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.
Comment
08/23/08
The Longshots (2008)
40
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:65
Fresh:26
Rotten:39
Average Rating:5.2/10
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
US Box Office: $11,389,715
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... [More]
Reviews for The Longshots
Well, at least the underdog formula has gotten so tight that we can wrap these things up in under 90 minutes.
08/22/08
We're left with an unforced, sweet-natured story about people who find small ways to touch others and rediscover the good in themselves.
08/22/08
A cliché-riddled, warm and fuzzy, small-town sports drama.
08/22/08
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.
08/22/08
Non-discriminating audience members would be just as well served by re-visiting Rocky, Hoosiers, Rudy or even Remember the Titans.
08/22/08
Quite generic, even down to the same treacly musical score heard in every other inspirational sports movie.
08/22/08
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.
08/22/08
Top CriticThis genuinely affecting movie, based on a true story, has a heart as big as a football field even when its plot points are telegraphed.
08/22/08
The Longshots (awful title, guys) plays every instrument in the cliché orchestra, but it at least plays them well, and its characters are likable enough to settle in with for a pleasant hour and a half.
08/22/08
Its charms, however slight or familiar, are present and its family-friendly characters and dialogue are refreshing.
08/22/08
There's nothing about the film's workmanlike, achingly conventional direction that says 'Fred Durst.' Thank God
08/22/08
Anyone familiar with other inspirational sports movies knows that they lead up to a crucial game. The Longshots is no exception.
08/22/08
So how does the creative team behind The Longshots freshen up such a hackneyed, cliché-ridden franchise? The answer is that, despite a game effort, they don't.
08/22/08
Durst keeps the story rooted in the desperation of a dying town, and that gives this formulaic family fare a slight edge.
08/22/08
Former Limp Bizkit frontman Fred Durst directs in a surprisingly dull fashion, and most of the characters, including Jasmine's mother and father, are numbingly one-dimensional.
08/22/08
Top CriticThe film works so well because the sports elements are the least important.
08/22/08
Top CriticPithy in its real-life origins, even if trite in its formulaic construction.
08/22/08
While those who likely broadly played, predictable sports dramedies might enjoy this pic that's based on a true story (and features a good performance by Palmer), I'd suggest you punt and find a better alternative.
08/22/08
Ice Cube is good, but the story has been done so many times in so many better movies, there's little here to recommend.
08/22/08
Latest News for The Longshots
August 25, 2008:
Cube's Longshots Pay Off for Director Durst 
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.
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
More...
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