CROOKED ARROWS (Steve Rash). 100 minutes. Opens Friday (June 1). For venues and times, see Movies. Rating: NNN
Aiming to return lacrosse to its native American roots, underdog sports movie Crooked Arrows shoots straight for every genre cliché in the playbook, yet still rouses.
There’s the reluctant coach (Brandon Routh of Superman Returns), a casino manager who returns to his tribe to wrangle more land for his thriving business. The tribe gives him a condition that could only make sense in the movies: lead the local high school lacrosse team, redeem your spirit, and you will get your land. Real estate agents, take note.
Then there’s the team, a typical assemblage that includes the fat wisecracker who needs to shape up, the ball-hog captain who has to learn to be a team player and the lowly benchwarmer. Throw in some groan-worthy sentiment and embarrassing attempts at humour and – voilà! – a sports movie.
The formula works not because Crooked Arrows is an accomplished film, but because its good intentions eventually win you over. The native American rituals tied to the sport are rather enchanting, and the filmmakers had the good sense to cast real lacrosse players (despite their mediocre acting), so the game action is pretty riveting.
You may end up cheering like you did during every Mighty Ducks sequel and knockoff.
