“Champions” Review
Leading an all-star team of players, Woody Harrelson (far right) coaches a basketball team to the Special Olympics in “Champions.”
The sports films genre often relies on a simple formula. The protagonist is usually a down-on-his-luck player/coach who is part of an underdog team that everyone underestimates, usually because they’re not very good. However, this season is different. With the right combination of heart and hard work, these rag tag players might just become a team that can win it all and, for the finale, they either win the big game or lose while still gaining respect. “Champions” does not stray far from this pattern but its predictable nature is sidelined by its genuine, heartfelt story.
In Des Moines, Iowa, Marcus Marokovich (Woody Harrelson) is a skilled basketball coach who is fired from his job because of his many imperfections including problems with authority and an unwillingness to get to know his players. After being arrested for a DUI, Marokovich is sentenced to 90 days of community service coaching a local team of intellectually disabled people. While Marokovich initially sees the team as “uncoachable,” he eventually comes to realize that he needs his players as much as they need him, both on and off the court.
What works about this film is just how charming its characters are written. If this film was made 20, or even 10 years ago, the team of players would probably be played by non-disabled people seeking awards glory. Fortunately, this film was made today and this cast of athletes are played by people with developmental disabilities. The cast of “Champions” is what makes this typical sports film work because of how charming they are written with the actors giving it their all.
Woody Harrelson is one of those actors who can do just about anything he puts his mind to. This redneck hippie has been in extreme films like “Natural Born Killers,” “No Country For Old Men,” “Zombieland,” “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” and “Triangle of Sadness” and still manages to be both recognizable and a chameleon. In this film, he plays somewhat of an arrogant ass but he makes it work by being adaptable. This is someone who accepts the situation he’s in and works with his players and their strengths to become better.
Stealing the show is this incredible group of athletes with all of them being personable and upbeat. Mark Rizzo’s screenplay doesn’t use their disabilities as a punch line. Instead, he simply writes humorous dialogue for the characters. That may seem like a no-brainer but, again, if this film was made twenty years ago it’s more than likely that this film would have been patronizing and embarrassing. In particular, Madison Tevlin and Kevin Iannucci are remarkable as Consentino and Johnny with these characters having a strong impact on their coach.
However, while the film is strong as a sports film and as a heartwarming story of friendship, it does lack in comedy. While there are jokes that work here and there, most of the jokes got politie chuckles out of me at best. While “Champions” didn’t make me laugh a lot, I was so invested in the arc of this team that I didn’t care. I was too busy watching this incredible team pursuing a championship and loving their journey.
If there’s any indication to how crowd pleasing this film will be, it was watching it in a theater where many members of the audience had intellectual disabilities. Seeing their positive reactions to a film that made them feel seen was incredible and I hope that the actors of “Champions” continue to pursue a career in the arts. Not only is this film entertaining, but it follows in the footsteps of films like “The Peanut Butter Falcon” and “CODA” to give those with disabilities an authentic voice.
