The Pistol Shrimps

It's a fun documentary about a bunch of women (actually, a *lot* of women) who do or do not have experience playing basketball and start a rec league in LA that quickly grew to 20 teams. It's mostly film/tv/stage industry people, but within that remarkably diversity-phobic business, the women seem to be from pretty different corners of it. It's sweet and funny and inspiring--one woman pointed out how humbling and great it is to be older and learn something new by putting aside your pride. These people are getting a whole lot out of this rec league and you can see how and why it's become so important to them. The Star Wars reference, btw, is excellent.

Note on the production: it's not spectacular, but would be fine if the audio levels were remotely evened out. I spent most of the movie adjusting the volume and knocked a star off because of it.

An excellent bit of lounging fun. 150 characters worth of a review is maybe a stretch, but who's counting if we're just playing for fun? It's good to see a "hoops dreams" female celebrity Hollywood phantasma tale come true!

There was only one review on here and it was negative so I had to write one. I don't know how someone could give a bad review to something that has Star wars References, joke pens that shock you, a guy with a sock fetish, and hilarious women being horrible at basketball and then growing to become just okay. I came for the basketball and stayed for the lack of female stereotypes. Also featuring next to no misogyny.

It's cool that they started a league from nothing, but outside of the few early minutes showing that...the rest of the film is essentially an ad for each of the wannabe celebrities in it. It's rarely funny, entertaining, or informative, so I can't figure out why it exists.

The Pistol Shrimps had the potential to be an engaging documentary about a quirky and passionate group of women playing recreational basketball, but it ultimately dribbles out of bounds. While the subject matter is interesting, the execution feels scattered, and the film struggles to maintain a compelling narrative.

The pacing is uneven, with moments that drag on too long, and the editing often feels choppy, making it hard to stay engaged. There are some enjoyable and heartfelt moments, but they are buried under a lack of structure and depth. The film tries to capture the fun, camaraderie, and uniqueness of the team, but it never quite delivers the emotional or comedic punch it seems to aim for.

Unless you're a die-hard fan of the Pistol Shrimps themselves, this documentary might feel like a missed opportunity rather than an inspiring underdog story.