Review: The Longshots

Producer Ice Cube extends his line of family-friendly entertainment. With three multi-film series to his credit, the former rapper now plays Curtis Plummer, a laid-off factory worker. His sister-in-law Claire (Tasha Smith), a waitress working an extra shift at the local diner, wants him to look after her 11-year-old daughter Jasmine (Keke Palmer, from Robbins, Illinois, and “Akeelah and the Bee.”) “She too weird and moody for me,” he complains, but $5 an hour is the only paycheck in sight. Jasmine is a bookworm and admires Tyra Banks. Her dream is to be a model. Curtis, a former high-school football quarterback, mentors his niece and she stars on the team, which goes to Miami for a national championship. Nick Santora’s original screenplay, rewritten by Doug Atchison (also of “Akeelah and the Bee”), is based on the true story of the 11-year-old girl who did play quarterback for the Harvey, Illinois Colts and played in the Pop Warner League. Along the way, Curtis cleans up his act, gets hired as a coach, and courts Jasmine’s teacher. Curtis’ brother and Jasmine’s long-gone father show up, but Jasmine has found a fit father figure. This heartwarming script is directed by Fred Durst (“The Education of Charlie Banks”), but the rocker of Limp Bizkit fame flunks for the use of terribly trite music. The costumes and cinematography feel true to an economically dispirited small-town. With Matt Craven, Jill Marie Jones, Garrett Morris, Glenn Plummer, Michael Colyar and Earthquake. 94m. (Bill Stamets)