Ice Cube Goes Soft In Fine Family Flick
By Bill HannaFive years ago, an 11-year-old girl from Harvey, Ill., assured herself of a place in sports history. Her name is Jasmine Plummer, who has the distinction of being the only female quarterback in the history of the Pop Warner Pee Wee Football League, and she led the Harvey Colts to the semifinals of the football tournament in Florida.
Now this heartwarming story is the subject of "The Longshots," an inspiring new film starring Ice Cube and Keke Palmer. This is an excellent family movie with a wonderful message, and it also boasts fine performances from its stars.
Curtis Plummer (Cube) is a frustrated former high school football player who is living in the past. His promising career was cut short when he injured his knee in a freak accident, and he's never really amounted to much since. After the town plant closes putting him out of steady work, Curtis picks up some money doing odd jobs here and there, but mostly he just walks around town holding a football in one hand and a can of beer wrapped in a paper bag in the other. He has no real responsibilities in life, and he doesn't want any.
All of that changes, however, when his sister-in-law Claire (Tasha Smith) takes on some longer shifts as a waitress and asks Curtis to watch her 11-year-old daughter, Jasmine, after school until Claire gets home. At first Curtis wants nothing to do with this arrangement, but he finally agrees to help out at the rate of $5 per day.
Although Claire is a bright girl, she also is a bitter one because of the way some of her classmates treat her at school, and she also wants no part of hanging around with Uncle Curtis. He's dirty, he smells, and he just isn't much of a role model. Finally Curtis and Jasmine work out the animosity that initially existed between them and reach a truce in their relationship.
One afternoon Curtis and Jasmine are at the park where Curtis is throwing the football with one of his friends. When an errant pass lands near where Jasmine is sitting and reading, Curtis asks her to throw the ball back to him. Jasmine nonchalantly leans over, picks up the football, and rifles a pass to Curtis. And Curtis suddenly discovers a reason for living.
After convincing Jasmine to throw the ball around with him, Curtis realizes that she has a great deal of raw talent, and he begins coaching her in the fine art of passing a football.
At first Jasmine isn't really very enthusiastic being her uncle's new project, but as she continues improve, she begins to enjoy her newfound talent.
And when Curtis suggests that she try out for the local little league team, she ends up overcoming plenty of adversity in establishing herself as the team's starting quarterback.
In the tradition of "Rudy," "Miracle," "Hoosiers," and "Remember the Titans," this is film that young and old alike can enjoy and appreciate. Jasmine's story should appeal to young athletes of both sexes, and it illustrates the idea that hard work pays huge dividends. And the reaction of the real Jasmine when she found out that her accomplishments were going to be the subject of a movie offers a real lesson in humility. In the film's production notes, the honor student who is now 15 years old and a member of the basketball, wrestling, and track teams expressed her surprise when she learned the news.
"When I found out they were going to make a movie about my life, I was shocked. How could that happen? It's just me! I guess they thought it was a good story and an inspiration for other girl athletes."
Both Cube and Palmer are outstanding in their respective roles, and they succeed beautifully in bringing their characters to life. Cube's portrayal of Curtis is at once touching and tragic. The memories of his past exploits on the gridiron are really all Curtis has left in his life until he finally quits feeling sorry for himself and begins coaching Jasmine. Cube and Palmer have a terrific chemistry in their numerous scenes together, and in the production notes, Cube explained that in addition to making history, Jasmine gave the people of her hometown something to treasure.
"We wanted to reflect a city or a town that was a little down and out, a place that industry had forgotten, a place where the only people still there are the ones who couldn't afford to get out. Then we wanted to give them something to feel good about. This is more than a sports movie; it's a movie about a whole town coming back from the brink. Jasmine Plummer gives the town something to care about."
Palmer, who trained with a professional quarterback for seven weeks to prepare for her part, is an outstanding young actress. She made her big-screen debut four years ago in "Barber Shop 2: Back in Business," but her breakout role was as Laurence Fishburne's spelling prodigy in "Akeelah and the Bee." For a 15-year-old, she shows poise beyond her years in front of the camera, and she's already incredibly skilled in conveying her emotions and feelings just by her facial expressions. In the production notes Palmer offered a perceptive analysis of the message in the film.
"'The Longshots is about finding out what your dream is, what your passion is. It's not about who you are; it's about what you believe in. If you love something, you should do it with all your heart. Don't give up."
The real Jasmine aspires to play one day in the WNBA. After seeing this film, I wouldn't bet against her. Not by a long shot!
Bill Hanna can be reached via e-mail at wwhan12 @aol.com.
