The Longshots (PG)

Girl-powered sports film is predictable but sweet.

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Movie details

Studio: Weinstein Co.
Directed By: Fred Durst
Cast: Ice Cube, Keke Palmer, Dash Mihok
Running Time: 94 minutes
Release Date: 08/20/2008
Genre: Family and Kids
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA Explanation: some thematic elements, mild language and brief rude humor.

Parents need to know

Parents need to know that this film, although mostly fine for younger kids, does have a few mature themes. The main character's unemployed uncle drinks a lot (out of a paper bag) and is basically a couple of notches up from being homeless. A deadbeat dad makes a brief appearance in which he once again disappoints his daughter. And a well-liked character suffers a heart attack on the football field. The language in the film is standard for a PG film ("ass" is about as strong as it gets), and there's no sexual or violent content of note.

Families can talk about what makes Jasmine a good role model. What other positive (or negative) role models did you notice in the movie? Kids: What do you think about girls playing football? Should they be allowed to play on boys' teams if there aren't enough girls to form a separate league? Families can also discuss whether sports movies are too predictable and tear-jerking -- or whether that's just what you want in this kind of film.

Message
Violence
Sex
Language

Message

Social Behavior:

Jasmine proves that girls can actually play football, instead of just being cheerleaders and spectators. Curtis stops drinking and steps up to coach Jasmine and the team. Jasmine is ridiculed by her school's "mean girls" -- but it's obvious that their behavior isn't admirable.

Consumerism:

Tyra Banks is mentioned several times, and her talk show plays on the main character's television. Other celebrities and brands featured include Beyonce, Foxxy Brown, Muhammad Ali, Yao Ming, Sprite, and Walter Payton (Ice wears his #34 jersey through most of the movie).

Drugs/Alcohol/Tobacco:

Curtis buys large cans of beer, which he hides in a paper bag, and he drinks a lot -- until he starts coaching the team . A couple of homeless-looking men also carry around paperbags that are presumably filled with cans or bottles of alchohol.

Violence

There's some hard shoving and tackling on the football field. A coach has a heart attack and collapses on the field. (Possible spoiler alert! He doesn't die.)

Sex

A man asks a woman on a date, and they're shown flirting with each other and hugging. A boy refers to his testicles as "King Kongs," and someone corrects him, calling them "ping pongs."

Language

Mostly mild: "damn," "dookie," "stupid," "ass."

Common Sense says

What's the story?

Reviewed by Sandie Angulo Chen

Middle-schooler Jasmine Plummer (Keke Palmer) is far from popular in her small, working-class town. She's frequently ridiculed by the school's mean girls, and she doesn't have any extracurricular interests besides reading. When she needs an afternoon sitter while her mom puts in extra hours at the local diner, Jasmine's unemployed Uncle Curtis (Ice Cube) is the only man for the job. Bored, the duo starts hanging out by a football field, where Curtis discovers that his niece has a great throw. After weeks of teaching a reluctant Jasmine football basics, Curtis convinces the Pop Warner coach (Matt Craven) to let her try out for quarterback. She's a natural, of course. The rest of the movie (which was based on a true story) focuses on how Jasmine unexpectedly leads the team to victory.

Is it any good?

Nearly every inspiring "first" in sports has already been turned into a movie. But even though there's no originality left in the genre, Palmer and Ice Cube are charming enough to lift LONGSHOTS slightly above the after-school special benchmark. Palmer, who nailed her breakthrough performance in Akeelah and the Bee, is older but still enchanting as the first female quarterback in Pop Warner history. She's a lovely young actress and deserves meatier roles than this fluffy football tale offers. Cube isn't as believable as a down-and-out borderline alcoholic, but once the football lessons start, he's much more at ease.

Despite the film's shortcomings, Limp Bizkit frontman-turned-director Fred Durst has studied the feel-good formula enough to make audiences root for the home team, even if the result isn't a true touchdown.