The Underdoggs (2024) Movie Review
Got questions? The Underdoggs is like a mashup of those movies with lots of swearing (think Bad Santa) and kid-focused sports flicks (think The Mighty Ducks and The Bad News Bears). The Bad News Bears, from 1976, where a bunch of foul-mouthed Little Leaguers had a grumpy Walter Matthau as their coach, clearly inspired this one.
In The Underdoggs, Snoop Dogg steps into his first major movie role, not as himself but as Jaycen “2 Js” Jennings, a former high school and college football star turned embarrassing pro wide receiver. After a major screw-up, he's sentenced to 300 hours of community service cleaning up dog poop in the Long Beach park he played in as a kid.
%20Movie.jpg "The Underdoggs (2024) Movie")
Seeing a bunch of struggling kids trying to form a football team, he initially wants nothing to do with them. But then a light bulb goes off – what if he coaches them to success, turns their luck around, and sells the story to Hollywood? Directed by Charles Stone III and written by Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis, the film seems to playfully nod at clichés from similar movies but quickly falls in line with the genre. Jaycen warms up to the kids, and starts training them, and the story unfolds from there.
In the movie, Jaycen reconnects with his high school ex, Cherise, whose son Tre is on the team. Jaycen hopes coaching will win her back, but Cherise is not interested, knowing he's trouble. He also teams up with his old buddy Kareem, who becomes the self-proclaimed assistant coach. There are heartfelt scenes with George Lopez as Jaycen’s old high school football coach, Coach Feis, offering advice.
The main part of the film focuses on Jaycen leading the team against bigger rivals led by his nemesis Chip. As Jaycen's coaching pays off, his career improves, but at a cost. The movie draws inspiration from Snoop Dogg's real-life Snoop Youth Football League, where he coached kids. The film is packed with raunchy humor, earning its R-rating. The young actors were chosen for their ability to swear convincingly.
While The Underdoggs is a hilarious comedy, it also has a heart, showing redemption. It's a great family movie if you're okay with some strong language. Originally meant for theaters, the film is now on Amazon. The Underdoggs features well-cast kids, with Tika Sumpter and Mike Epps providing excellent support. Kal Penn makes a brief appearance as Jaycen’s bewildered agent. Look out for lovable bulldog mascots and cameos from the Fox Sports broadcast team. The movie's production team includes Kenya Barris, Snoop Dogg (Calvin Broadus), Constance Schwartz-Morini, Mychelle Deschamps, and Jonathan Glickman.