“The Longshots” is a sports movie that actually wants to be something more than a sports movie. It has heart and humor without getting sappy or ridiculous, and above all, it convinces the audience to believe in its characters for their humanity, not just their skills. It’s based on the true story of eleven-year-old Jasmine Plummer, who, in 2003, became the first female quarterback to play at the Pop Warner Football tournament in Miami. I have no idea how accurately the film portrays her or her story, but I guess it doesn’t really matter; even if it were purely fictional, “The Longshots” would still be compelling. One of the best things about it is Keke Palmer, who plays Plummer not as an underdog cliché but as a shy, vulnerable, lonely girl desperate to be accepted in a cruel world. You feel for her and you want her to triumph, which I’m sure was exactly what the filmmakers were aiming for.

While Plummer is one of the most important characters, “The Longshots” is not entirely her story; this would probably be a tedious film if it focused on nothing other than a girl trying to make it on an all-boys’ team. Instead, the attention is split between her story and the story of her team, who struggle to find success. But success doesn’t come easy to a junior high football team from an economically disadvantaged town. Times are toughs in Minden, Illinois, especially now that the local factory has closed down. Many people are unemployed. Some live at or below the poverty level. One of the disadvantaged is Curtis (Ice Cube), who hasn’t found work since the factory shut down. Unkempt and detached, he now spends his days hanging around with other unemployed people, drinking beer and tossing around his football. Apparently, the football is a reminder of his younger days, when he was a junior high star athlete.

One day, his former sister-in-law, Claire (Tasha Smith), asks him to spend some time with her daughter, Jasmine. Jasmine, still reeling from the fact that her father abandoned her, is not fitting in with the other kids at school. Because of that, she’s completely unmotivated to do any after school activities. She would rather be by herself, reading a book. At first, neither Curtis nor Jasmine is thrilled at the idea of spending a couple of hours a day together. But things start to change when he sees how well she throws a football; he soon begins practicing with her, and lo and behold, she’s got talent. When he suggests that she join her school’s Football team, she’s reluctant--while she acknowledges her accomplishments, she’s never wanted to play sports. Her dream is to be a fashion model. But with a little encouragement, Jasmine works up the nerve to approach the school’s coach, Fisher (Matt Craven), and ask for a tryout.

He gives her a chance, although it took a lot of convincing. Fortunately, it doesn’t take much to convince the boys on the team, whose hurtful teasing quickly gives way to praise. Before long, Jasmine is no longer just the girl on the Football team; she’s one of the players. Her story soon makes national headlines, helped by the fact that Minden’s school team is finally on a winning streak. Their luck carries them all the way to the Pop Warner Football tournament, which is essentially the Superbowl of little league Football. When unforeseen events take Coach Fisher out of the game, Curtis takes over, and as a result, the bond between him and Jasmine grows strong. I suppose this is to be expected. “The Longshots” is above all else a feel-good movie; we want to see Jasmine break out of her shell, and we long for that moment when Curtis sees her for the wonderful person she is. Of course, we also want her team to win. As so many earlier movies have shown, fewer things are as satisfying as a group of underdogs on the path to victory.

It can be argued that “The Longshots” is at times a little too cliché. Some of the characters a little too broadly drawn, such as Jasmine’s father, Roy (Malcolm Goodwin), who adds conflict by reappearing at just the right point in the story. And the idea of a misfit blossoming into the town hero certainly isn’t new. Nevertheless, the film definitely achieves what it wanted to achieve. Leaving the theater, I saw the satisfaction on everyone’s faces, and I’m sure some of them saw the satisfaction on mine. And isn’t that exactly what we want from a sports movie? Isn’t that what we want from any movie about overcoming adversity? We may have seen stories like “The Longshots” before, but at least the filmmakers made a conscious effort to make it entertaining, heartfelt, and inspiring.

Young Keke Palmer deserves a lot of credit for making her character relatable. So does Ice Cube, who’s very convincing as a down and out man with little to hope for; as the film progresses, we genuinely believe Curtis is beginning to care for his niece, just as we believe he resents his brother for abandoning her. There’s always an air of regret in his voice, which would be expected of anyone putting his or her dreams on hold. His developing relationship with Jasmine makes him wonder if his problem can in fact be solved by leaving Minden; moving to Miami may not bring him the happiness he’s longed for, especially now that he’s discovering Minden’s strong sense of community. Whether or not any of this is accurate to the real story of Jasmine Plummer, I can’t say. All I can say is that “The Longshots” is a charming, sincere sports movie, one that can has you feeling good all throughout.

- Chris Pandolfi