By John & Jimmy Flynn
A washed-up NBA center stages a comeback with the help of a women’s basketball legend, who teaches him the secrets of her underhanded “granny shot.”
Feature-length Movie | Comedy, Sports
Think of Semi-Pro
meets The Karate Kid.
Synopsis
Whatever Works
Ezekiel “EZ” Washington, the worst free throw shooter in NBA history, airballs a game-tying free throw in Game 7 of the Finals, putting a sour cherry on top of his failed career. As he wallows in self-pity, EZ’s longtime agent/girlfriend Maya Singler delivers unwelcome news: no NBA team wants to sign him and he must spend the summer with his teenage daughter, Zoe—who wants to play basketball like her dad, even though the two have rarely spent time together.
As Zoe and EZ reconnect, they get a surprise visit from Jerry Phan, the analytically-minded General Manager of the Fresno Jams, a G-League team owned by Zoe’s hero—women’s basketball legend turned fruit jam mogul, Dr. Rhonda “Granny” Barnes. EZ can join the team under one condition: he must learn to shoot free throws like Granny Barnes, who made 95.6% of her free throws while shooting underhanded, a.k.a. “Granny Style.”
Although reluctant to take this humiliating offer, EZ obliges after Granny beats him in a game of one-on-one. On her massive fruit farm alongside Zoe, Granny works EZ into playing shape with morning runs, nauseatingly healthy smoothies and unglamorous farm chores—such as scooping horse crap. As she chips away at his ego, Granny teaches EZ the physical and mental skills necessary to successfully shoot her way.
Under Granny’s wing, EZ transforms into the best player on the Jams, who are coached by Cornell Rollins, an ex-player whom a younger EZ bullied out of the league. Cornell sets aside any lingering hard feelings, as he needs EZ to mentor the Jams’ promising but temperamental phenom, Kofi Ryder. After a rocky start to the season—as EZ resists shooting Granny Shots—the Jams surge in the standings when EZ finally embraces the underhanded style.
Then, EZ faces his biggest challenge during a showdown with old NBA rival and brawling Brit, “Big” Ben Cox. With a chance to win the game at the free throw line, EZ embarrassingly airballs a Granny Shot—right before Cox sinks a game-winner in his face. Furious, EZ trashes the locker room, denigrates his teammates and dismisses Granny’s advice because she’s a woman, not realizing that a crushed Zoe is watching.
At his lowest point, EZ apologizes to those he’s wronged and doubles-down on being a team player, only to suffer the first major injury of his career. The Jams still make the G-League Finals with EZ proving valuable as an assistant coach. But to become champions, they must defeat the Atlantic City Gamblers and Big Ben, who’s eager to send EZ into an inglorious retirement.
Funny, touching and full of stirring basketball highlights, The Granny Shot offers an in-depth look at the mental side of sports while exploring one of the most tantalizing “what-ifs” in NBA history.
Script
Bible
