Review: Prime Video's "THE UNDERDOGGS" is Vulgar, Funny and Holds The Titty

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 5 of 2024 (No. 1949) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Underdoggs (2024)

Running time:  96 minutes (1 hour, 36 minutes)

MPA – R for pervasive language, sexual references, drug use, and some underage drinking

DIRECTOR: Charles Stone III

WRITERS:  Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis

PRODUCERS:  Kenya Barris, Mychelle Deschamps, Jonathan Glickman, Constance Schwartz-Morini, and Calvin Broadus (Snoop Dogg)

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Mitchell Amundsen (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Paul Millspaugh

COMPOSER:  Joseph Shirley

COMEDY/SPORT

Starring:  Snoop Dogg, Tika Sumpter, Mike Epps, Elias Ferguson, Jonigan Booth, Caleb Cm Dixon, Adan James Carrillo, Alexander Michael Gordon, Kylah Davila, Andrew Schulz, Thom Scott II, Kal Penn, Kandi Burruss, Tony Gonzalez, Terry Bradshaw, and George Lopez

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SUMMARY OF THE REVIEW:

--Snopp Dogg is excellent is this truly funny sports comedy.

--This film has a lot of profanity and bad behavior, and their reference to sex acts and sex organs is plentiful.  It's family comedy that is not appropriate for viewing, unless the family is a bit daring.

--The Underdogg's scatological tale of a washed up, arrogant coach and a group of kids who know mostly disappointment does not come across as corny or phony.  The Underdoggs keeps it real, perhaps, too real sometimes.

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The Underdoggs is a 2024 sports comedy film from director Charles Stone III.  The film is an Amazon “Prime Original” that began streaming on “Prime Video” January 26, 2024.  The Underdoggs follows a washed-up former professional football player who decides to coach a peewee football team as way to regain his fame only to learn some important live lessons.

The Underdoggs opens at the “California High School State Championship 1997.”  Jaycen "Two J's" Jennings (Elias Ferguson) is the star wide receiver at Long Beach Polytechnic High School, and by catching the “Hail Mary” pass thrown his way, he wins the state championship for his school.  Jaycen goes on to be a star professional football player, but his ego eventually gets him tossed from the professional ranks.

Now, Jaycen Jennings (Snopp Dogg) is a washed-up ex-professional football star – an arrogant washed up former football star, and the days of being “Two J's” are behind him.  Still, he is desperately trying to hang onto fame, hopefully by landing a plum gig hosting his own Fox Sports TV show.  However, Jaycen hits rock bottom when he is sentenced to community service after an accident.

Eventually, he finds his way to the Los Angeles County Community Outreach Program, where he decides to coach a peewee football squad, a group of poor kids known as “the Green Team.”  Jaycen, however, sees this as a chance to get what he wants, but will he be forced to really give these kids what they need – a coach that cares?

I am shocked by how much I really like The Underdoggs.  Of course, the screenplay by Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis (from a pitch by Snoop Dogg and fellow producer, Constance Schwartz-Morini) revisits familiar territory.  The tale of a fallen coach, mentor, or role model and his team of poor kids, outcasts, and assorted misfits has played out in such films as The Bad News Bears (1976) and Role Models (2008).  The Mighty Ducks (1992), which is referenced in The Underdoggs, is apparently a similar film, but I have never seen it (nor have I ever wanted to).

I have been a long-time fan of Snopp Dogg, and perhaps because of serendipity, he is perfect as an actor is this story of underdogs.  I like that the film allows Jaycen to stay true to himself while also evolving, but the children also keep it real while learning to take pride in themselves and in their efforts.  In this way, The Underdoggs is a perfect, lesson-heavy, family film, but...

The Underdoggs is rated “R” by the MPA for “pervasive language, sexual references, drug use, and some underage drinking,” and alla' that shit is actually in the film, sometimes in large quantities.  There is even a funny “disclaimer” at the beginning of The Underdoggs that basically says that today's children use the same profane words spoken in the film.  Perhaps, the filmmakers' argument is this is indeed a thoroughly modern family-friendly film.  I think the “F-bomb” is said in The Underdoggs seemingly more than one hundred times.  So its appropriateness will vary from family to family, respective of decorum and personal tastes.  I have to admit that I was uncomfortable with the amount of profanity and bad behavior in this film, but...

