'The Underdoggs' Can't Deliver a Trophy
A disclaimer at the beginning of The Undredoggs appropriately describes what movie you're about to see. It says the film contains strong language and is intended for adults. It goes on to say something like, "F***k that you know what you're getting into, and you know you shouldn't be letting your kids see an R-rated movie." The fourth-wall-breaking warning to the audience is a clever way of starting the picture and establishing the mood from the get-go. If only the rest of the film were that clever. It starts in a promising direction until it dissolves into absurdities that don't work, making itself crass for the sake of being crass. The Underdoggs is an R-rated film that sometimes takes too much of its rating's advantage.
There were moments where I was more annoyed than humored and others that baffled me. How can some of these moments that are supposed to be funny be so wrong? Of course, the filmmakers know it's supposed to be inappropriate, but it's not really funny. Someone bringing a gun to children's football practice makes me more horrified than amused. Moreover, the film telegraphs its themes to the point where I'm rolling my eyes.
The film starts with an impressive montage highlighting Jaycen Jenning's (Snoop Dogg) career. It's accompanied by a narration from Jaycen talking about his rise and downfall. The opening sequence is filled with sports talk show hosts praising then condemning Jennings. Social media also plays a big part in portraying Jenning's time as a football player. Now, as an ex-NFL player who went from being loved to hated, Jennings takes his notoriety to the next level, being an outspoken podcaster, hoping to one day be on a sports show to reclaim his fame.
Unfortunately for Jaycen, he takes his combative actions too far, getting himself involved in a reckless driving incident that forces him to do community service. While in community service, Jennings treads his old stomping grounds, returning to the hood. Upon his return, Jennings runs into old friends who remind him who he is. More importantly, Jaycen stumbles across a youth football team being coached by his old flame, Cherice (Tika Sumpter). To regain some positivity to his tarnished public image, Jaycen takes it upon himself to coach a raggedy team of misfits into champions.
If the concept sounds familiar, it is. But there's nothing wrong with doing the same thing as long as you have your own spin on it. The Underdoggs plays like your typical Bad News Bears, where a retired washed-up coach decides to support a discouraged team. The difference in this film compared to most others is that this film is about someone who's already rich coaching the poor. It's not a down-in-the-dumps person who finds a sense of rejuvenation in coaching others who need a boost in confidence.
The Underdoggs is more of a parody of the genre. The kids in the film don't speak politely. They have the mouths of truckers with little room to spare for politeness. The situations that arise in the film are absurd. Sometimes, in terms of dialog, it's for the better. The wording is snappy. F-bombs are thrown around like a Martin Scorsese film. The roasts everyone gives each other are humorous but nothing memorable. Even worse, there's an annoying character who hogs up way too much screen time.
When Kareem (Mike Epps) enters the scene, he tries to rob Jaycen until he realizes it's his old friend. Immediately after noticing this, Kareem starts going on a whole tirade about how he misses Jaycen and how they should hang out. Kareem is meant to be an annoying screw-up. Being irritating is what defines his character. The problem is he's not only bothering Jaycen, but the audience as well. Mike Epps gives a performance that's 90% shouting. It's about as bothersome as hearing Will Ferrell scream in most films he's in. Luckily, he's toned it down recently. Loud isn't always funny, yet it's used so much in comedy. I would really like to see that trend die.
By and large, The Underdoggs is a Snoop Dogg star vehicle. The film ends with a title describing the impact the Snoop Youth Football League has made on underprivileged communities. The title is unnecessary as the film makes its point just fine without having to tell us why Snoop Dogg wanted to make this movie. It just makes everything feel like a commercial for Snoop's community program. To keep audiences from being bored or confused, Jaycen narrates bits of the film when it could have only been used in the introduction and had the same impact.
We know that Jaycen is beginning to change. It's clear he's gone from coaching the team to boost his social media to actually caring about them. It doesn't need to be said to the audience like they're dummies. If you respect their intelligence by giving them a chance to soak the story in, they'll get what you're trying to say. The goofball antics of the film are hit-and-miss. As is the entire narrative. The movie can described as dumb fun. You get your disposable entertainment that requires you to suspend your suspension of disbelief so you can laugh at the jokes. Nobody would say the F-word that much around children or let the youngsters use it themselves. Yet, it's encouraged leaving the wrong meaning in a film that's trying to promote the right thing.
I love raunchy humor. I was a kid who grew up watching South Park. I even got in trouble in the fifth grade for writing my own episode. Crass humor can work. In certain instances, in this film, it landed. But most of the time, it's overused. It's like Strays, that's about a group of foul-mouthed dogs. The concept is funny until it gets old. The Underdoggs feels like a teenager who received a free pass to write a crude comedy. It's is one of those films you'll see the thumbnail for in Amazon Prime, not knowing what it is. Judging by the poster alone, it's not hard to guess the plot of the entire film minus its crude language. Saying f***k isn't enough to go on making a hilarious film. Let alone a commercial for its star that doesn't carry the heart of a narrative champion.
