads “Witness Me.” Never thought I’d see something like that in a kids movie, but here we are, and I’m not mad.

What’s Up Doc? – Salud Cerveceria

Here’s a little craft beer history for ya: the IPA popularity wave that we’re currently riding started back in the ’90s. These Michael Jordans of the beer world stood out with their incredibly potent hop bitterness and clean form. So as a milkshake IPA, Salud Cerveceria’s 8% ABV What’s Up Doc? is like a classic given a modern reboot.

But the real reason that makes this beer worth pairing with Space Jam: A New Legacy is because the North Carolina brewers conditioned it on milk sugar (lactose), cinnamon, ginger, clove, nutmeg and… carrots! It’s only fitting, since the movie starts getting genuinely entertaining once Bugs Bunny shows up. Over a pint of carrot juice, he laments to LeBron that Al-G-Rhythm convinced his friends to leave Tune world (for some reason). It becomes clear he’s gone a little nuts in their absence, but he’s still the clever Bugs we know and love. Fortunately, this milkshake IPA tastes more like carrot cake than straight carrot juice.

Have You Ever Put a Helmet on a Basketball? – Hoof Hearted Brewing

I’ve put a helmet on a basketball, and basketball players themselves don’t typically wear helmets, but this seems like kind of a fun idea — dare I say, looney? Either way, this is a massive imperial milk stout brewed with cookies, cacao nibs, vanilla, marshmallow, coffee and milk sugar, and it seems like just the thing to start sipping during the second half of the movie when things really go berzonkers.

Al-G-Rhythm recruiting his own team of professional basketball players, turning them into freaky mutants (that they seem shockingly okay with being, by the way) AND sucking in hundreds of other animated characters as well as live action fans from all over the world to watch his sinister game? The 13% ABV will help keep it all more enjoyable than confusing.

The brew’s from Hoof Hearted too, which is in Ohio. It’s not Hoosier country, but it is right next door.

*Bonus Beers*

• Mads / Imperial Stout meant to taste like carrot cake / 12% ABV / Omnipollo – Stockholm, Sweden
• LeBron Haze / IPA / 7.5% ABV / Pariah Brewing – San Diego, CA
• Welcome to the Space Jam / Fruited Berliner Weisse / 5.2% ABV / Celestial Beerworks – Dallas, TX
• Cherries in Berries Space / “Tartshake” Sour IPA / 6.8% ABV / Cinderlands Beer Co. – Pittsburgh, PA