Champions [Includes Digital Copy] [Blu-ray]

Director: Bobby Farrelly Bobby Farrelly

Overview

Contending with misdemeanor charges, disgraced minor league basketball coach Marcus (Woody Harrelson) receives orders from the court to take a team of players with intellectual disabilities under his wing. Longing for the skills of his former team, Marcus initially struggles to connect with his new team, given the variety of challenges their diagnoses present. Yet the athletes' continued perseverance against the odds inspires Marcus to change his ways, in turn helping the team reach new heights. Bobby Farrelly directs the sports comedy-drama. Co-starring Ernie Hudson and Cheech Marin.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/02/2023
UPC:	0191329241622
Original Release:	2023
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	Universal Studios
Language:	English
Time:	2:04:00
Sales rank:	12,116

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Woody Harrelson	Marcus
Kaitlin Olson	Alex
Ernie Hudson	Coach Phil Perretti
Matt Cook	Sonny
Cheech Marin	Julio
Madison Tevlin	Cosentino
Joshua Felder	Darius
Kevin Iannucci	Johnny
Ashton Gunning	Cody
Matthew Von Der Ahe	Craig
Tom Sinclair	Blair
James Day Keith	Benny,Spectator
Alex Hintz	Arthur
Casey Metcalfe	Marlon
Bradley Edens	Showtime
Barbara Pollard	Dot
Alexandra Castillo	Judge Mary Menendez
Scott Van Pelt	Scott Van Pelt
Jalen Rose	Jalen Rose
Alicia Johnston	Coach Maya
Seán Cullen	Frank O'Connolly
Jacob Blair	Blake Lassiter
Ryan DeLong	Headband
Cory Wojcik	Bus Driver
Lauren Cochrane	Mother on Bus
Eddy Norman	Child with Mother on Bus
Stephanie Sy	Reporter
Alex Hannah	Jimmy
Champ Pederson	Peter the 'Ringer'
Aaron Hughes	Opposing Coach
Joanne Rodriguez	Group Home Counselor
Lois Brothers	Referee
Brian Dobson	Announcer
Vance Halldorson	Cheering Spectator
Jim Kirby	Curler
Cindy Myskiw	Spectator
Mike Smith	Attorney McGurk
Jean-Jacques Javier	Bartender
Joanne Zahaiko	The Beasts Coach
Malik Irwin	Jared
Heath Vermette	Factory Supervisor
Clint Allen	Shakespeare Actor
Matthew Fletcher	Maitre'd
Michael Franti	Composer

Technical Credits

Mark Rizzo

Bobby Farrelly	Director
Javier Fesser	Executive Producer
Woody Harrelson	Executive Producer
Alexander Jooss	Executive Producer
Brad Kessell	Executive Producer
Alvaro Longoria	Executive Producer
Luis Manso	Executive Producer
Mark Rizzo	Screenwriter
Jeremy Plager	Producer
Jim Heber	Casting
Russ Dyck	Sound Mixer
Rick Montgomery	Casting
James Fonnyadt	Sound/Sound Designer
Chris Baker	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Director Bobby Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber), known for his hit-and-miss extreme comedies with his brother Peter, takes a script by Mark Rizzo (television's Gravity Falls) and runs with it in his solo debut. But this time, the direction isn't toward the low-brow comedy that made him famous. Instead, he presents a movie with a heartfelt message that shows there is more to his skill than just gutter humor. After a drunk driving accident, former minor-league basketball coach Marcus Marakovich (Woody Harrelson) is given a choice: go to jail or complete community service by coaching a team of intellectually disabled players called the Friends. At first, he finds the task unbearable and thinks it is beneath him because he is good enough for the NBA. But as he continues to train them and learn about the players as individuals, he realizes two things: they have a lot to teach him about being human, and they have a real shot at becoming Special Olympics champions. Farrelly stretches his legs here, and it is a successful hike. By tackling a subject that used to be relegated to backhanded jokes and adapting it to a more humanistic perspective, he's proven he has the chops to take on any kind of comedy - and perhaps more serious films as well. The challenges and discrimination that the intellectually disabled face daily are emotionally portrayed, along with the family and love-life relationship issues their caretakers have to deal with. While thin on development for most of the characters, the story moves along nicely and keeps the audience's attention. Best, it doesn't always play out in the expected way. Some will argue that the script focuses too much on Harrelson's character and not enough on the Friends. The reality is that, through Marcus's evolution, the audience can better understand the team members as representatives of their individual selves and their community. Often, the biggest roadblock to acceptance for disabled persons of any kind is understanding, and as Marcus gains it, so might the audience. This is bolstered by ten disabled actors whose work keeps the film grounded in the theme. They're quirky and fun without being the butt of the jokes. Harrelson continues to demonstrate his range, and his performance here is exceptional because he stars with the other actors instead of above them, keeping the focus of the tale where it needs to be. The film is moved along by an exceptionally well-selected soundtrack of songs from beginning to end. This is especially evident in several well-framed scenes that depict emotions well without showing them. Champions is not the film that fans of Farrelly's previous work will expect of him. Instead, it is something better, and his followers should respect his artistic development. Put frankly, the film is an underdog winner.