The movie is really well-made productively with a good camera and it's cool to see the NBA cooperated and thus we have actual NBA teams with actual NBA players and with the actual TNT crew. Kevin Durant himself is a very good actor in this, realistically portraying his humble attitude. And that is all the positives I have about this movie.The biggest problem about this movie is just how clichéd and generic it feels. It feels like a downed version of older and better basketball movies such as Like Mike, The Red Sneakers, Space Jam, Hoosiers, etc. It hits all of the clichés in a typical cheesy kids movie: the underdog main character has a sucky life, something crazy happens that changes his life for the better (in this case the main character Brian gets Kevin Durant's basketball talent and now he plays insanely good basketball), the main character initially basks in all the fame and love he is getting, but then realizes the success is getting to his head and decides to return things back to normal. It even ends with a basketball game in which Brian's team wins on a last-second shot, but this is even worse than other versions because it's even more uninspiring than others. Somehow Brain magically gets the team to play better in the 4th quarter just by telling basic basketball advice to his teammates, and even though Brian sucked all game and should suck without KD's talent, he hits a game-winning shot. Can't get anymore cliché than that.The characters feel one-dimensional, and the movie doesn't even try to make you sympathize with or root for anyone. You won't feel bad for Brian or KD while he doesn't have his talent once. There's this generic new girl character (Isabel) who is impressed with Brian's basketball skills but then when she realizes his success is getting to his head she claims that basketball is not how she noticed Brian (even though it clearly WAS basketball when Isabel started to be with Brian). The humor mostly relies on these simple and basic jokes instead of something more creative. And while KD has some good acting, I can't quite say the same for the most of the rest of the cast. Brian's actor is no fun, Isabel's just generic, and mostly everyone else is just there to act out some jokes.Definitely wouldn't recommend, while 8-10 year olds may enjoy this there are still better basketball movies that you would rather see instead.

Brian Newall is a hopelessly uncoordinated high school kid. He's the joke at his school and the basketball team towel boy. He is ridiculed in front of his crush, new girl Isabel. His hero is Oklahoma City Thunder Kevin Durant. He goes to a game with his father and gets into the shot contest. He fails miserably. When Durant gives him a ball, all of his skills get passed along with it. Brain becomes a great player while Durant can't hit the side of the barn. Coach Amross (Jim Belushi) makes Brian his star player. Durant's agent Alan (Brandon T. Jackson) has a crazy idea of what actually happened.The kid is a weak actor. He looks fine as a baller which might be the prerequisite for this role. It would be better to get a more fun actor. Durant is a good actor for a basketball player. At least, the NBA cooperated. It's often cheesy to have fake pro teams. The TNT crew is also involved. This could work as a fun Freaky Friday family film but the kid is no rising star. The most fun happens when Durant and the kid try to recreate the freaky switch. Otherwise, it lacks the humor and fun.

Combine Space Jam with Hoosiers with Teen Wolf, and you pretty much get this movie. A kid in Oklahoma City idolizes local basketball star Kevin Durant and serves as the "manager" for the high school basketball team and is harassed by the jerks at school and has a crush on the new girl. When he bombs a half-court show during a Thunder game, a magic ball enables him to "switch places" with Durant, and hilarity ensues. He is amazed at first, but then develops a bit of a "jerk attitude" towards it.I loved Durant's filming of the shoe commercials, Jim Belushi as the coach, the NBA games and the former players as the commentators, the scenes at the high school and the games, and the winning performances. This wasn't too bad a movie. It was fun watching Kevin Durant pretending to be a terrible basketball player! *** out of ****

Thunderstruck is a teen-age film that features Oklahoma City Thunder and NBA superstar Kevin Durant together with Taylor Gray, Jim Belushi, Brandon T. Jackson,Tristin Mays and Doc Shaw.The story's a simple one.Brian Newall is a big fan of the Oklahoma City Thunder and the team's standout player Durant, but short and clumsy himself, he's relegated to managing the Eagles, the high-school team coached by self-promoting coach Amross and his lock-step assistant. Brian's also tormented by his little sister Ashley, who posts videos of his backyard catastrophes at the basket, which are then picked up and shown on campus by team star Connor. All this when Brian is trying to impress the pretty new girl, Isabel. When Brian's dad takes him to a Thunder game to cheer the kid up, the boy's selected to try a half-time prize shot, which he muffs badly, conking the mascot instead. Durant consoles him by giving him a signed ball, but unknowingly also his own talent. Suddenly Durant can't nail the basket at all, sending his team down the tubes, while Brian becomes the Eagles' spark plug, making incredible moves and scoring forty and fifty points a game—bringing him campus adulation and Amross the dream of a state championship. Unfortunately, in the process Brian gets a swelled head, ignoring his best friend Mitch and alienating Isabel. Fortunately Durant's agent Alan figures out what's happened and desperately tries to reverse the talent switch, though he must first convince Durant he's not just suffering a terrible slump. And, of course, Brian has to come to his senses and realize he shouldn't profit from somebody else's ability without working for the skill himself—or ditch his friends. One guess as to how things turn out.The film has a great, if not commonplace, message: Work hard to get ahead. Don't take any shortcuts. Those teachable moments make it a worthy diversion for parents and kids already cheering for Durant, the NBA or sports-themed entertainment. Durant's personal motto, which is repeated often, is "Hard work beats talent when talent fails to work hard." And that slogan acts as the backbone of the film, educating young audience members about the importance of practice. Nothing wrong with kids wasting 90 minutes if they come away with that theme.I am sure that people who love basketball and Durant fans would love this one too.Boys of a certain age—and their sports-minded dads—probably won't mind. For them, it won't be earth-shaking, but it should prove a harmless invitation to spend a little quality time together.