When thinking of Fred Durst, inoffensive and kid-friendly don’t usually come to mind. Formerly the lead singer of rap/rock band Limp Bizkit, Durst is the director of Ice Cube’s latest family movie, The Longshots. Perhaps in an effort to hide his love-it-or-mostly-hate-it persona from potential moviegoers, mention of Durst is conspicuously absent from the movie posters, and his name only briefly appears during the end credits. Still, Durst should be thankful while the movie isn’t completely without merit, The Longshots is a film Durst will likely want to leave off the r’eacute;sum’eacute;.
The story follows Jasmine Plummer, a lonely bookworm out of place both at school and at home. Played by Akeelah and the Bee’s Keke Palmer, Jasmine continuously keeps her classmates and single mom at arm’s length to avoid the same betrayal she felt by her father who deserted her. Jasmine has faraway hopes of becoming a model, but makes no effort at realizing her own potential, causing her mother to employ Uncle Curtis (Ice Cube) as babysitter and potential friend.
Curtis, formerly a local football star, throws around a football with Jasmine and rather suddenly decides she’s a natural, setting off a chain reaction of events that end with Jasmine as quarterback of the school’s all-male football team. Jasmine overcomes her share of sexism and long odds, eventually leading a motley crew of underdogs to the title game where, win or lose, everyone learns an important life lesson.
If any of that sounds familiar, it’s because the premise of The Longshots isn’t exactly original. This is also where The Longshots faces its largest faults. Riddled with clich’eacute;s, the film makes no effort to be anything other than what the audience expects. Similarly, those content with a sentimental, by-the-numbers story won’t be disappointed, but everyone else will likely roll their eyes when Jasmine’s father conveniently re-enters her life, or at the comic relief that relies on groin shots and jock straps.
Although still out of place, considering his years as part of the rap group NWA and the Friday films, Ice Cube provides enough natural charisma to supply the bright spot in an otherwise dull picture. Keke Palmer, meanwhile, is adequate but lacking compared to her superior role in Akeelah and the Bee. Durst’s directing is unobtrusive yet unspectacular. Like most of the film, the camerawork and overall tone of the film are largely predictable, but faulting Durst, considering the material he had to work with, seems premature.
The Longshots has much in common with its main character. Like we initially see Jasmine, The Longshots has no aspirations toward greatness and seems mostly content to show up, meet the bare requirements and then go home. And like Jasmine, it’s fair to expect more of something, even if it doesn’t expect more of itself.
