You know what there really isn’t enough of anymore? Kids’ sports movies. In the ’90s, these were a cinema staple; think The Sandlot, The Mighty Ducks, or The Little Giants. For some weird reason (Marvel), Hollywood just doesn’t make this kind of movie anymore, and it’s a real shame, because they were foundational for many a millennial’s youth.
Fortunately, Snoop Dogg is here to resurrect the genre with his own movie, fittingly titled Underdoggs. In a hodgepodge of various tropes from the above-mentioned classics, the Doggfather plays an NFL star whose bad-boy behavior lands him in community service coaching a youth football in his hometown — where else but Long Beach?
It’s a stunning bit of real-life synergy; for years, Snoop has funded and coached his own Pop Warner squad (on which Vince Staples once played) in Long Beach, so the role is not only a natural fit, it also finds Snoop basically playing himself. The film also stars Mike Epps (who has an exceptionally funny turn in the trailer) and George Lopez as a sage veteran who gives Snoop just the advice he needs to turn into a modern-day Gordon Bombay (seriously, kids. Watch The Mighty Ducks).
The Underdoggs comes to Amazon Prime on January 26, 2024. Watch the trailer above.