Champions

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.

My Review-Champions My Rating. 7:10

Champions was a really pleasant surprise and very entertaining as I know nothing about basket ball beyond the Harlem Globetrotters and that catchy tune.

It's a familiar plot about a former disgraced baseball coach Marcus beautifully cast with Woody Harrelson in the lead resurrecting his career and self esteem.

Marcus after being charged with a drink driving charge is assigned to community service coaching a team of intellectually disadvantaged players.

Coach Marcus soon realises that this team simply called The Friends shows promise and his aloof rough tough exterior and ego soon begins to thaw .

Especially when the infectious personalities and warmth of this team simply named The Friends convinces him to take them further perhaps even to Special Olympic status .

Marcus also embarks on a casual romantic interest in one of the team members Johnny's sister Alex played delightfully by Kaitlin Olson .

This relationship contributes to both Alex and Marcus having to face some soul searching truths about each other and the direction their lives are heading .

Apart from Woody Harrelson and Kaitlin Olsen the most enjoyable aspect of this movie are the team members a talented group of young intellectually challenged young people.

Standout performance by Madison Tevlin as the feisty female member Cosentino , Kevin Iannucci as Johnny the brother of Alex a wisecracking teen who is adored and protected by his sister.

Also Matt Cook as Sonny who shows Marcus the value of friendship and Casey Metcalfe as Marlon the autistic savant who can rattle of amazing facts about any subject to the amazement of Marcus.

This is a delightful if predictable story of hope and connection adapted from a 2018 Spanish film titled Campeones which I must try and track down the screenplay writers and director Bobby Farrelly have produced a very entertaining and thoughtful insight into the world of sport for intellectually disadvantaged people of all ages .

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.

Comedy, Drama, Heart Warming. This film ticks all the boxes. Has you laughing, has you cheering, has you annoyed and gets you gripped.

Managed to get to an advance screening of this with my 11 year old boy and we were both unsure of what we was about to watch, was it a comedy, was it an underdog story, was it a drama, was it a sports film and we were both amazed at what was a well spent hour and half. It was all of the above. We laughed, we teared up, we were engrossed in it all. The acting is superb the jokes are both laugh out loud and chuckle to yourself. You love the characters at times you hate them at times and you enjoy the ride.

It's not going to win any Oscars and it's not going to get rave reviews but if you want to escape from the troubles of life and have a damn good time you can't go wrong with seeing this.

Oh, and Woody plays the role perfectly.

Got to see this on an early limited screening

Had no idea what to expect

Liked it - it's a sweet film with a unique ending - no spoilers here as always but it left you with a really warm feeling and faith in human kind

If I was to compare it to another film it's a bit like Eddie the Eagle or Cool Runnings - with a touch of Dodge Ball - it's a story of the underdog.

It's a human story of triumph over adversity but also a story of people realising what's in their soul and what really is success - success comes in many forms

Acting was top notch , Woody Harrelson on form as always and backed up by Kaitlin Olson playing a strong female role who's real life husband is a kind of Ted Lasso character by co owning with Ryan Reynolds a minor league UK football ( soccer ) team so there's a bit of art imitating life here !

Seeing the team who are ... I never know the correct pc term this week ... a team of 'special needs' really warms your heart and it's their individual characters and styles that really draw you in - it's a truly lovely story - it's directed by 1/2 of the Farrelly brother so the humour is there too , I haven't seen the original Spanish / Saudi film but I'd love to see it now .

It's not perfect but it's really good and it's a feel good film that leaves you with a warm feeling .

The fact that the coach wasn't there voluntarily but you can see that the experience changed him makes you feel good and gives you a sense of accomplishment.

A sweet film

Pad. A 7/10.