Kevin Durant is one of the best players currently in the NBA, coming off a gold medal win in the London 2012 Olympics where he led the men’s basketball team with the record for most total points scored in an Olympic basketball tournament. Now he can add actor to his already impressive resume. Thunderstruck is the story about Brian, a 16-year-old high school basketball player who is absolutely horrendous and wishes he had Kevin Durant’s skill. Magically, the two switch talents, making Durant horrible and Brian amazing. We know Durant has the basketball ability to back up this film, but is his acting ability at the same level?

Thunderstruck is the Freaky Friday of basketball movies where two characters perform the old switch-a-roo and then spend the entire movie trying to get things back to normal. At its heart, it’s a family-friendly kid’s movie that’ll entertain some young basketball fans but not much else. Durant is a basketball player first and an actor, well, somewhere much lower than first. Sure, he’s a nice guy and all but his quietness doesn’t translate well to the big screen. He shines the brightest when he’s on the court. Off the court, he’s a bit more awkward.

The real stars of the film are the supporting actors, especially the father/son duo of Jim and Robert Belushi who play the coaches of Brian’s high school basketball team. Jim tends to live vicariously through the team and is better at telling them not to suck and actually saying anything constructive. As the assistant coach, Robert stands in the shadows of his father but occasionally gets in a word to the team. It’s their dynamic that lends itself to some humorous moments.

Unfortunately, the film suffers from a bland storyline that is borderline ridiculous. And that’s not including the whole “switching talents” part of the film, too. There are some genuinely funny moments, but a lot of the laughs will be at the film and not with it.

Thunderstruck is one of those films that would be a better suited as a Direct-to-DVD release or a Nickelodeon/Disney Channel made-for-TV film. On the silver screen, it simply doesn’t have the same traction to compete with all the other big studio releases. Yes, it has the appeal of one of the hottest NBA stars right now and a feel-good message, but that’s about it.

Check out our feature article, "Kevin Durant: From Star Athlete to Leading Star of Thunderstruck"