“The Longshots”

MGM/Weinstein Films

Directed by Fred Durst

Starring Ice Cube, Keke Palmer, Tasha Smith, Matt Craven and Garrett Morris

Rated PG

1 1/2 Stars

“The Longshots” is a well-meaning but ultimately mediocre sports movie. It does feature plenty of the bread-and-butter stuff of the genre—the inspirational struggle of underdogs that leads to eventual triumph, but there’s also a curiously melancholy that settles over the film. It’s as if tyro-director Fred Durst wanted to remind us that even in the midst of victory, life still sucks.

What’s the point of making a sports flick if you’re going to suck all the joy out of the story?

Ice Cube stars as Curtis, an unemployed former football player who reluctantly agrees to watch over his teenage niece, Jasmine (Keke Palmer) after school. He’s a morose, borderline alcoholic and she’s a shy nerd who gets picked on by the cool kids in school. They dislike each other immensely, but Curtis notices that Jasmine happens to have a great arm for passing a football. Coincidentally, the local Pop Warner football team really stinks, and thus we have the feel-good story about the first girl to play quarterback and lead her team to the Pop Warner Superbowl.

Keke Palmer does a pretty good job playing the sullen teenager who matures into a team leader. She has a few moments where her brilliant smile brings the film to life, but they are few and far between. She mostly mopes her way through the movie, and Ice Cube’s gruff, world-weary demeanor certainly doesn’t help to elevate the mood. Then again, they’re both much better than the supporting cast. Saddled with a pretty bad script, this cast turns some intentionally serious moments into giggle-inducing cheese. My favorite features the opposing coach who tries to motivate his team by screaming, “Orange is stupid” in reference to Jasmine’s team color.

The filmmakers don’t add much to the mix. Director Durst (that’s right, Limp Bizkit’s former frontman) takes a rather pedestrian approach to the material and the cinematographer throws such a dingy tint over every shot that the whole affair becomes a tedious slog instead of a joyful celebration of young achievement.

I hate to slam “The Longshots,” after all, the real story is quite inspirational. Well, inspirational in theory. In reality, the filmmakers and actors just don’t live up to that inspiration. These “Longshots” simply don’t pay off.

Movie reviews by Sean, “The Movie Guy,” are published bi-weekly in The Port Arthur News. Sean welcomes your comments via email at smcbride@kavutv.com.