'The Longshots' (PG)(out of four)

In 2006, an uplifting and surprisingly thrilling movie about a spelling bee competition impressed critics but never found a big audience. Now, some of the people involved with "Akeelah and the Bee" are trying again to rouse audiences, but this time the setting is a football field.

Based on a true story, "The Longshots" focuses on middle school student Jasmine. (Keke Palmer who was fabulous as the lead in "Akeelah."), a shy teen growing up in a struggling, small Illinois town. Raised by a mom (Tasha Smith) who supports her daughter by waiting tables at a local diner, Jasmine wears a wristwatch to remind her of the father who walked out on the family years earlier.

Knowing her brother-in-law, Curtis (Ice Cube), has plenty of free time, Jasmine's mom asks to keep an eye on Jasmine, and he reluctantly agrees. The one-time high school football star lost his job when the local factory shut down, and is still struggling with the death of his mom.

Jasmine is frequently horrified by her uncle, mostly notably when he's mistakenly invited to speak to her class on Father's Career Day. The pair do eventually begin to bond after Curtis realizes that Jasmine has natural ability when it comes to throwing a football and encourages her to try and join her school's dismal football team. Of course, she has to overcome a number of obstacles, including a reluctant coach and even more reluctant fellow players.

The script for "The Longshots" was co-written by Doug Atchison (another "Akeelah and the Bee" alumni) and Nick Santora. The director is none other than Fred Durst, the front man of the band, Limp Bizkit who has the film, "The Education of Charlie Banks" under his belt.

But Ice Cube and Palmer are the strongest parts of the movie, who, along with several supporting cast members, deliver excellent performances. A pleasant surprise among the supporting players is former "Saturday Night Live" cast member Garrett Morris, who plays a local minister trying to rally his down-and-out town behind the team.

The big problems with this often uneven film comes with the script and the direction. It's as if elements are introduced because the filmmakers went down a checklist of ingredients, threw them in, but then failed to follow-up: A love interest for the uncle is introduced in the form of one of his niece's teachers, but that romance gets virtually no play story-wise; then there's a causal mention that one of the players on the team is the son of the coach, but that's never explored or even mentioned again until the end of the movie. One of the few moments of real drama is when Jasmine's father suddenly reappears, wanting to reconnect.

Also weak in "The Longshots" are the football sequences. They should have been rousing and exciting (as they were in "Friday Night Lights") but instead are mundane and elementary. Palmer never looks comfortable throwing the ball and most plays are so heavily edited with close-ups that one never gets the sense she's making big passes. It would also have been nice if the filmmakers would have had a bigger budget for extras. Even the bleachers for "big game" are embarrassingly empty for what's supposed to be huge event.

"The Longshots" does manage to hit all the key points as it rambles along, but it's so paint-by-numbers that the film ultimately fails to capture the passion of a great story.