Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. aka Snoop Dogg lets his love of the gridiron show in “The Underdoggs.” The Grammy-nominated artist is not the first name that comes to mind to play a character outside of himself. Nor is he the first person that comes to mind when one thinks of “plausible former NFL player.” Yet if one is willing to suspend their disbelief on that, “The Underdoggs” has a surprising amount of earnestness.
Buried underneath a slew of vulgarities out of the mouth of babes (and by babes we mean the little league football team at the center of the stories) is a by the numbers sports story. Snoop stars as Jaycen “Two Js” Jennings, a former professional athlete with a bad behavior streak. Eventually he lands himself in a situation where he must perform community service in his old hometown, and leads a group of youths onto the field.
For those unfamiliar, Snoop Dogg founded the Snoop Youth Football League non-profit in 2005. The cause at the core of the film is clearly close to Snoop’s heart, and it shows in the moments where he’s in those elements. There are some humorous moments with the supporting cast including George Lopez, Mike Epps, Andrew Schulz, Kal Penn, Kandi Burruss and Tika Sumpter.
Though formulaic to a tee, if you’re in the mood or willing to tolerate the cruder moments, sports story fans will find enjoyment out of the ridiculousness and the NFL legend cameos. A forgettable “Bad News Bears” esque background watch.
“The Underdoggs” is streaming now on Prime Video.
