The Longshots

The Longshots tells the story of Jasmine Plummer, an eleven-year-old girl living in a struggling Illinois town. When her uncle Curtis takes her in, he notices her natural ability to throw a football. Under his coaching, she joins a local youth team and becomes a quarterback, eventually helping her squad reach the Pop Warner tournament. The film focuses on the bond between uncle and niece as much as on the games, showing how Jasmine's participation challenges expectations in a sport where girls had not previously competed at that level. It is based on a true story.

Fred Durst directed the film, his first feature, followed later by The Fanatic. Nick Santora wrote the screenplay, and Ice Cube produced through Cube Vision alongside Matt Alvarez and Santora. Ice Cube stars as Curtis, with Keke Palmer as Jasmine, and Tasha Smith, Jill Marie Jones, Dash Mihok and Matt Craven in supporting roles. The cast includes twenty credited performers.

Released in August 2008, the film runs 94 minutes and mixes comedy, drama and family themes. Made for a budget of 23 million dollars, it took in about 12 million worldwide. On IMDb it holds a rating of 5.6 from roughly 4,700 votes, while on TMDB it averages 6.5 from 77 votes. A critics' score of 5.3 from 68 reviews places it close to the audience scores on IMDb.