Kevin Iannucci, Kaitlin Olson, James Day Keith, and Woody Harrelson in ‘Champions’ (Photo Credit: Shauna Townley / Focus Features)
There have been many inspirational basketball films, including Hoosiers, Hoop Dreams, and Above the Rim. Add to that list Champions starring Woody Harrelson as Marcus, a minor-league basketball coach in De Moines, Iowa, who has just been fired for pushing head coach Phil Perretti (Ernie Hudson) for not listening to him about strategy during a game.
To make matters worse, Marcus ends up slamming into a police car on his way home and is ordered by the court to perform 90 days of community service.
The judge notices his unique talents and orders him to coach a basketball team of young players with intellectual disabilities. Wanting to stay out of jail, Marcus reluctantly agrees.
To say he’s unimpressed with his players and their non-existent hoop skills would be a gross understatement. “It...
There have been many inspirational basketball films, including Hoosiers, Hoop Dreams, and Above the Rim. Add to that list Champions starring Woody Harrelson as Marcus, a minor-league basketball coach in De Moines, Iowa, who has just been fired for pushing head coach Phil Perretti (Ernie Hudson) for not listening to him about strategy during a game.
To make matters worse, Marcus ends up slamming into a police car on his way home and is ordered by the court to perform 90 days of community service.
The judge notices his unique talents and orders him to coach a basketball team of young players with intellectual disabilities. Wanting to stay out of jail, Marcus reluctantly agrees.
To say he’s unimpressed with his players and their non-existent hoop skills would be a gross understatement. “It...
- 3/10/2023
- by Kevin Finnerty
- Showbiz Junkies
One day, Hollywood will finally realise that marginalised people deserve to be at the centre of their own stories. Until then, we’ve got Champions – the latest film in which a bigot is patiently taught not to be a bigot by the very targets of his ignorance, while we’re all expected to stand up and applaud his bravery. It’s a sports comedy, directed by Bobby Farrelly, in which Woody Harrelson’s disgraced basketball coach Marcus is charged with community service after a drunk driving incident. For the next 90 days, he’ll head up a local team of intellectually disabled adults, with an eye to helping them land a spot at the Special Olympics.
With his brother Peter, Farrelly spent the 1990s and early 2000s making occasionally funny, largely offensive comedies like There’s Something About Mary (1998) and Me, Myself & Irene (2000). Champions, Bobby’s first solo project, exists at...
With his brother Peter, Farrelly spent the 1990s and early 2000s making occasionally funny, largely offensive comedies like There’s Something About Mary (1998) and Me, Myself & Irene (2000). Champions, Bobby’s first solo project, exists at...
- 3/9/2023
- by Clarisse Loughrey
- The Independent - Film
Champions Review — Champions (2023) Film Review, a movie directed by Bobby Farrelly, written by Mark Rizzo, Javier Fesser and David Marques and starring Woody Harrelson, Kaitlin Olson, Matt Cook, Ernie Hudson, Cheech Marin, Madison Tevlin, Joshua Felder, Kevin Iannucci, Ashton Gunning, Matthew Von Der Ahe, Tom Sinclair, James Day Keith, Alex Hintz, Casey [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Champions (2023): Woody Harrelson is Fun to Watch in Bobby Farrelly’s Winning Basketball Comedy...
Continue reading: Film Review: Champions (2023): Woody Harrelson is Fun to Watch in Bobby Farrelly’s Winning Basketball Comedy...
- 3/7/2023
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
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