‘Champions’ overview: Woody Harrelson and a profitable components

The Farrelly brothers reigned supreme over comedies of questionable style within the Nineties and 2000s (“Dumb and Dumber,” “There’s Something About Mary,” “Shallow Hal,” “Stuck on You”), however whereas Peter has gone on to the business’s highest success, choosing up unique screenplay and greatest image Oscars for his movie “Green Book,” Bobby hasn’t directed a movie in awhile. He makes his comeback along with his “Kingpin” star Woody Harrelson within the sports activities comedy “Champions,” an English-language remake of the 2018 Spanish smash hit, the Goya Award-winning “Campeones.”

Harrelson performs Marcus, a minor-league basketball coach who’s sentenced to group service after a drunk-driving accident and finds himself teaching a crew of intellectually disabled adults at a local people heart in Des Moines, Iowa. Given the Farrelly observe file of dabbling in additional outre or offensive comedy, one is likely to be bracing for what “Champions” might doubtlessly ship, however after an preliminary fake-out, Farrelly, Harrelson and author Mark Rizzo deftly thread the needle on “Champions.” For probably the most half, it’s warmly amusing with out diving too far into the realm of the maudlin or treacly; and it side-steps something insensitive whereas nonetheless having fun with some bawdy humor.

You may also be pondering, “Isn’t this ‘The Mighty Ducks’?” — the 1992 youngsters sports activities comedy with Emilio Estevez as an legal professional who will get sentenced to group service after a drunk-driving accident and has to teach a Minneapolis pee-wee hockey crew — and sure, it’s mainly the identical story. The grumpy coach who has a tough time connecting with folks finds himself opening up along with his unlikely costs and studying to like the sport once more, due to the gamers, not regardless of them. The story doesn’t deviate from the standard sports activities film components we all know so properly.

What helps enliven “Champions” is what enlivens Coach Marcus himself — the crew, known as the Friends, which is forged completely of actors with related disabilities to their characters. Some are veteran actors, some had been forged from their expertise as Special Olympics athletes, and others make their display debut within the movie. One of the standouts, Kevin Iannucci, performs Johnny, whose older sister, Alex (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia” star Kaitlin Olson) turns into Marcus’ love curiosity. The pair develop from Tinder one-night stand to reluctant allies to associates with advantages when Marcus takes over the crew, however Alex’s spiky, self-protective humor and Marcus’ ambition to flee Iowa for an NBA job throws up the suitable hurdles to their romance.

The plot additionally cribs closely from conventional romance tropes, with Marcus as a stern striver discovering himself charmed (and thawed) by the quirky residents of a small city, a surprisingly steamy attraction and, in fact, the gamers he coaches. It’s not progressive storytelling, however it’s efficient — there’s a motive why these tropes exist.

“Champions” doesn’t break any molds, narratively or aesthetically, and it’s too lengthy, however what units it aside are the Friends, who provide heat and nuanced performances, and glorious illustration for the disabled group, which has both been largely ignored on movie or relegated to inappropriate punchlines or condescending stereotypes. Farrelly and Rizzo, working with the unique materials of “Campeones,” and the actors, provide an outline of those characters and their lives as full with duties, relationships, and pleasure. When Coach Marcus comes alongside, he’s simply the icing on the cake. They had been champs earlier than he confirmed up, and the movie is his journey to realizing that.

Katie Walsh is Tribune News Service movie critic.