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Movies / In Theaters / The Longshots
The Longshots

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The Longshots (2008)

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Reviews Counted: 58

Fresh: 22

Rotten:36

Average Rating: 5.1/10

Consensus: The Longshots means well, but it's a largely formulaic affair, rarely deviating from the inspirational sports movie playbook.

Runtime: 1 hr 35 mins

Genre: Comedies

Theatrical Release: Aug 22, 2008 Wide

Box Office: $11,242,193

Synopsis: Based on the true story of the first female quarterback to play in a Pop Warner football game, THE LONGSHOTS is an inspiring underdog story of personal triumph and small-town values. The film opens in down-on-its-luck Minden, Illinois,... Based on the true story of the first female quarterback to play in a Pop Warner football game, THE LONGSHOTS is an inspiring underdog story of personal triumph and small-town values. The film opens in down-on-its-luck Minden, Illinois, where 11-year-old Jasmine Plummer (Keke Palmer) copes with the pain of an absentee father and her classmates' constant antagonism. Jasmine's fortunes begin to change with the emergence of her uncle, Curtis (Ice Cube). Once a rising football star but now out of work, Curtis dreams of escaping Minden for the sunny promise of Miami. But when he sees Jasmine's gift for throwing the football, Curtis helps her overcome self-doubt and skepticism to join Minden's woeful Pop Warner team. Inspired by Jasmine's skill and toughness, and with the addition of Curtis as a coach, the team earns a spot in the Pop Warner Super Bowl in Miami. But as the national media swoop in to cover the team's story, Jasmine and Curtis come face-to-face with their biggest obstacle: the reappearance of Jasmine's father. Will Curtis and Jasmine lead the team to glory, or will Jasmine's father once again tear apart a loving family? Directed by Limp Bizkit front man Fred Durst, the film features excellent performances by Ice Cube and Keke Palmer (AKEELAH AND THE BEE), the youngest person ever nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award. Grounded in real struggles and real people, THE LONGSHOTS eschews typical Hollywood theatrics to tell an ultimately authentic tale of overcoming great odds by finding greatness in ourselves and each other. [More]

Starring: Ice Cube, Keke Palmer, Dash Mihok, Tasha Smith

Starring: Ice Cube, Keke Palmer, Dash Mihok, Tasha Smith, Jill Marie Jones, Matt Craven

Director: Fred Durst

Director: Fred Durst
Screenwriter: Nick Santora, Doug Atchison
Producer: Ice Cube, Matt Alvarez, Nick Santora
Composer: John Swihart
Studio: MGM

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Reviews for The Longshots

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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | 1 2 3 >> >|
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Ratings Image

Cube and Durst have certainly survived worse career flops, but the chances of them working together again on a film? Let's just say it's a longshot.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
09/08/08
Ethan Alter
Film Journal International
Ratings Image

It's rare to see a well-made movie that empowers young girls the way this one does. So who am I to complain about the plot being formulaic?

Full Review Source: The Cinema Source | comment Comment
09/05/08
Michael Dance
The Cinema Source
Ratings Image

It's a by-the-numbers Hollywood movie, but a surprisingly competent one.

Full Review Source: Paste Magazine | comment Comment
09/04/08
Sean Gandert
Paste Magazine
Ratings Image

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Film Threat | comment Comment
09/02/08
Film Threat
Ratings Image

A Disney wannabe, Fred Durst's girl power sports flick is ho hum and very forgettable...

Full Review Source: Cinema Crazed | comment Comment
08/29/08
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
Ratings Image

The based-on-a-true-story tale of Pop Warner's first female quarterback is a feelgood picture with not a single convention out of place that manages not to offend even if it also doesn't offer a single shred of originality.

Full Review Source: IGN Movies | comment Comment
08/29/08
Todd Gilchrist
IGN Movies
Ratings Image

...sensitive, well-attuned performances [from] Ice Cube and [Keke] Palmer...

