The Longshots - 2 1/2 smiles

“The Longshots” is based on the true story of Jasmine Plummer, who, at age eleven, became the first female to play in Pop Warner football in its 56-year history. Yes, it’s another underdog sports story. Yes, it follows a predictable plot. Yes, it manipulates your emotions. Yes, I liked it anyway. Studious Jasmine (Keke Palmer), who is picked on by the popular crowd at school, is unhappy when her mother asks her Uncle Curtis (Ice Cube) to watch her after school while her mother works. Curtis, a former high school football star, has lost his job at the local factory and spends his days drinking beer and watching the local Pop Warner football team practice. When he gets Jasmine to play catch with him, the rest is history.

“The Longshots” is a genuinely affecting Cinderella story in spite of the predictability of the story. And Ice Cube and Keke Palmer have enough skill to make their characters interesting. Curtis’s grouchy exterior hides a warm heart and Jasmine’s shyness conceals a need to be accepted by her peers. 8/22/08