Last Shot is now reaching U.S. theaters, with Dylan Friedman playing a gifted young basketball player whose life changes after his father dies. Jaime Pressly, Michael Rapaport, Johnny Simmons and former NBA All-Star Baron Davis join him in a story about family as well as competition.
The October opening follows a festival run rather than a streaming premiere. Andy Palmer directs from Todd Friedman’s screenplay. If you are looking for something outside this month’s horror releases, this is a coming-of-age sports drama centered on a child trying to get through a loss while adults keep asking him to perform.
Caden’s move changes more than his team
The story follows 12-year-old Caden Isaacs, who moves to Nashville after the sudden death of his father, Darren. He goes to live with Lexi, the mother he barely knows. Lexi works in music, and bringing her son into her life means dealing with a relationship she has not built simply by being his parent.
At the same time, Caden joins an elite basketball team. The familiar sports-movie problems are there: new teammates, rivalries and expectations attached to a talented player. But his move comes with grief, too. Being good at basketball does not give him an easy way to explain what happened or settle into an unfamiliar home.
Friedman takes the lead role, with Rapaport as Darren and Pressly as Lexi. That makes the family casting important to follow, rather than treating every adult as another person in the bleachers. Caden is trying to find his place with his mother as well as on the court.
Baron Davis brings his own basketball background to the cast. The two-time NBA All-Star appears as Austin, while Johnny Simmons plays Bobby and Laraine Newman plays Leann. Their roles are distinct from Caden’s parents; the story is not simply a coach taking over every part of a child’s life.
Who’s who in Last Shot
The basketball and family sides meet
The film’s premise gives Caden two changes to handle at once. A new team creates pressure to fit in and prove himself. Moving in with an estranged parent means learning how to talk to someone who should be close to him but has not been present in the same way as his father.
Those are different problems, even when they happen during the same week. A good game can help a young player feel accepted by teammates; it cannot undo a death or instantly repair a family relationship. That is the situation Last Shot sets up, without needing to reveal how the final game or Caden’s relationship with Lexi ends.
Pressly is also one of the film’s producers, alongside Warner Davis, Todd Friedman and Kelly Brown. Hemlock Circle Productions is behind the film. Palmer’s cast includes actors known for comedy as well as Davis, but Last Shot is being presented as a drama, not a basketball spoof.
Where it is playing this weekend
The film’s official site lists U.S. engagements for the October 2–8 week. Laemmle NoHo has an October 3 event after its 7 p.m. screening, with writer-producer Todd Friedman and actor Dylan Friedman scheduled to take questions. Friday’s event named Coy Jandreau as moderator; the Saturday listing does not promise the same moderator.
Other engagements include cinemas in Florida, Georgia, Indiana and Kentucky. Availability still depends on the theater and day you choose. A theater opening does not mean every multiplex has the film, and the listings can change as screenings are added or tickets go on sale.
The current theatrical runtime is 105 minutes. An earlier Jersey Shore festival listing used 108 minutes, so that older program should not be used to assume the cinema version is longer. The film screened there in June, months before this opening weekend.
A U.S. subscription-streaming service or streaming date has not been announced. For now, the way to see Last Shot is through its listed cinema engagements. The official trailer introduces Caden’s family and basketball story.
