The Underdoggs
A washed-up football star coaches a youth team.
The Underdoggs is a 2024 American sports comedy film. Charles Stone III directed it, with a script by Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis. The cast includes Snoop Dogg, Tika Sumpter, Andrew Schulz, Mike Epps, Kal Penn, Kandi Burruss, and George Lopez. Amazon MGM Studios released it exclusively on Prime Video on January 26, 2024.
The story follows Jaycen "Two-J's" Jennings, a former football star who has become arrogant and washed up. After a serious car crash, he must perform community service in his old neighborhood. He spots a chance to polish his image by coaching a struggling youth football team, which includes the son of his ex-girlfriend Cherise. At first, he is harsh with the kids, but eventually he learns to connect with them and motivate them. Jaycen sees a potential comeback through his own sports show, but its first taping falls on the day of the team's big game. He chooses to be with the team instead. They nearly win, but a player misses the line for a touchdown, giving the other team the victory. Still, the underdog squad inspires everyone, and Jaycen seems to reconcile with Cherise.
Snoop Dogg and Constance Schwartz-Morini pitched the idea. On August 2, 2022, it was announced that Snoop Dogg would star and produce, with Charles Stone III directing, the screenplay by Segal and Schamis, and production by Schwartz-Morini, Kenya Barris, Mychelle Deschamps, and Jonathan Glickman. On October 4, 2022, Tika Sumpter, Mike Epps, Andrew Schulz, and George Lopez joined the cast, along with child actors Jonigan Booth, Adam James Carrillo, Kylah Davila, Caleb Dixon, Alexander Michael Gordon, and Shamori Washington. Principal photography started in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 26, 2022, and lasted seven weeks.
The film was originally scheduled for a theatrical release on October 20, 2023, but was moved to January 26, 2024. In December 2023, it was announced that it would skip theaters and go straight to Amazon Prime Video, due to a decline in box office performance for R-rated comedies that summer.
On Rotten Tomatoes, 42% of 50 critics gave positive reviews, with an average rating of 4.4/10.
Quick Facts
- Director
- Charles Stone III
- Producer
- Kenya Barris / Snoop Dogg / Constance Schwartz-Morini / Mychelle Deschamps / Jonathan Glickman
- Writer
- Danny Segal / Isaac Schamis
- Starring
- Snoop Dogg / Tika Sumpter / Andrew Schulz / Mike Epps / Kal Penn / Kandi Burruss / George Lopez
- Cinematography
- Mitchell Amundsen
- Editing
- Paul Millspaugh
- Music
- Joseph Shirley
- Studio
- Khalabo Ink Society / Death Row Pictures / SMAC Productions / Panoramic Media Company
- Distributor
- Amazon MGM Studios
- Released
- 26 January 2024
- Runtime
- 96 minutes
- Country
- United States
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
The idea for the film was pitched by Snoop Dogg and Constance Schwartz-Morini. On August 2, 2022, it was announced that Snoop Dogg would star in and produce the film, to be directed by Charles Stone III, with the screenplay by Danny Segal and Isaac Schamis, produced by Schwartz-Morini, Kenya Barris, Mychelle Deschamps, and Jonathan Glickman. On October 4, 2022, it was announced that Tika Sumpter, Mike Epps, Andrew Schulz, and George Lopez had joined the cast, alongside child actors Jonigan Booth, Adam James Carrillo, Kylah Davila, Caleb Dixon, Alexander Michael Gordon, and Shamori Washington. Principal photography began in Atlanta, Georgia on September 26, 2022, and filmed for seven weeks.
Reader's Guide
The Underdoggs follows Jaycen 'Two-J's' Jennings, an arrogant washed-up former football superstar who, after a major car accident, is ordered to perform community service in his old neighborhood. He sees an opportunity to rebuild his brand by coaching a struggling youth football team, where one of the players is the son of his former flame Cherise. Despite being rough on the kids at first, Jaycen finds a way to connect with them and help inspire them to do better. The film was originally set to be released in theaters on October 20, 2023, but the release date was later changed to January 26, 2024. In December 2023, it was announced that the film would skip theaters and be released straight to Amazon Prime Video in response to a decline in R-rated comedy films faring well at the box office during that summer. On Rotten Tomatoes, 42% of 50 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.4/10. Metacritic assigned the film a score of 39 out of 100, based on nine critics, indicating 'generally unfavorable' reviews.
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