I still laughed a lot.  The Underdoggs is uproariously funny.  I think Mike Epps as Kareem, Jaycen's friend who becomes his assistant coach, and Tika Sumpter as Cherise Porter, who was Jaycen's high school girlfriend, make the best of characters that are not that well written.  Epps is always a scene-stealer in everything from comedy to action to horror, and he grabs all he can here.  Sumpter makes Cherise an effective moral check on Jaycen's selfishness.

In the end, I feel totally comfortable recommending The Underdoggs to adult and older teen viewers.  It is one of the funniest films of the new year, so far.  I think some young viewers will be crazy about The Underdoggs, whether their parents approve or not.

A-

7 of 10

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Tuesday, February 6, 2024

The text is copyright © 2024 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved.  Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "BLUE BEETLE" is a Family Affair

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 38 of 2023 (No. 1927) by Leroy Douresseaux

Blue Beetle (2023)

Running time:  127 minutes (2 hours, 7 minutes)

MPA – PG-13 for sequences of action and violence, language, and some suggestive references

DIRECTOR:  Angel Manuel Soto

WRITER:  Gareth Dunnet-Alcocer (based on characters from DC Comics)

PRODUCERS:  Zev Foreman and John Rickard

CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Pawel Pogorzelski (D.o.P.)

EDITOR:  Craig Alpert

COMPOSER:  The Haxan Cloak

SUPERHERO/FANTASY/ACTION/FAMILY

Starring:  Xolo Maridueña, Bruna Marquezine, Damien Alcazar, Adriana Barraza, Belissa Escobedo, Elpidia Carrillo, Raoul Max Trujillo, Modesto Lacen, and Harvey Guillén, Susan Sarandon, George Lopez, and  (voice) Becky G

Blue Beetle is a 2023 superhero and action-fantasy film directed by Ángel Manuel Soto.  The film is based on the DC Comics character, Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes, that was created by Keith Giffen, John Rogers, and Cully Hamner and first appeared in the comic book, Infinite Crisis #3 (cover dated: February 2006).  Blue Beetle the movie focuses on a young man who finds himself chosen to be the symbiotic host of an alien artifact that gives him a suit of armor.

Blue Beetle introduces recent college graduate, Jaime Reyes (Xolo Mariduena), who is returning to his hometown of Palmera City.  He receives a warm welcome from his family:  his father, Alberto Reyes (Damian Alcazar); his mother, Rocio Reyes (Elpidia Carrillo); his Nana (Adrian Barraza), his younger sister, Milagro (Belissa Escobedo); and his uncle, Rudy Reyes (George Lopez).  Jaime soon learns that his family will lose their home due to financial difficulties and to Alberto's poor health.  Still, Jaime is optimistic that he will quickly get a job and make enough money for his family.

Some time later, Jaime meets Jenny Kord (Bruna Marquezine), the daughter of Ted Kord, the currently-missing CEO OF Kord Industries.  Jenny is at odds with her aunt, Victoria Kord (Susan Sarandon), the current CEO.  Jenny discovers that Victoria has dark plans for her recent discovery, an alien artifact called “the Scarab.”  Jenny steals the Scarab, and not knowing its true nature, she passes it on to Jaime.

 

As soon as Jaime touches the Scarab, it activates and attaches to him, creating a suit of armor around him.  The suit gives Jaime extraordinary powers, such as flight, super-strength, and invulnerability, but those powers are unpredictable.  Now, Jaime's family calls him a “superhero.”  However, Jaime isn't sure that he wants to be a superhero, and Victoria Kord will do whatever she has to do – including murder – to regain possession of the Scarab.

The Blue Beetle first appeared in Fox Comics' Mystery Men Comics #1 (cover dated: August 1939) and was the secret identity of a young police officer, Dan Garrett.  The second Blue Beetle first appeared in Charlton Comics' Captain Atom #83 (November 1966) and was Ted Kord, an industrialist and owner of KORD Industries.  I mention this because Dan Garrett is referenced in this film.  Also, Ted Kord, with a new origin, is a major subplot in this film, although the story is that he has been missing for years under mysterious circumstances.

However, this is Blue Beetle/Jaime Reyes' film.  He comes across as a normal young man in his early twenties.  Warner Bros. didn't even cast some muscular young android-like actor for the role.  Xolo Mariduena's body is in good shape, but he looks more like a high school kid still in physical development.  Everything about Xolo comes across as boy-next-door, which makes him more relatable to a larger segment of the audience.  After all, Jaime seems so vulnerable that even an alien suit of armor doesn't seem capable of completely protecting him.  If there is a superhero of the people – the champion next door – Xolo makes Jaime Reyes as Blue Beetle fit the role perfectly.

