Woody Harrelson returns to the world of basketball for director Bobby Farrelly in Champions from Focus Features. Mark Rizzo pens the film’s screenplay, a remake of the 2018 Spanish film of the same name. Marcus (Harrelson) is a washed-up basketball player turned assistant coach passing the time with a D-League in Des Monies. Brash and arrogant, he ends up assaulting his Coach, Phil Petretti (Ernie Hudson), a former team who got Marcus a job with him.
After a night of drunken debauchery, Marcus winds up spending the night in jail and has to see a judge. When his charms fail to impress the judge, the former minor-league basketball coach can choose either eighteen months in prison or ninety days of community service.
Deciding to take the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities, Marcus has no idea what he’s in for. Despite his doubts and with the encouragement of the rec center Julio (Cheech Marin), he soon realizes that together they can go further than they ever imagined.
Bobby Farrelly is one half of directing duo The Farrelly Brothers, who directed three of the best comedies of the nineties. His brother Peter recently took a break from the comedy genre to direct two true dramatic stories, one of which was 2018’s Best Picture Oscar Winner, Green Book. I was interested to see what Bobby would bring to the table for his solo directorial debut.
For the most part, Farrelly follows the template of underdog sports movies. We meet the players, who include Cosentino (Madison Tevlin), Johnny (Kevin Iannucci), Cody (Ashton Gubbing), and Craig (Matthew Von Der Ahe). There’s a super-talented player, Darius (Joshua Felder), who is reluctant to join the team, and Marcus will form a romance with Alex (Katlin Olson), the sister of one of the players. The players on the team all get a chance to shine with the delivery of one-liners and engage in banter with the coach.
One of the things I want to commend the film on is using actors who have down syndrome. This decision added authenticity to the film. We get to witness the folks doing everyday things and enjoying life’s beauty. The moments in the movie where someone tries to bring up the team’s disabilities are handled with class. Regarding the acting, Harrelson can do a role like this in his sleep. He delivers exactly what you would expect performance-wise. At the same time, Katlin Olson and Cheech Marin tone down their usual comedy stylings to provide somewhat subdued performances.
Audiences will know precisely where Champions is going with its narrative structure, which is fine. There’s nothing with clichés when the message is in the right place.
Final Grade: B
Champions opens in theaters Friday, March 10th.
Martial arts auteur Siyu Cheng delivers his latest action-packed fest in “The Tai Chi Master” from Well Go USA. The Tai Chi Master” examines the journey of Zhang Junbao, a dedicated disciple of Wuji, who emerges as a crucial figure during significant upheaval.
On a musical level, the documentary is a library of Williams’ great works. It’s dramatic performances of his most famous songs, such as the classic “Star Wars” marches, the grand piano music from “Jurassic Park,” and the melancholy music from “Schindler’s List.” Each song is part of a narrative, a call to revisit old films and remember their heart-wrenching connections. Its thrilling finale (which celebrated his work on “Harry Potter”) also underscores the longevity of his music among audiences today.
Megan Fox teams up with director S.K. Dale to bring her feminine wiles to the world of A.I. in “Subservience” from XYZ Films. Will Honley and April Maguire wrote the film’s screenplay. Alice (Fox) is a lifelike, artificially intelligent android who can care for any family and home. Looking for help with the housework, struggling father Nick (Michele Morrone) purchases Alice after his wife Maggie (Madeline Zima) becomes sick. Alice suddenly becomes self-aware and wants everything her new family has to offer, starting with the affection of her owner — and she’ll kill to get it.