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    Movie review

    The underdogs in Champions deserve better storytelling

    Alex Bentley
    Mar 10, 2023 | 9:26 am

    The Farrelly Brothers represent somewhat of a paradox in Hollywood. Long known for outrageous – and, to some, offensive – comedies like Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, and Shallow Hal, among others, they also have a history of including people with intellectual and other disabilities in their films. This inclusive mindset even earned them a notable award in 2020.

    One half of the brothers, Bobby Farrelly, is taking things more than few steps further with his newest film, Champions. Marcus (Woody Harrelson), a minor league basketball coach in Des Moines, Iowa, has a way of letting his ego get in the way of his career. After being fired from yet another job, he drowns his sorrows at a local bar and winds up getting arrested for driving under the influence after he crashes into a police car.

    James Day Keith, Woody Harrelson, and Ashton Gunning in Champions
      

    Photo courtesy of Focus Features

    James Day Keith, Woody Harrelson, and Ashton Gunning in Champions.

    The judge in his case offers him a choice: Go to prison or commit to 90 days of public service by coaching a team full of players with intellectual disabilities. Marcus reluctantly takes the job. Although he initially finds it difficult to get the players to use the skills he’s trying to teach them, he’s able to make an impact with persistence and the help of Alex (Kaitlin Olson), the sister one of the team’s better players, Johnny (Kevin Iannucci).

    Based on the 2018 Spanish film Campeones and written by Mark Rizzo, the story follows a fairly typical sport movie arc, with the ragtag group of players coming together to succeed against the odds, and their coach finding a form of redemption in the process. It’s standard fare that’s so generic that most viewers will be able to predict almost everything that happens well before it actually takes place.

    The film is a tough one to critique without coming across as insensitive. Few of the actors with intellectual disabilities have much previous acting experience, so their performances should be graded on a big curve. On the whole, they are a delightful presence in the film and, on occasion, upstage the professional actors, especially Cosentino (Madison Tevlin).

    That said, it’s difficult to get past just how mediocre the film is overall. This has nothing to do with the players on the team; instead, it’s the C-level writing and ham-handed directing that brings the movie down. Almost every conversation between the professional actors is awkward and devoid of any feeling or meaning. It’s almost like the filmmakers are tiptoeing around in an effort not to offend anybody, and in the process they wind up making something bland and boring.

    Harrelson, who previously starred in the Farrelly Brothers’ 1996 film Kingpin, is forgettable in this role. He doesn’t elevate the material in the slightest and sometimes seems to just be going through the paces. Olson at least adds a little flair to her role, but she’s not given much to do. The most memorable novice actors are Tevlin, Iannucci, and Bradley Edens, the latter of which is given a funny running joke that plays a big part in the film’s ending.

    In the end, Champions is a disservice to the people with intellectual disabilities it seeks to showcase. It’s easy to forgive the lack of polish in their performances, but it’s next-to-impossible to look past the absence of anything interesting or entertaining from everyone surrounding them.

    ---

    Champions opens in theaters on March 10.

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    This week's hot headlines

    Death of Dallas Caramel Company founder leads week's most-read stories

    Stephanie Allmon Merry
    Jun 14, 2025 | 10:00 am
    Dallas Caramel Company
    Dallas Caramel Company
    Dallas Caramel Company

    Editor's note: It was a newsy week in Dallas. Sadly, the founder of a Dallas sweets company passed away; there was also news of a new gourmet European market in the works and peach cobbler coming to DFW Airport. Here's a chance to get caught up on the week's most-read stories, and here's help planning a fun weekend.

    1. Dallas Caramel Company founder Rain McDermott dies at 52. Dallas entrepreneur Rain McDermott, who founded artisan caramel maker Dallas Caramel Company when she was only 34 years old, died after a battle with breast cancer; she was 52.

    2. Gourmet European Market to open in north Dallas with pierogi and more. A new food shop with a distinct European flair is coming to Dallas: Called Gourmet European Market, it's opening at 17435 Preston Rd., in a shopping center south of Frankford Road, where it will feature food products from all over Europe but with a special focus on the Eastern European countries of Poland, Germany, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Israel, and Bulgaria.

    Gourmet European Market Polish gingerbreadPolish gingerbread at Gourmet European Market.Photo courtesy of GEM

    3. Chef and caterer opens Southern to-go cafe south of Dallas. A chef and caterer has opened an eponymous to-go cafe south of Dallas: Called The Cedric Frazier Experience, it’s an upscale soul food kitchen located at 103 Waller St., in Red Oak, where it opened on June 7.

    4. Dallas cuts slack on senior homeowners with new property tax exemption. Dallas seniors who own a home got cut a break: On June 11, the Dallas City Council approved additional property tax relief for senior and disabled homeowners by increasing the city’s property tax exemption for residents who are 65 or older or disabled.

    5. Peach cobbler concept to open 2 locations at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport. Southern desserts are coming to Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): The Peach Cobbler Factory, a chain based in North Carolina, will open not one but two locations at the airport. The first DFW location will open in Terminal D in late 2025; a second location will open in the new Terminal C Pier in 2026.

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