The Longshots

WEINSTEIN/GENIUS
Street; Dec. 2
Prebook: now
> Inspirational true football story will find fans with families and in urban markets.

Based on a true story, The Longshots follows 11-year-old Jasmine Plummer (Akeelah and the Bee’s Keke Palmer), who becomes a top-notch quarterback in Pop Warner football with help from her ne’r-do-well uncle (Ice Cube). The movie works as a girl empowerment fable, a football yarn and a story that should find favor with urban audiences. It takes the familiar trek of following Jasmine from a lonely, book-obsessed student with a hard-working single mother (Tasha Smith) to her surprising success on the gridiron, which leads her Illinois team to the championships. Fred Durst, leader of hard rock outfit Limp Bizkit, makes an affecting, surprisingly straightforward directing debut with this audience pleaser.

Shelf Talk: The film didn’t score in theaters, stalling at $11 million, but Longshots will likely have a strong following at home, especially since producer/star Cube means a lot in ancillary and urban markets. The sweet-natured story will bring in families—especially those with ’tween girls—who will easily take to the life lessons.