I love a good sports flick, but most of the time they focus on the rising player or pressures of the big game. The latest, National Champions looks to take a different approach to the sports world and features a great cast including Stephan James, Alexander Ludwig, J.K. Simmons, Kristin Chenoweth, Timothy Olyphant, Uzo Aduba, Lil Rel Howery, Tim Blake Nelson, Andrew Bachelor, Jeffrey Donovan, and David Koechner from Angel Has Fallen and Greenland director Ric Roman Waugh. Could this flick bring that something special to look behind the league or will it fumble the ball?

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National Champions follows star quarterback LeMarcus James and teammate Emmett Sunday who ignite a player’s strike declaring they won’t compete until all student-athletes are fairly compensated three days before the college football national championship game. With billions of dollars at risk and legacies on the line, the stakes could not be higher. Now, with only hours until kickoff, the head coach and various power brokers must race against the clock to protect or destroy the prevailing collegiate athletics system.

 

This is an interesting approach to the world of college football and the business side of it. I honestly expected something else in regards to the direction it was heading, but found it a lot more engaging than I thought it would be. I dig the cast involved so had no doubt they would be great and they were, but it was really more of the story and angles they went trying to make this game happen.

 

There is a powerful message here in regards to what they are fighting for and some great moments, but as a whole I think the message gets lost in the execution. It’s far from a bad movie and actually pretty interesting,