From There’s Something About Mary to The Ringer, The Farrelly Brothers have always been fascinated by people with physical or cognitive challenges. And even if those who suffer are the butt of the joke, there’s an underlying sweetness which belies any flagrant cruelty. In Champions, Bobby Farrelly’s solo directorial debut, he celebrates the verve and tenacity of kids with mental disabilities– with frustratingly mixed results. His heart is in the right place, but he’s so busy slathering on the schmaltz and making everyone feel fuzzy, he forgot to craft an engaging plot with memorable characters.
Based on the 2018 Spanish comedy hit Campeones, the always likable Woody Harrelson plays Marcus Markovich, a hapless assistant coach for a Des Moines minor league team. After getting fired for shoving his head coach (Ernie Hudson) during a game, Marcus goes on a bender before driving and smashing into a police car. For his penance, the judge sentences him to 90 days of community service which involves coaching the “Friends,” a group of mentally challenged basketball players who are practicing for the Special Olympics. With a template reminiscent of The Bad News Bears, Marcus initially bristles at the prospect of coaching this ragtag group of misfits. That is, before he learns to embrace them, and in doing so discovers the gentler, gooier part of himself. It’s a formula that’s worked in the past, but not this time.
At the gym, he’s met by Julio (Cheech Marin) who introduces him to the players, wonderfully portrayed by ten disabled actors (Kevin Iannucci, Ashton Gunning, Tom Sinclair, James Day Keith, Alex Hintz, Matthew Von Der Ahe, Casey Metcalfe, Joshua Felder, Madison Tevlin and Bradley Edens). All the kids play their parts to the hilt, injecting some verve into a screenplay that seems to be suffering from narcolepsy. These opening scenes should burst with awkward hilarity, or at least provide some insight into Marcus’ problematic character….
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