Like Warner Bros.'s 2019 DC Comics film, Shazam, Blue Beetle emphasizes family, and the Reyes are delightful.  George Lopez's Uncle Rudy is a scene stealer, and I'm glad the story reveals that there is so much more to him than meets the eye.  Of course, one can judge how good a family is by placing it in contrast with a problematic family, and that is the Kords.  Susan Sarandon plays the evil aunt, Victoria Kord, with relish, although she doesn't really go over the top.  The film puts Jenny Kord, smoothly played by actress Bruna Marquezine, at the center of the good family (the Reyes)-bad family (Victoria Kord) dynamic.  Which will Jenny ultimately choose?  Like Shazam, Blue Beetle shows how cool an extended or surrogate family can be, especially to someone in need.

I like what director Angel Manuel Soto does with his collaborators, cast, and crew.  Blue Beetle is an easy-going superhero film that is fun for a family audience, even with the sometimes intense action and dark plot elements.  I'm surprised that the film has as its themes, “imperialism in the name of democracy” and “militarized capitalism,” neither of which are ever portrayed as a good thing.  Uncle Rudy even calls Batman a “fascist,” which has caused a stir in some Internet circles.  This film definitely has an anti-authoritarian streak.

That aside, Blue Beetle is hugely and surprisingly entertaining, and it sparkles with humor.  By focusing on Jaime Reyes as much as it does on the Blue Beetle armor, the film gets to center on the most winning aspect of it story, family and friends.  Blue Beetle won't get the attention of bigger superhero film productions, but it has more heart than most of those other films.

[Blue Beetle has two extra scenes during the end credits.]

7 of 10

B+

★★★½ out of 4 stars

Friday, August 18, 2023

The text is copyright © 2023 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this blog or site for reprint and syndication rights and fees.

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Review: "Balls of Fury" is Funnier Than it Looks (Happy B'day, Maggie Q)

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 1 (of 2008) by Leroy Douresseaux

Balls of Fury (2007)
Running time: 90 minutes (1 hour, 30 minutes)
MPAA – PG-13 for crude and sex-related humor, and for language
DIRECTOR:  Robert Ben Garant
WRITERS:  Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant
PRODUCERS:  Gary Barber, Roger Birnbaum, Jonathan Glickman, and Thomas Lennon
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Thomas E. Ackerman (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  John Refoua
COMPOSER:  Randy Edelman

COMEDY/SPORT

Starring:  Dan Folger, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, James Hong, Maggie Q, Thomas Lennon, Aisha Tyler, Jason Scott Lee, Diedrich Bader, Terry Crews, Patton Oswalt, David Koechner, and Robert Patrick

The subject of this movie review is Balls of Fury, a 2007 sports comedy film from the team of co-writer/director Robert Ben Garant and co-writer Thomas Lennon.  The film follows a down-and-out former professional ping-pong phenom recruited by an FBI agent for a secret mission that may also lead the former child star to his father’s killer.

Balls of Fury takes place in the unsanctioned, underground, and unhinged world of extreme ping pong where the competition is brutal and the stakes are deadly – sort of like the way Dodgeball portrayed the mean world of professional dodge ball.  But we get the joke!

A ping pong professional as a child, Randy Daytona (Dan Fogler), spiraled downwards after an embarrassing loss at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.  Cut to the present.  Randy is down on his luck and on his game, and he’s performing at a nightclub when FBI Agent Ernie Rodriguez (George Lopez) recruits him for a mission to spy on one of the FBI’s most wanted men, the faux-Asian crime lord Feng (Christopher Walken).  Randy has some incentive to do take the assignment because Feng was responsible for the death of Randy’s father.

“Operation Ping Pong” requires Randy to get an invite to Feng’s underground ping pong championship tournament.  To do that, Randy will have to get his game back into shape.  With the help of a blind ping pong sage, Master Wong (James Hong), and his niece, Maggie Wong (Maggie Q), an expert ping pong trainer, Randy gets in winning form and gets an invite to Feng’s jungle compound where the tournament is being held.  Now, Randy will have to face a raft of formidable players en route to the prize, including his arch-nemesis, German Olympic ping pong god, Karl Wolfschtagg (Thomas Lennon), and still take down Feng.

