Woody Harrelson coaches Special Olympics hopefuls in hit-and-miss movie – Chicago Tribune

Many people wondered how an arrogant coach played by Woody Harrelson played by a young man and a woman, a woman with intellectual and developmental disabilities who would like to compete in Special Olympics basketball. You’ll find a lot of things you like in this comical story about how to turn it into something.

The setup works much like how “Green Book,” directed by Bobby’s brother Peter Farrelly, dealt with racial prejudice and the redemption of brusque white men during the civil rights era. With both films, you might be thinking: are we really focusing on the most interesting characters here? Or someone who could have given the go-ahead for production?

This movie is a remake of the very slick Spanish comedy-drama Campeones, which became popular in 2018. (Another remake, this one to be made and set in India.) After getting fired from a semi-professional assistant coach gig, stuck in Des Moines, and sentenced to 90 days of community service after a DUI. , Marcus (Harrelson) reluctantly takes over the fortune of the Ragtag Community Center team.

At first, everything is friction and irritation for the main character. Gradually he and team member Friends learn some basics and lower their off-court defenses. I’ve seen the original, but most people who watch “Champions” haven’t. A quick look at the Spanish-language trailer for the film captures similarities to the remake, even with tweaks.

No longer a man with an estranged relationship with his wife, coach Marcus is a loner who meets after a lucrative Tinder hookup with struggling actress Alex (Caitlin Olson). She turns out to be the older sister of Johnny (Kevin Iannucci, amazing), one of Marcus’ players who has Down syndrome.

Ernie Hudson and Woody Harrelson in the 2018 Spanish remake of Champions. (Shauna Townley/Focus Feature)

Every Neurodivergent character in Champions has a chance to excel in a variety of ways. But there’s a crass, patronizing air to the way some of the material is fashioned for visual gags, followed by a cutaway shot to the laughing/contemptuous/techy Harrelson.

However, there is compensation. Known for “It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” Olson keeps his scenes with Harrelson fresh and honest. Des Moines is played by Winnipeg, Canada, and a moderate-budget studio appreciates seeing snow and cold once in her project. It offers a story. Also, crucially, the neurologically diverse clique of moviegoers is hungry for screen representation, so Farrelly’s film will surely be well received. Side here hopes his character isn’t treated that way, and that “Champions” isn’t primarily about bottoming out and redeeming his one coach anymore. In remaking the 2018 film, the filmmakers missed an opportunity to focus more on the players than just a quick montage of how they go about their lives.

Meanwhile, one of the people who attended the recent “Champions” preview told a friend during the credits. of That movie! “That’s a super honest affirmation. There are moments and some scenes that create interesting complications, including the dinner sequence — Marcus is having dinner at his kind of girlfriend, her brother and their mother’s house.” Go to — And Bottled Emotions Finally Comes Out How It Sounds Like Real Life, Not A Movie (or Any Movie) this at least the movies). Disarming one minute and manipulating daring the next, “Champions” are tricky. At one point, Marcus commends the player for dealing with “what you guys put up with from ignorant people every day”… even if it tells a favorable redemption story.