Soccer Mom (PG, 2008)

Becca's (Emily Osment) soccer team is in really bad shape. Their coach would rather text message than give pep talks after the game. When he announces that he is leaving in the middle of the season, the team is thrilled to hear that his replacement will be the Italian soccer phenomenon, Lorenzo Vincenzo (a funny Dan Cortese). Upon picking up the soccer star to bring him to the team's introduction party, Wendy (Missi Pyle) gets a shock. She has to think quickly to save the team's morale -- and their season -- by using a little sleight of hand, and sleight of tongue.

Tweens who know Emily Osment from Hannah Montana will love her performance in this movie. Playing Becca Handler, she is able to portray a young teen whose loss of her father is confusing, as well as painful. Her mom, Wendy, has her hands full as a single mom of three -- barely keeping the dog out of the refrigerator. But she takes a big risk to masquerade as the role model that she feels will inspire her daughter.

As far as mother-daughter bonding movies go, this one is pretty light fare. But that may be why moms and daughters will enjoy watching it together. It covers the emotional complexity that follows a loss, while providing genuine comic relief. Missi Pyle's ability to inhabit a character doesn't go unnoticed, though some of the plot twists are a little predictable. It's nice to see girls' sports taken seriously enough to be the center point of a movie.