Balls of Fury is a parody/remake of the 1973 Bruce Lee film, Enter the Dragon, by way of Dodgeball and Comedy Central’s television series, “Reno 911.”  In fact, Balls of Fury co-writer/director Robert Ben Garant and co-writer/actor Thomas Lennon are part of the brain trust behind “Reno 911,” and the kind of sheer absurdity that marks that hit comedy series is much in evidence in Balls of Fury.

This film is sometimes shamefully in poor taste, and its lack of political correctness often borders on bad taste.  Still, it’s fun; Balls of Fury takes a look at sports and competition and pokes numerous holes in the gas bags that are elite athletes, secretive trainers, and arcane rules.  Then, the movie skewers so many sports movie stereotypes, from the sage-philosopher mentors to the sad sack underdogs.  Balls of Fury may look like a bad movie (and sometimes it truly is), but it is a comedy that delivers laughter.

5 of 10
B-

Thursday, January 03, 2008

Updated:  Thursday, May 22, 2014


The text is copyright © 2014 Leroy Douresseaux. All Rights Reserved. Contact this site for syndication rights and fees.

Review: "The Smurfs" Movie is Smurfy

TRASH IN MY EYE No. 51 (of 2013) by Leroy Douresseaux

The Smurfs (2011)
Running time:  103 minutes (1 hour, 43 minutes)
MPAA – PG for some mild rude humor and action
DIRECTOR:  Raja Gosnell
WRITERS:  J. David Stem, David N. Weiss, Jay Scherick, and David Ronn; from a story by J. David Stem and David N. Weiss (based on the characters created by and works of Peyo)
PRODUCER:  Jordan Kerner
CINEMATOGRAPHER:  Phil Meheux (D.o.P.)
EDITOR:  Sabrina Plisco
COMPOSER:  Heitor Pereira

FANTASY/ANIMATION/COMEDY/FAMILY

Starring:  Hank Azaria, Neil Patrick Harris, Jayma Mays, Sofia Vergara, Tim Gunn; voices: Jonathan Winters, Alan Cumming, Katy Perry, Fred Armisen, George Lopez, Anton Yelchin, Kenan Thompson, John Oliver, Paul Reubens, and Frank Welker

The Smurfs is a 2011 fantasy movie and family comedy film from director Raja Gosnell.  Presented in 3D, The Smurfs is a hybrid live-action and computer-animated movie, because many of the characters and scenes are created using computer-animation (also known as CG animation).  The Smurfs movie finds the tiny blue Smurfs chased by the evil wizard Gargamel from their magical world into the real world.

The Smurfs, originally known in French as “Les Schtroumpfs,” began as a Belgian comic created by Belgian comics artist Peyo (the pen name of Pierre Culliford).  Over time, The Smurfs became a media franchise that included animated televisions series and movies, dolls and toys, and theme parks, among many things.  The huge popularity of the Smurfs in the United States is due in large part to the long-running Saturday morning animated series, “Smurfs,” (produced by Hanna-Barbera) that originally aired from September 1981 to December 1989.

I initially did not expect much from it, but I found The Smurfs movie to be a surprisingly well-made and entertaining family film.

The film opens as the Smurfs are busy preparing for their Festival of the Blue Moon.  While his Smurfs are engaged with their work, Papa Smurf (Jonathan Winters) is concerned by a troubling vision he has that involves Clumsy Smurf (Anton Yelchin).  Meanwhile, the evil wizard Gargamel (Hank Azaria) is determined to find the Smurfs’ village, so that he can capture them.  Gargamel wants to extract “Smurf essence” from each Smurf’s body that will in turn give him great magical power.

One of the Smurfs inadvertently leads Gargamel and his cat, Azrael (Frank Welker), to the village.  The Smurfs escape, but Papa Smurf, Smurfette (Katy Perry), Grouchy (George Lopez), Clumsy, Brainy (Fred Armisen), and Gutsy (Alan Cumming) end up in Forbidden Falls, where they are transported to present-day New York City.  Gargamel and Azrael are close behind, so the Smurfs find refuge with a young couple, Patrick Winslow (Neil Patrick Harris) and pregnant wife, Grace (Jayma Mays).  Can Smurfs and humans find common ground before Gargamel manages to kidnap the Smurfs and extract some Smurf essence?

