Learning chess gives new meaning to the lives of disadvantaged inner-city kids in this simplistic but uplifting melodrama from Allen Hughes, who's better known as a co-director with brother Albert on movies such as Menace II Society and From Hell. Based on real events, it stars a genial Ted Danson as a businessman-turned-substitute teacher who uses the game as a way of connecting with his pupils in a tough Bronx school. Although the well-trodden "tutor as inspiration" plotline ultimately holds no surprises, Hughes wisely adds some of his trademark urban grit to temper the inevitable schmaltz. Natural performances from the likeable youngsters complement this splash of authenticity, with the standouts being Malcolm David Kelley (Walt in Lost) and Keke Palmer (Akeelah and the Bee).