The Minis

The Minis is a headscratcher of a film. Clearly meant to be a heartwarming, inspirational sports comedy that sends a positive message about not judging a book by its cover, the film is instead an after-school special on steroids, a hot mess of simple platitudes and mixed messages, nearly collapsed by the weight of the heavy-handed score, overwrought dialogue, amateur acting, and clunky expositional shots.

The setup involving the basketball team of little people gives way to a string of cringe-worthy gags about merchandising opportunities -- "midget diapers," anyone? -- and yet, the film uses each gag to give a little person a painfully scripted scene about what it's like to be marginalized. But in the end, it can't have its cake and eat it too. By mocking what it hopes to uplift, it ends up looking as cynical as the money-grubbing agent trying to squeeze a buck out of the spectacle. Kids might enjoy that spectacle, but only because they lack sensitivity training. Parents who enjoy appreciating a film ironically or who are fans of the "so bad it's good" phenomenon may just find something here. Upside: The movie was shot at Venice, Calif.'s famed Muscle Beach.