THE LONGSHOTS
An inspiring sports drama about using the gifts God gives you.
Should You Watch It?
THE LONGSHOTS is a rare sports movie that is entertaining, funny, well acted and genuinely heartfelt. Ice Cube and Keke Palmer make Curtis and Jasmine’s growing relationship persuasive as they discover happiness and togetherness through football. The film also celebrates self-respect, hard work and using the gifts God gives you.
The cost is modest but real. The movie contains two strong profanities, other obscenities, some beer drinking and light football violence. It also includes a few troubling elements, including an inaccurate church sign and Jasmine’s painful relationship with her irresponsible father.
If your family includes middle schoolers and older children who can handle those concerns, this is worth seeing. For younger children or families avoiding foul language, choose something else.
The Story
NO SPOILERS — WE KEEP THE SURPRISESCurtis Plummer is a down-and-out former football star in a struggling Illinois town. When he begins babysitting his shy teenage niece, Jasmine, the two initially have little in common.
Then Curtis discovers that Jasmine has a strong throwing arm. He teaches her to play quarterback, and she eventually tries out for the local Pop Warner team, where she must prove herself among the boys from her middle school.
Is It Any Good?
Four stars means this is one of the year’s most entertaining, best acted and most heartfelt movies. The 95-minute film moves briskly and gets directly to its story, while its supporting characters and side plots fit the main themes.
The script begins with plenty of humor before drawing viewers into heartfelt and exciting moments. Ice Cube gives one of his best performances, making gruff, depressed Curtis sympathetic. Keke Palmer is a revelation as Jasmine, delivering an excellent performance that confirms the promise of her earlier work.
The Worldview
THE LONGSHOTS is not a Gospel-oriented movie, but its Christian worldview is clear. With the factory gone, the church becomes the town’s main focus. The preacher gives two pep talks, including one in a sermon, and the church gathers donations to help the team reach the Pop Warner Super Bowl.
The film makes strong moral points about self-respect, hard work and using the gifts God has given you. The preacher tells the congregation that Jesus gave them a mind and a heart, so they should use them. Curtis and Jasmine do exactly that as they work to improve their lives.
The film also presents a positive view of American innovation and strength of character. Its light feminist tone comes from the story of a young teenage girl playing football with boys. Jasmine’s father is irresponsible, but her uncle steps up as a supportive father figure. The movie also includes a sign saying, “God helps those who help themselves,” an idea that is biblically incomplete because people who cannot save themselves still need God’s help and Christ’s redemption.
The film’s central encouragement is to faithfully use what God has entrusted to you: “As each has received a gift, use it” (1 Peter 4:10).
The Content Guide
The specifics — spoilers included by nature — so you can judge for your own family.
Content Summary
Strong Christian worldview with strong moral elements (including pastor gives two pep talks to the townspeople, one of them in a sermon, and invites a man back to church) and a positive view of American innovation and strength of character, marred by some foul language and a couple antinomian, biblically aberrant aspects (the foul language reflects a possible antinomian attitude and a church sign says, “God helps those who help themselves,” which is not biblical), plus a light feminist tone because story is about a young teenage girl who plays football with boys; 11 obscenities (including pastor uses a crude reference to make a point), two strong profanities and three light profanities, plus boy playing center on a football team uses a comical euphemism to complain about a girl quarterback having to put her hands under his groin to take the ball from him and mean middle school students present a shy student with a toilet plunger to suggest she clean the school toilets; some light football violence; no sex; no nudity; some beer drinking; no smoking; and, heroine’s father is irresponsible but her uncle steps up to the plate, mean students mock a shy student but the leader eventually apologizes, people break a window and run away, uncle tells niece to lie to her mother about him teaching her football but they tell the truth when girl seems good enough to try out for football team.
Talk About It
Questions for the drive home, the dinner table, or the youth group.
Curtis and Jasmine discover that football can help them use their gifts and grow closer. What gifts has God given you, and how can you use them to serve others?
1 Peter 4:10 · Romans 12:6–8The preacher says that Jesus gave people a mind and a heart to use. How can you honor God with both your thinking and your feelings?
Mark 12:30 · Romans 12:2Jasmine’s father is irresponsible, while Curtis steps up to support her. What does faithful care look like when someone in a family is absent or struggling?
Psalm 68:5 · James 1:27The film includes a church sign that says, “God helps those who help themselves.” How does that statement differ from the Gospel’s message about our need for Christ?
Ephesians 2:8–9 · Romans 5:6The Final Word
THE LONGSHOTS is funny, moving and deeply encouraging about family, perseverance and using the gifts God gives you. Its language and minor concerns call for discernment, especially with younger children. For middle schoolers through adults, this is WORTH THE TRIP — MIDDLE SCHOOL AND UP.
