Calvin Cordozar Broadus Jr. – AKA Snoop Dogg – is no stranger to a movie camera. His filmography is actually a pretty entertaining read. Did you know he starred in a volume of Girls Gone Wild (2002), was featured in an Indian Hindi-language film (Singh Is Kinng, 2008), and was the voice of Cousin Itt in both animated Addams Family movies?
Before going to Paris this summer to be a commentator for the 2024 Olympics, he’ll be releasing The Underdoggs on Prime Video this week where it will debut in more than 240 countries and territories around the world.
The Trailer
Snoop plays ex-high school, college and NFL star, Jaycen “2 J’s” Jennings, whose big head and poor behavior got the best of him. His career crashes and he finds himself back where he started – in the LBC (Long Beach, California). He’s sentenced to 300 hours of community service and makes his way to his new ragtag pee-wee team, the Underdoggs.
The premise of the film isn’t so far off from real life though.
In 2005, the Snoop Youth Football League was established to help kids of all races and economic backgrounds. Kids between the ages of five and thirteen, were given a chance to learn values and teamwork through playing football and doing cheer. Since its inception, over 85,000 youth have participated.
Producer Jonathan Glickman (Rush Hour franchise, Creed III) was onboard for The Underdoggs immediately. “It felt like the time was right for him tell a story. So, we had a meeting to talk about his interests and when he mentioned his experience coaching football, I thought it could be great,” he said in the film’s production notes. “We knew we wouldn’t make it a soft PG or G-rated movie. We wanted to tell it real, make it funny and push the line, but still be an emotional story for Snoop’s character.”
The Underdoggs also features George Lopez, a longtime friend of Snoop’s. He plays Jaycen’s mentor, Coach Feis.
“I hadn’t even read the script yet, but the film was described to me as The Bad News Bears of football. And Bad News Bears is one of the greatest sports movies of all time,” says Lopez in the production notes.
The film also highlights the benefits of public service. “Giving back to the community through football has taught me so many invaluable life lessons that I’ve been able to share with kids in situations similar to the way I grew up,” says Snoop. “Despite the R-rating, there are a lot of lessons about life and family values, so my hope is that this movie sheds light on the realties that kids and adults face in the hood and within the complex world of football.”
The Underdoggs also stars Mike Epps, Tika Sumpter, Andrew Schulz, and Kal Penn. Cameos by Tony Gonzalez, Deion Sanders, Terry Bradshaw, Curt Menefee, Michael Strahan, Howie Long, and Jay Glazer.
Stream The Underdoggs on Prime Video beginning on January 25 at 7:00 pm, EST.
