The guts, glory and gold of Champions

There’s nothing quite like watching a stirring underdog sports movie. If there’s a scale for feel-good, these heartwarming and spirited coming-of-age sports dramas will always find themselves on the top-end. Taking the guts and glory from real-life sports and immersing us in the off-the-field team drama, we almost always know what’s going to happen but love getting there anyway. It’s why we get psyched when Rocky ascends the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s steps to the tune of Eye of the Tiger or suddenly find something in our eye when The Mighty Ducks form their flying V.

Champions is another one of those truly inspirational movies, based on the acclaimed Spanish film Campeones, about a basketball coach who works with a team of mentally disabled players as part of his community service. Trying to shape the group into a cohesive unit, the coach realises just how much he can learn from the team themselves. This award-winning movie “spoke to the human condition in the most enlightened, fun – yet tender – and resonating way” and inspired the remake to do the same.

More than 25 years after the cult classic sports comedy Kingpin, director Bobby Farrelly and star Woody Harrelson re-team to do it all over again in this hilarious and heartwarming story. In the Hollywood remake, Harrelson plays a stubborn former minor-league basketball coach who must manage a team of disabled players for 90 days instead of serving time. After a rocky start, an unexpected romance and a change of heart, the hotheaded coach discovers his team can go further and do much more than he ever imagined.

Having had a long history spanning decades in Hollywood, Harrelson and Farrelly are no strangers and two of each other’s biggest fans. When Harrelson was introduced to the tale of Campeones, he described it as phenomenal… a beautiful, heartwarming and amazing story. The script for Champions drew him in from the get-go… calling it a rare jewel, full of laughs that hits you right in your heart.

Both naturally funny people who are full of heart, the actor-director duo’s mutual admiration spills over into Champions. Farrelly considers Harrelson a “national treasure”, an actor who has come a long way since tending bar in the hit sitcom Cheers. Having played basketball from the age of 12, Harrelson landed his breakthrough film role in White Men Can’t Jump with a slam dunk. Having attributed much of his success to this pivotal moment, he’s now onto his third movie about the sport after Semi-Pro.

Playing the lead role in Champions, Harrelson’s supported by the likes of Kaitlin Olson, Ernie Hudson and cult Cheech and Chong actor, Cheech Marin. Harrelson and Olson have great screen chemistry as an on-and-off couple who meet after swiping right on Tinder. After an emotional scene with his co-star, Harrelson quickly realised he had to bring his A-game and admits to Olson stealing every scene with a superlative performance as the spirited 40-something Alex.

Having fine comedic actors to set the scene, the genuine emotional core of Champions is formed by the team themselves. There was never a doubt about casting people with similar disabilities to the characters they were playing. After hundreds if not thousands of auditions from a community that remains incredibly underrepresented, they found their 10 key Friends basketball players.

After the filmmakers settled on their team, Champions turned into something even more remarkable as each actor brought a greater authenticity to the movie, merging with their characters over the course of the film. Led by Madison Tevlin as Cosentino, Kevin Iannucci as Johnny and Joshua Felder as Darius, each actor brought their star quality to screen. For many of these performers, this was their first time acting and from complete naturals to real-life ambassadors, the team bursts with charm and comedic talent.

Full of pluck, this character-driven sports comedy-drama taps into the same spirit of films like Spare Parts and Win Win. Capturing real moments without trying to oversell the underdog comedy, Champions has natural warmth… a heartfelt delight. Set in Des Moines, Winnipeg and filmed in the depth of winter, the cast and crew thrived on team spirit and this shines through in the comedy drama’s warmth. Champions is bound to put a smile on your dial, adding to the upbeat tone with a feel-good pop soundtrack featuring many classic and nostalgic hits.

Centred on a lovable rogue in Woody Harrelson, it’s the tender, heartwarming and inspirational story behind Champions that ultimately wins the day. A feel-good movie that channels the gentle, fun and tenacious spirit of the original, it’s the genuine performances, authentic feel and thought-provoking message that power it home before the buzzer. Laugh, cry or both, Champions speaks to the altruism and importance of finding purpose beyond the trappings of personal glory.