Champions

As my title states, I am a retired high school SPED teacher and I was also a Special Olympics coach for several years in different sports. When I read an interview with Woody Harrelson about this movie, I was intrigued to see it because I wanted to see how Hollywood would portray these very real people with intellectual disabilities.

While there are certainly and understandably elements of Hollywood in this movie, the realness of the Friends team was very authentic. And all throughout the movie it's the authenticity of the Friends team that makes this such an enjoyable movie. Personally, I thought it was just a bit too long, but that aside, I just kept saying to myself, "Yes, that is exactly what probably would happen in that situation." The absolute clincher of this was at the very end of the championship game and the team's reaction to the final shot. I promise you, that was very realistic. I've seen that play out in my classroom and in the field or court dozens of times. So, I hope many will watch this movie and enjoy these folks for who they really are, warts and all. Isn't that really what we all want?

It's a remake of Spanish film Campeones (2018), the Americanisation is possibly quite an easy cross over though due to the universal nature of the characters.

Making movies about people that are generally misunderstood can be difficult at the best of times so here the bunch of mentally challenged basketball players has a fine line to tread, one slip and its good message can be lost or maligned, I must admit I didn't think Bobby Farrelly would make such a good job of it.

Woody Harrelson plays Marcus, a minor league basketball coach but following a drunk driving charge he is ordered to do 90 days community service with a 'special' basketball team.

Coaching a misfit bunch of sportsmen isn't exactly new, here the intellectually challenged basketball team with dreams of making the special Olympics brings in a social message that hasn't been explored very much.

Marcus is a single man, a seasoned and good coach for ball skills but his lack of people skills has held him back, understanding his players is more important than ever, each player has his/her own disability, due to Down's Syndrome or brain injury for example, each player also has special abilities and Marcus is the one with learning difficulties of how to connect with them and people in general. With their new coach the 'Friends' basketball team go from strength to strength and make their way up the regional and national championship league, as they all progress, Marcus learns a lot about himself and also falls in love with the sister of one of the team.

The supporting cast add the glue that holds it all together making it heartwarming and a fun journey of discovery for all, the humour works well and didn't seem exploitative, or overly sentimental , it's more feel good than feel sorry, a worthwhile watch.

Champions follows the tried and tested formula for most underdog sports movies, offering a nice reminder of how fun and enjoyable it is to watch a great feel good film that's jokes mostly land and uses it's accessible nature to inform and educate as well as entertain.

After a few years of supporting performances, it's great to see Woody Harrelson back in a lead role, flawed but still likeable and always charming. Kaitlin Olson thankfully isn't wasted and gets plenty of screen time and depth.

However, the films strongest aspect is the friends (and title characters) themselves, always a joy to watch and the film wisely gives them to time to shine on their own a few times, proving they're just as funny and talented.

Robert Farrelly swaps genres just as well as his brother did with 2018's Green Book, balancing the humour and heartfelt moments really well, keeping the film moving at a nice place with a fair few montages and plenty of needle drops (maybe too many) to make it more enjoyable.

Veteran director Bobby Farrelly's warm basketball dramedy "Champions" (remaking Spain's 2018 "Campeones") twists an over-used theme to charming effect. Thru impersonal surliness coach Woody Harrelson's career's slumped to being Ernie Hudson's assistant at a minor Iowa team - which he's fired as, then arrested, then forced via community service to coach Cheech Marin's team of learning disabled misfits inc Kevin Iannucci, Madison Tevlin (hilarious) & James Day Keith. Clichés of course ensue, but Mark Rizzo's writing blends them in well, and support from the likes of Kaitlin Olson (so good) & Matt Cook add fine polish. It's fun, uplifting and inspiring.

Another sports comedy film I thought to myself, well, was I pleasantly surprised how enjoyable this little gem was. It actually had many laugh out loud moments, even a few rolling on the floor laughing moments, but it also had tons of heartwarming moments. Literally all casting and performances were spot on, and kudos to Harrelson for the excellent portrayal of his character. The directing was on point, but the writing had some dragged out scenes that made the 124 min runtime feel much longer. A faster pace and/or some scene trimming would've gone a long way, but nevertheless, the story had great cohesion and flow to it. If you're looking for a movie that will tear you up - both through humor and heart, this is a must see. It's a well deserved 8/10 from me.