The Longshots (PG, 2008)

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.

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.

Studio: Weinstein Co.
Director: Fred Durst
Cast: Dash Mihok, Ice Cube, Keke Palmer
Genre: Family and Kids
Run time: 94 minutes
Theatrical release: August 20, 2008
DVD release: December 1, 2008
MPAA Rating: PG
MPAA explanation: some thematic elements, mild language and brief rude humor.