The Smurfs movie can be overly sentimental, even sappy, and its gauzy version of middle class values may be a bit too flimsy for adults.  One cannot deny, however, that The Smurfs movie is sweet like your grandmother.  That sweetness is personified by two endearing characters, Grace Winslow and Clumsy Smurf; they’re like kettle chips – you can’t get enough of them.

For most of their existence in comics, film, and television, the Smurfs have been drawn, so I did not think I would like computer-generated Smurfs.  The 3D aspect of computer-animation, however, turns the Smurfs into something tangible; they’re like lovable, huggable, little plush figures.  CGI does indeed bring them to life, and the voice performances put the finishing touches that make the Smurfs seem real.

I cannot forget to give Hank Azaria credit for a fantastic performance as Gargamel.  Although known for his voice work on the long-running series, The Simpsons,” Azaria is a superb character actor, and his Gargamel easily surpasses the 1980s cartoon version.  Azaria’s Gargamel is also one of the best villains ever to appear in a live-action children’s film.  Azrael, a combination of real cats and CGI, is also a winning character, in large part because of the “voice” work of the great Frank Welker.  Welker and Jonathan Winters, who voices Papa Smurf, are the only returning voice actors from the 1980s Smurfs animated series.

So, The Smurfs 2011 is sugary and satisfying.  Simply put, if you ever loved the Smurfs, then, you owe it to yourself to see this movie.

6 of 10
B

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

Oscar-Winner Anne Hathaway Returns to the Cast of "Rio 2"

Twentieth Century Fox Animation Announces RIO 2 Casting

Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg and the Rest of the Original Gang Are Back for the Follow-up to the 2011 Animated Hit

An Exciting Lineup of Top Acting and Musical Talents Joins the 'RIO' Family

LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--The starring voice cast of Twentieth Century Fox's 2011 animated smash RIO is reuniting for the follow-up, RIO 2, and they are joined by a flock of top actors and musical talents new to the franchise, it was announced today by Vanessa Morrison, president of Twentieth Century Fox Animation.

The film is now in production at Blue Sky Studios. Twentieth Century Fox's international rollout begins March 20, 2014, followed by its domestic release on April 11, 2014.

Returning to RIO 2, a world rich with grandeur, character, color and music are Anne Hathaway, Jesse Eisenberg, Jemaine Clement, will.i.am, Tracy Morgan, George Lopez, Leslie Mann, Rodrigo Santoro, Brazilian singer Bebel Gilberto, Jake T. Austin, and Jamie Foxx.

Carlos Saldanha, who was inspired to create RIO based upon his experiences growing up in that city, is back as director, as are producers John C. Donkin and Bruce Anderson.

In RIO 2 we find Blu, Jewel and their three kids living the perfect domesticated life in that magical city. When Jewel decides the kids need to learn to live like real birds, she insists the family venture into the Amazon. As Blu tries to fit in with his new neighbors, he worries he may lose Jewel and the kids to the call of the wild.

Joining the RIO 2 team are Oscar® nominee Andy Garcia, Grammy® winner Bruno Mars, Emmy®/Tony® winner Kristin Chenoweth, Oscar®/Emmy®/Tony®/Grammy® winner Rita Moreno, "The Hunger Games'" Amandla Stenberg, singer/actress Rachel Crow, "Looper's" Pierce Gagnon, and "Today" news anchor Natalie Morales.

Brazilian music legend and RIO executive music producer Sergio Mendes returns along with composer John Powell. RIO 2 will feature new Brazilian artists and original music by Janelle Monáe and The Wondaland Arts Society, who also voices a role in the film. Soundtrack will be released on Atlantic Records.

Released worldwide in April 2011, RIO's global box office tally is $486 million. It also was a huge hit on DVD and Blu-ray disc.


About 20th Century Fox Film
One of the world’s largest producers and distributors of motion pictures, 20th Century Fox Film produces, acquires and distributes motion pictures throughout the world. These motion pictures are produced or acquired by the following units of 20th Century Fox Film: Twentieth Century Fox, Fox 2000 Pictures, Fox Searchlight Pictures, Fox International Productions, and Twentieth Century Fox Animation.

George Lopez is Speedy Gonzales - No Kidding!

WENN is reported that the actor, comedian, and talk show host, George Lopez, will provide the voice of Sylvester the Cat nemesis, Speedy Gonzales, in an upcoming film featuring the speedy, politically incorrect rodent.  Lopez promises to clean up the character's stereotypical traits.