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SALT LAKE CITY — I had the great honor of growing up with a dear friend down the street named Mark. Mark had Down syndrome, but that was just one small aspect of this incredible human being. Mark loved WWE, cowboy boots and all things Chuck Norris.
Mark was also an athlete. We were on the same church basketball team and I remember him hitting four 3-pointers in one game. I think he was our leading scorer that afternoon. Mark had a profound impact on my life and his memory is one of the reasons I was looking forward to the new movie "Champions."
The movie tells the story of a semi-pro basketball coach who is assigned to coach a team of players with various disabilities called "The Friends" as part of his community service. It's pretty easy to guess where the movie goes from there.
While "Champions" is far from perfect, it's hard not to like.
Here are some reasons I really enjoyed the film and a few reasons I think it missed the mark.
The makes
It's a feel-good movie
With the Oscars days away, it seems like much of the focus is on really well-acted and well-directed movies, but so often these movies are downers. Don't get me wrong, some of these heavy movies can be brilliant, but you need a pick-me-up sometimes.
I remember watching "Sicario" with my wife. We were both impressed with how brilliantly that film was made, but it was dark and we watched about six episodes of "30 Rock" afterward to get our spirits in a better place. "Champions" is a feel-good movie at its core.
Sure, you know exactly what arcs the characters are going to take and how the movie is going to end, but I didn't care. I was enjoying myself too much. Some critics are calling the movie out for being too schmaltzy and vanilla, but sometimes vanilla ice cream is exactly what the doctor ordered.
You fall in love with the cast
"The Friends" team is made up of people with various disabilities and I have great respect for the filmmakers for casting people with disabilities to play these roles.
It is infectious to watch these actors enjoy life and have no apologies for their beautiful outlook on life. The cast is clearly having a fantastic time making this movie and that rubs off on the audience. Are these award-winning performances that will be mentioned in the same breath as Laurence Olivier and Orson Welles? No, but who cares? These actors are genuine and that's a lot of fun to watch.
The misses
Tried too hard with jokes
"Champions" is a comedy — and there are some good jokes and a few laugh-out-loud moments, but too many of the jokes were forced.
What I mean by this is the film's humor relied, too often, on shock value of the innocence of some of the characters as they make off-color or crude jokes. These jokes were uncomfortable and seemed borderline exploitative, as opposed to clever. It didn't ruin the movie for me, but it kept it from being really special.
What parents should know
"Champions" is rated PG-13 and that's the right rating. There is a fair amount of crude humor and language. Some of the language surprised me and wasn't necessary.
I'm not sure if the movie is appropriate for your kids, but I'm not comfortable taking my 12-year-old daughter to it, quite yet.
Conclusion
"Champions" is far from perfect, but it was impossible for me not to enjoy it. I love the light in which it puts these incredible young men and women; and, there is something about walking out of a feel-good movie that's hard to beat.
"Champions" is officially rated PG-13 for strong language and crude/sexual references.