Full Review Source: Sacramento News & Review | comment Comment
08/29/08
Jim Lane
Sacramento News & Review
Ratings Image

Not maudlin enough to make it memorable

Full Review Source: jackiekcooper.com | comment Comment
08/28/08
Jackie K. Cooper
jackiekcooper.com
Ratings Image

The most surprising thing about the inspirational sports movie The Longshots is not that there isn't already an inspirational sports movie with that exact name. The big shock is that the director Fred Durst -- and he doesn't do half bad.

Full Review Source: Entertainment Weekly | comment Comment
08/28/08
Gregory Kirschling
Entertainment Weekly
Ratings Image

None of the scenes snap, crackle or pop.

Full Review Source: Creative Loafing | comment Comment
08/26/08
Matt Brunson
Creative Loafing
Ratings Image

Predictable and uninspiring.

Full Review Source: Illinois Times | comment Comment
08/24/08
Charles Koplinski
Illinois Times
Ratings Image

A pleasant, if predictable, tale of female empowerment ideal for the under ten set.

Full Review Source: NewsBlaze | comment Comment
08/24/08
Kam Williams
NewsBlaze
Ratings Image

This is your basic, generic sports underdog movie that plays very much like an afterschool special. That's not to say it's all that bad, but one expects more when they're paying ten bucks on a Friday night.

Full Review Source: Sin Magazine | comment Comment
08/23/08
Austin Kennedy
Sin Magazine
Ratings Image

Well, at least the underdog formula has gotten so tight that we can wrap these things up in under 90 minutes.

Full Review Source: Can Magazine | comment Comment
08/22/08
Fred Topel
Can Magazine
Ratings Image

We're left with an unforced, sweet-natured story about people who find small ways to touch others and rediscover the good in themselves.

Full Review Source: Charlotte Observer | comment Comment
08/22/08
Lawrence Toppman
Charlotte Observer
Ratings Image

A cliché-riddled, warm and fuzzy, small-town sports drama.

Full Review Source: Detroit News | comment Comment
08/22/08
Adam Graham
Detroit News
Ratings Image

Based on the real-life of Jasmine Plummer, this story ought to have all the heart and drama needed, but the onscreen version is too sloppy to even get the clichés right.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
08/22/08
Chris Farnsworth
E! Online
Ratings Image

Non-discriminating audience members would be just as well served by re-visiting Rocky, Hoosiers, Rudy or even Remember the Titans.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
08/22/08
Kevin Williamson
Jam! Movies
Ratings Image

Quite generic, even down to the same treacly musical score heard in every other inspirational sports movie.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
08/22/08
Bob Strauss
Los Angeles Daily News
Ratings Image

The Longshots is a likable enough Cinderella story, one whose heart is clearly in the right place, even if it winds up on its sleeve once too often.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
08/22/08
Gary Goldstein
Los Angeles Times
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1 - 20 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
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Latest News for The Longshots

August 25, 2008: Cube's Longshots Pay Off for Director Durst Opens in new window
Fred Durst knows no one expected him to trade in his backwards hat for a director's chair -- especially to helm a family film like "The Longshots" -- but the Limp Bizkit... More...

August 24, 2008: Keke Palmer plays another underdog in sentimental family flick. Opens in new window
More...

August 21, 2008: Box Office Guru Preview: Death Race Shoots for Pole Position
The ancient studio ritual of dumping weak product into the late August box office has begun. Four new releases, most about failures trying to redeem themselves, hit the... More...

June 22, 2008: Trailer Poster review Opens in new window
More...

See More Topics...

Related Forums for The Longshots

Real Boba
(2008/Family-Sports genre)-THE LONGSHOTS is not a remake but we've seen it all before
by: Real Boba 8/31


Real Boba
(2008/Family-Sports genre)-THE LONGSHOTS is not a remake but we've seen it all before
by: Real Boba 8/31


Ice Cube really falling off
by: I Like Turtles 8/29


Another pro-female, anti-male film?
by: YSM85 8/22


Horrible Trailer
by: tekwar2001 8/15
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