Screens/Movies

The Underdoggs
Where: Prime
What: Movie, 90 mins.
When: Now
Genre: Comedy
Rating: NNN (out of 5)
Why you should watch: Snoop Dogg leads an amusing twist on the classic washed-up-bum-leads-motley-gang-of undisciplined-kids-to-unimagined-sports-success flick — but this time with tons of weed and cussin’.

WE’VE ALL SEEN this movie before, from Bad News Bears to the Mighty Ducks and many, many more: a washed-up, bitter kid-hater with a sports background is forced to work with a bunch of unruly, mouthy kids, usually with some kind of redemption and “learning” for the adult and the children.

But those movies didn’t have Snoop Dogg — who manages to take the “unfit-to-lead” trope to a whole new unsavoury level under a cloud of cannabis and curse words. Snoop plays Jaycen Jennings, an ex-NFL star with a major attitude problem. Jennings left the league 20 years ago in disgrace and made enemies at every team he played for. His agent can’t get him any post-career work because he’s perceived as such an asshole, and he spends much of his time making bitter podcasts.

And then, as is often the case in these films, he gets a drunk driving conviction and must perform community service.

Looking to upgrade his “service” from picking up dog shit in a park in his old L.A. hood, he figures out coaching a local kids’ football team is a better option. It helps that an old girlfriend’s son is part of the team of foul-mouthed, unmotivated adolescent boys — and one girl — that he decides to help.

And of course, an old friend from the ’hood surfaces to help Jennings get it together. It’s a classic formula made fresh by the absolute debauchery that accompanies the coaching. Jennings never stops smoking weed or swearing around the kids, some of whom seem capable of teaching him a few foul words themselves.

Snoop is charming and convincing as the coach, no doubt in part because he does coach kids teams in L.A. and even funds leagues for disadvantaged children in his hometown with some of the players he’s helped making it to the NFL.

Unfortunately, the other leads seem interchangeable, clichéd placeholders in the cast. Adorable, wise-assed kids are usually the payoff in this rags-to-riches genre, but none of the teammates emerged from the pack to distinguish themselves and charm the audience. Like the other supporting cast, they’re largely faceless, counting on Snoop to carry the film.

Fortunately, watching Snoop play at coaching kids — and his obvious delight doing it coupled with plenty of winks to the audience — is enough to make this throwaway flick worth the time. Probably wise to have a bag of Snoop’s Dream on hand to ensure a generous mind while viewing.