Often thought of as an edgy comedian, with Rebound, Lawrence follows the path that many "blue" comedians such as Richard Pryor in The Toy take: kids' films. But while Pryor was revolutionary as a black man speaking his mind, Lawrence is more notable for a minstrel-show aesthetic, so it stands to reason that he would be at home as the buffoonish Roy McCormick.
McCormick is a self-obsessed NBA coach who is fired after killing a team's mascot. A group of adorable misfits who make up the basketball team at the school where Roy got his start decide the only way they can improve is to recruit him as coach. Roy's thoroughly sneaky and shallow agent decides this would be good PR and Roy must tend to a bunch of kids he doesn't really give a damn about.
With such an ordinary setup, you'd think the twist would be how Lawrence's bad-boy persona would spice up the proceedings. Unfortunately, McCormick could be played by any black comedian, though ideally one with more acting talent. Lawrence's comedic style—broad, obnoxious caterwauling from TV's Martin—is squeezed into a character who is supposed to be cool, judging by his wardrobe. McCormick is just one of those typical jerks in kids' films who consistently messes up until he is browbeaten by everyone into becoming a good guy. We have more regular stuff, such as a team that loses so horribly and is so full of misfits that you wonder why a public school would continue to fund them, then becomes so good by the end of the film that they rise to championship level while still insisting it is all about the fun of playing.
Every actor here is pretty much wasted. Patrick Warburton is a coach who shouts a lot, and Wendy Raquel Robinson is a typical, sassy black mom. Just about all the comedy feels forced, with most gags coming from people having outbursts or being hit by doors. The attempts at heartwarming drama are even more trite and labored. But Megan Mullally gives a good turn as the perpetually fed-up principal and the romance between a Napoleon Dynamite-ish band geek (Steven C. Parker) and a head-knocking young Latina (Tara Correa-McMullen) is cute.
In the end, Rebound is less film and more ritual, one of those typical family comedies with a by-the-book approach meant not to amuse but just to keep the kids quite for awhile.