The strangest thing about sports-movie cliches is the way they're both predictable and head-slappingly implausible. You know every pitfall and eventual triumph Whoopi Goldberg will face as she becomes a head NBA coach in Eddie, and you know that the rag-tag misfits in Mighty Ducks movie after Mighty Ducks movie will come through with the magical final shot to beat the buzzer. The direct-to-video high-school-football drama Possums strings together a series of improbable events leading to The Big Game: 1) The Nowata Possums haven't scored a touchdown in 13 seasons, 2) virtually every man, woman, and child in town actively pursues (and ultimately applauds) the dissolution of the team, 3) game announcer and hardware-store owner Mac Davis begins broadcasting imaginary games once the Possums-less season opens, 4) the town begins to hang on his every broadcast word, practically busting with civic pride once the team "wins" the state championship, 5) the real state champions, led by serpent-headed ex-Cowboys head coach Barry Switzer, angrily challenge the Possums to a game, and 6) Davis assembles and trains a starting line-up. It's all ludicrous, of course—the townspeople huddle around their radios as if there were any doubt about the outcome of Davis' games, and villainously oily mayor Andrew Prine would twirl his mustache if he had one—but Possums gets by on its brisk pace and refreshing lack of cynicism. Writer-director J. Max Burnett wisely avoids saddling the citizens and players with too many wacky-misfit mannerisms, focusing instead on Davis' love of his town and team. And the none-too-subtle metaphor of the football field threatened by the possible arrival of a huge chain store is a nice touch, lending a needed edge to an otherwise oatmeal-safe sports drama.