THE UNDERDOGGS - Mark Reviews Movies

The Underdoggs, Amazon MGM Studios

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Review by Mark Dujsik | January 25, 2024

The Underdoggs pretty much gives away its main gimmick upfront, with a disclaimer warning that the movie, despite its premise, isn't intended for kids. That premise, as the title suggests, is about a youth football team that can barely get through a practice without a series of embarrassing screw-ups, let alone win a game against more organized opponents. Oh, the kids like to swear a lot and make plenty of other off-color comments, too. Sure, the rest of the disclaimer is probably accurate in noting that kids likely say much worse things in real life, but if that's the case, why not really go for it here?

The whole movie feels similarly half-hearted, especially when the ending reveals there's probably a better true-life story to be told from this material. The idea for the story comes in part from star Snoop Dogg, who does financially support and coach youth football teams, and just imagine the potential of a documentary about the rapper's real-life exploits in that endeavor. Again, why don't the filmmakers just go for it when it's right there for the taking?

Instead, Snoop Dogg plays Jaycen "Two Js" Jennings, a former professional wide receiver whose career ended on account of his superstar ego and his inability to be a team player. Now, he's just a bitter guy, living in a vast mansion with a statue of himself in the foyer, recording a regular podcast about how great he was and still could be, and being quite reckless with his already-terrible reputation.

Here's both a compliment for the man and a critique of the performance: Snoop Dogg doesn't fit this role. He's too laid-back, too easily charming, and too naturally funny to be convincing as a guy who's supposed to be biggest jerk of a washed-up athlete imaginable. This is surely a passion project for the man (He serves as a producer, too, under his real name), but he's probably better suited for a behind-the-scenes job and a nice cameo or supporting role than playing this particular character. It's odd to see Mike Epps show up here, as an old high-school classmate of Jaycen's who really can't get his life in order, and instantly think he'd be better as the lead.

The plot is, well, exactly what one imagines it will be from the basic setup. Jaycen gets in some legal trouble (after speeding his sports car into oncoming traffic and being pummeled by a bus), is sentenced to a few hundred hours of community service, and eventually finds himself coaching the team of young misfits and outcasts. The screenplay by Isaac Schamis and Danny Segal provides absolutely nothing new, which could be fine if the material is funny, touching, or both.

Apart from a slight surprise near the end, it's definitely not the second quality, and because of the miscasting of Jaycen and the one-joke idea of the young players, it would be a stretch to say it's only more than occasionally the first. All of the young actors seem to be having fun, but then again, how couldn't they? They get to play the heroes in a movie, pretend to make amazing plays on the field, and say all of things they're probably not allowed to say at home or at school in front of a camera.

None of that dialogue is particularly shocking, of course, because a screenplay as limited in its imagination about plotting and characters is also going to be restricted in its use of profanity and innuendo. Maybe the kids could have improvised some better bits.

The rest of this is just as obvious and uninspired. There are plenty of montages of disastrous practices, where the kids get knocked around doing basic football maneuvers, and assorted games, where they get better after Jaycen realizes being a good coach could make him popular and get him a gig as a TV commentator.

There's also an unconvincing romance subplot between the coach and his high-school girlfriend Cherise (Tika Sumpter), who's also one of the player's parents, and George Lopez plays Jaycen's coach from high school who unintentionally gives his former player the perfect advice for any situation. "THC is a hell of a drug," the coach notes after Jaycen has a revelation that the coach wasn't trying to prompt, and it's just an additional reminder that the filmmakers are trying to cram Snoop Dogg's public persona into a character who's nothing like that.

It's all kind of harmless, which feels wrong for a movie that suggests it's going to push the envelope from the very start. The only thing The Underdoggs pushes is one's patience for formula and obvious jokes.

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