CHAMPIONS

US, 2023, 124 minutes, Colour.

Woody Harrelson, Madison Tevlin, Joshua Felder, Kevin Iannucci, Joshua Felder, Ashton Gunning, Matthew Von Der Ahe, Tom Sinclair, James Day Keith, Alec=x Hintz, Casey Metcalfe, Bradley Edens, Kaitlyn Olsen, Matt Cook, Cheech Marin, Ernie Hudson.

Directed by Bobby Farrelly.

Basketball does have a lot of fans. So, when they read about this film and note basketball, they will probably want to see it. It does start with the American NBA and some professional games – but, unexpectedly, the film goes in quite a different direction, a direction in which we all should go.

The film is based on a true story, first filmed in Spain as Campiones. Now the action is in the United States, in the city of Des Moines, focusing on an assistant coach who has plenty of ideas for play but becomes aggressively involved in clashes with the main coach, drinks, hits a police car, is outspoken with the judge but keep quiet when he learns that he is to do 90 days of community work.

This character is played by Woody Harrelson, who has been on our screens and top billed since the 1980s. While he looks and sounds the same in every film, he is able to embody his different characters so that they are completely credible. He is not a particularly likeable character here, casual in a relationship with a young woman in the city, watching basketball on television instead of paying attention to her!

But his shock is that he is to coach a group of young men who are intellectually disabled. This means an entirely different film from what we might have been imagining. One of the strengths of the screenplay is that, unlike a number of films which present a team and the members seem to be interchangeable without much character development, these men are quite distinctive, their names, their backgrounds, their disability, the kinds of jobs that they are able to do, their moments of awkwardness, their love for basketball, the learning to play as a team.

So, this film is very emotional in getting audience response to the young men, their personalities, their lives, relationships, some of them with Down Syndrome, others having had brain injuries in car accidents. The young man that receives most screened attention is Johnny, who turns out to be the brother of the woman that the coach first had his encounter with, the coach now having to reassess his relationships, try to understand how people tick. On the comic side, there is a tall man called Showtime who has been fascinated with the jigs that players who score a basket do – but he has spent years turning his back to the basket, throwing, always missing, but enjoying the jig. There are lots of moments like this throughout the film.

There is the competition element so familiar with films about teams, learning skills, the men having quite some talent in fact, winning matches, and the buildup to the Special Olympics championship. This is the occasion when the coach is able to give a very strong pep talk explaining to them all that they are champions in what they have achieved no matter what happens.

It is films like Champions that remind ordinary audiences about sensitivity to those who are disabled, the language they use, the stances that they take, and the possibilities of knowing people by name, their lives, their idiosyncrasies, their humanity.

1. The title? Based on actual characters and events? Remake of the Spanish film of the same name?
2. A film for basketball fans? The NBA, matches, the players, coaching, manoeuvres, tensions with coaches, with players? The contrast with coaching The Friends, the men with intellectual disability, working with them, their forming a team?
3. Iowa, the city of Des Moines, apartments, homes, the stadium for sport, the streets and buildings, the Centre for the young men? Travel, basketball matches? The musical score?
4. Mark, a Woody Harrelson character, his liaison with Alex, her harsh remarks, his watching the basketball on television, preoccupied? Assistant coach, the coach as his friend, passionate watching the match, disagreeing with the coach, pushing him, fired, captured on television and replayed?
5. His drinking, watching the television, driving, observing people, the police holding up the two young men, crashing into the police car, arrested, in jail, bailed out by the coach, fired, his lawyer, going to the judge, her severity, his impulsive speaking out, the possibility of community service, 90 days, accepting this?
6. Going to the Centre, meeting Julio, the discussions, meeting the young men, his coach having advised him to get to know people rather than just manoeuvres and techniques basketball?
7. The range of young men, played by actors with disabilities, the screenplay making individuals of them each, the audience following them as characters, their names, where they lived, the variety of their workplaces and work according to their abilities, coming to practice, the erratic behaviour, Mark and his work with them, learning more about them, encouraging them?
8. The range of characters, Johnny, Down Syndrome, Mark meeting Alex in the car, her driving the bus, the invitation to the meal, the issue of where Johnny would live, Johnny, literal in his interpretation, judgement about people, the technique of the statue, Alex explaining the Winter’s Tale and Hermione, using the technique? His skill in getting baskets? Changes of moods? Yet engaging? Love of animals?
9. Craig, his girlfriends, his ability with the ball? Benny, big, working in the kitchen, the harshness his boss, not letting him to come to work, his final defiance and rehearsing in the mirror, his being fired? His skills with the ball? Marlon, intellectual, knowledge, Wikipedia, assertions, his health, observations on the game? Arthur, big, contributing to the game? Blair, big, silent? Cody, coloured hair, working in dyes? Showtime, the many years, lanky, his intention to get the basket by throwing backwards, his celebratory dance? Darius, refusing to play, the coach and his past relationship with him, urging Mark to make a move, Darius and his brain injury, the drunk driver, unable to forgive, Mark apologising, Darius making a move to forgiveness, and his play, work with the team?
10. The effect on Mark, getting to know each of the men, adapting to them, moments of exasperation, the training, working as a team, the techniques, their skills, the matches, the competition, the hopes?
11. Mike and Sonny, Mark using him to get to the NBA, Sonny and his pretending about the offer, his uncle not liking Mark? The clash, each using the other? Mark offering Sonny the job of assistant coach, his working with the team, bonding with them? Mark intending to go to the NBA, Seattle, the deal, the television interview before the match, difficulties in Seattle, Mark changing his mind?
12. Alex, her life, at home, devoted to Johnny, the Shakespeare plays and the scene with the students, her keeping accounts, the meals, driving the van, the relationship with Mark, no attachments, the development of the relationship, Mark coming for the meal, the clash, the eventual apologies and reuniting? Johnny and his reaction to each stage of the relationship?
13. Benny and his boss, harsh, the issue of money for the travel to Winnipeg, Alex and Mark impersonating police, threatening the owner, his agreement to supply the money for the trip?
14. The issue of how to refer to mental disability, the rejection of the word retard? But people encountering the unusual and unexpected behaviour, the sequence of the bus, the music, loud, the mother and child, the angry driver, Marlon vomiting? Their being stranded?
15. The final match, the pep talk about being champions, not having them win the Special Olympics, Showtime and his attempt to throw backwards – and missing the trophy? Yet the rejoicing, still champions, the silver medal rather than Mark’s comment that they lost?

16. A film supportive of understanding people with physical and mental disabilities, finding ways of their being themselves within their capacities?