Rebound - Martin Lawrence

(Steve Carr, US, 2005)

If the idea of Martin Lawrence dribbling through a cliché-ridden, ultra-predictable high-school basketball flick sounds appealing, Rebound will not disappoint. Lawrence plays Roy McCormick, a successful college basketball coach whose over-the-top rantings has made him both a celebrity and stinkin’ rich. When his temper eventually gets him suspended for an entire season, his agent suggests some good PR with a new gig: actually coaching his old high school team. Consistent with the guide to scriptwriting for real dummies, the team turns out to be a bunch of ragtag misfits with (not-so) shockingly little talent.

Sadly, what is shocking is how every clichéd character is represented on the team: the talented one, the chubby one, the uncoordinated one, the tall, goofy one, the nervous one, and even the big and tough yet misunderstood girl. At first, Roy has no time for these kids, until his national reputation (and future) is at stake, not to mention dinner with the star’s single, very attractive mother (who at first detests, but ultimately falls in love with Roy). Inevitably, the loveable losers make believers of both Roy and themselves, and Roy magically turns the team from worst to first.

If all this sounds familiar, you’re right - Rebound goes through the motions of a formulaic script that has been done countless times in much better films. Throw in a last second basket during the tied championship game, and you have the makings of one of the most predictable high-school basketball movies ever, which is actually saying quite something. While preteens may relate to the kids and actually enjoy Lawrence’s shameless muggings for the camera, for the rest of us Rebound fouls out early.

Review by:
Gary Porter