- Woody Harrelson plays a former minor-league basketball coach who, after a series of blunders, is ordered by the court to manage a team of players with intellectual disabilities.
- The film Champion premiered on March 10, 2023. It is based on the true story of a basketball team founded for people with disabilities that went on to win 12 championships.
- The film champion featured a large number of first-time actors. It also featured many actors with disabilities, which is not common in the film industry.
If you like comics, you’ll enjoy this New Romance Movie: Champions. The film is directed by Bobby Farrelly and stars Woody Harrelson as a basketball coach named Marcus. Champions is based on the 2018 Spanish film Campeones, which Farrelly describes in an interview with Collider as a “feel-good” film.
In this movie, a court ordered Woody Harrelson, a former minor-league basketball coach, to manage a group of disabled basketball players known as the Friends for 90 days after being caught driving drunk.
Despite his reservations, he later realized that this team could go further than they ever imagined as he got to know the players personally. This is a film you won’t want to miss, with stunning visuals and an action-packed plot. Focus Features released it in the United States on March 10, 2023. Online streaming is also available and free.
Overview of Champions Trailer
Woody Harrelson plays Marcus in this hilarious and heartwarming movie. The story is about a former minor-league basketball coach who was fired as a coach after entering a physical altercation with another member of the Stallions’ staff, Phil Peretti (Ernie Hudson).
As a result of the frustration, he began drinking his sorrows away until bad luck and poor decisions followed him when he rear-ended a police cruiser. The judge sentenced him to community service by coaching a Special Olympics team in preparation for their upcoming season.
Initially, he opposed the idea but eventually agrees to serve under duress. He discovers a group of young people who are frequently mistreated as outcasts by the rest of society.
However, as time passes, he discovers in each other a community of friends and colleagues who understand each other; this eventually turns him into the outcast of this family.
Marcus is very competitive. He refused to yield even after another staff member Julio (Cheech Marin), told him that he did not need to make this team an all-star team. Yet he could not help making them a team to beat.
In the trailer, he eventually finds a chance at a relationship with a team member’s sibling, Alex. This was possible as he began holding friendly gatherings and defending them from close-minded bigots.
Whether the team wins the Special Olympics, it will be an adventure that neither the coach nor the team will not be in a hurry to forget.
Is ‘Champions’ Based On a True-life Story?
The film is not based on a true story but on a 2018 Spanish film loosely inspired by the efforts of a real basketball team. Aderes, based in Valencia, was founded for people with intellectual disabilities and won 12 Spanish championships between 1999 and 2014.
Where to Watch ’Champions’ Online for Free?
On March 10, 2023, Champions was released in North American theaters. On the same day, 14 other films were released, including Scream VI, Southern Gospel, and The Siege. However, its DVD and Blu-ray releases are scheduled for May 2023, which is still subject to change.
It is said that the film is yet to receive a streaming release from Focus Features. This explains why notable streaming services, such as 123movies, Reddit, HBO Max, and Netflix, do not yet contain Champions in their catalog.
Given that Universal Pictures owns Focus Features, Peacock is expected to be the most likely candidate for a streaming home when Champions receives a streaming release. Although Peacock is free, more recent content requires a paid subscription.
Furthermore, you can buy, rent, or gift the movie through various online platforms such as iTunes, Amazon, or Google Play. It is also stated that Champions is now available to watch online at Paramount plus.
If you cannot buy or rent the movie, you will have to wait for it to become available on digital platforms such as Vudu, Peacock, Apple, and YouTube or for streaming on Amazon Prime Video. Following its theatrical release, the film will be available for streaming on Prime Video in 45 days.
Champions Cast
The latest Woody Harrelson film featured several first-time actors with disabilities similar to those portrayed by “The Friends” team. When asked about working with his Champions co-stars, Harrelson revealed his experience improvising with the key players.
According to him, director Bobby did not want him to meet the rest of the team until the day they all met for the first time, which he thought was a brilliant idea. They were highly professional, and that taught him a lot about what it means to be a true actor, to be yourself in the moment. And it was a fantastic experience, he added.
Harrelson also spoke fondly of his time as the unlikely coach of ten teammates with disabilities and how he collaborated closely with them on Champions. According to the actor, when audiences saw his character meet “The Friends” in the film, it was the first time he met them in real life.
Throughout the shoot, he found his experience working with the young cast to be very authentic, and he felt like he was the one who learned something new from them rather than the other way around.
Kaitlin Olson, Cheech Marin, and Matt Cook also appear in the movie. This movie strikes a balance between playing basketball on screen and simulating some amusing and endearing moments between the team and Harrelson’s coach character.
The film is a rare major release starring disabled actors in an industry where people living with disabilities are not given enough roles to play and are not featured on the big screen. Happy streaming!
