Trite ‘Rebound’ has no bounce at all

There is a certain kind of sports movie that now exists in a form more rigid than steel. The only thing that changes in this ritual is the star at the center – his or her style, vocal mannerisms, desperation to be in a hit.

In the case of “Rebound,” the star is Martin Lawrence, who is studiously following the example of his mentor and friend, Eddie Murphy. After Murphy notched a few flops in a row, he abruptly veered from R-rated material to fuzzy-wuzzy family movies.

“Rebound” has the PG rating and the cast of rambunctious tykes. It’s got the uplifting message and the winners-never-quit philosophy. It even has the director of “Nutty Professor 2” and “Daddy Day Care,” two of Murphy’s vehicles.

And it’s got Martin Lawrence, toning town his act and uttering nary a blue word. If you like Martin Lawrence, you may find this movie an enjoyable time-killer. If not, it will be like watching an arithmetic problem being worked out.

Let’s see how this works. Lawrence plays a hotshot college basketball coach. He spends more time cultivating his public image and accepting magazine photo shoots than actually coaching basketball.

After accidentally killing the team mascot, a bird, he is summarily banned from coaching at the college level. According to the bylaws of college athletics, he can only redeem himself by coaching another lower-level squad and behaving honorably while doing so – all before the end of the current season.

I never heard of that section of the bylaws, either. But this is how Lawrence finds himself coaching the middle-school basketball team at Mt. Vernon High School.

They haven’t won a game all season – actually, they haven’t scored a point – and their players look like rejects from science class. But of course, magic will happen once the coach actually gets his head back in the game.

There are a couple of lifelines in the film, including Patrick Warburton’s stoked performance as a bullying rival coach, and Megan Mullaly’s sarcastic twittering as the school principal.

But mostly it’s Martin Lawrence mugging, including a stunt scene where he plays a second role as an inspirational preacher. The whole thing makes for a long 85 minutes.