Film Review: NATIONAL CHAMPIONS (2021): A Football Hero Stands Up for Equality but the Movie Drops the Ball

National Champions Review

National Champions (2021) Film Review, a movie directed by Rick Roman Waugh, and starring Stephan James, J. K. Simmons, Alexander Ludwig, Lil Rel Howrey, Tim Blake Nelson, Andrew Bachelor, David Koechner, Jeffrey Donovan, Kristin Chenoweth, Timothy Olyphant, Uzo Aduba, Russell Wilson, Malcolm Jenkins, and Mike Greenberg.

Here is the latest sports underdog movie where a championship triumph hangs in the balance.

But not in the context of a dark horse beating the odds, as seen in Hoosiers. On the contrary, the hero, star Quarterback LeMarcus James can’t be more on top of his game. Heisman Trophy winner, a sure-fire, first-round professional draft pick, LeMarcus is the pride and joy of his long-time coach, James Lazor (J. K. Simmons). The cherry on top — leading his team to victory in the championship game.

But there’s a hitch. Starring quarterback LeMarcus’ principles suddenly outshine his ambition. Taking the role of Joe Hill of his fellow college athletes, he will use his celebrity status to demand equal compensation and adequate consideration for those equally dedicated but a near-miss during the draft. He will stand on his convictions and boycott the game.

National Champions pioneers solidarity from top-down, an interesting twist compared to typical strategy of grassroots activism in films like Norma Rae or Silkwood, that is, from the ground up. Essentially, a particular triumvirate in this film drives the most impact: LeMarcus James representing his fellow college athletes; Coach Lazor representing the team and its reputation (and by extension, his own); and Katherine Poe as the legal arm of the regulators.

In one sense LeMarcus is a perfect folk hero by putting his own achievements at risk to help those bound to be overlooked at draft-pick time. A noble gesture, to be sure, but his circumspection is rather lacking, which also indicates the central weakness of the film. For someone who eloquently bullet-points during his hotel-room rallies, LeMarcus fails to see his role in the larger picture. The monolith constructed from the lucrative sporting industry at every level isn’t a Goliath; it can’t be brought down by a single shot, no matter how well aimed.

LeMarcus didn’t consider — and no one suggested to him — that playing the game might actually strengthen his message overall: that despite the risks, at the end of the day he just plain loved being part of the game, and played it that way.

And it stands to reason that, with a professional career under his belt, he would be in a better position to turn his rhetoric into reality and support college athletes, in both word and deed. Instead, he remained the solitary holdout for the boycott, avoiding perhaps the greatest risk–facing the possibility of his fans’ disapproval, requiring even greater courage of his convictions. In the end the filmmakers fumbled, and so LeMarcus dropped the ball.

Stephan James as LeMarcus does quite a good job, so far as it can go. The performance is passionate to be sure, but his union-rousing rhetoric is pretty typical. Shouting from the other side is Katherine Poe, an attorney for the NCAA, portrayed by “Crazy Eyes” Uzo Aduba. Poe’s fierce rebuttal to LeMarcus’ “you-don’t-know-what-it’s-like” accusation is straight from the shoulder, honest, logical, loud, and remarkable.

Caught in the middle is Coach Lazor, who finally has a chance to bask in the glory of his team’s triumph at the championship. J. K. Simmons was a logical casting choice, and of course, it works. He is alternately defensive, accusatory, and/or pleading, as the situation demands. It’s easy to believe that LeMarcus’ rebellion and disappearance blind-sides Lazor just about completely. Finally, in front of some rookies, he gives a standard locker room pep talk. But it’s effective all the same; his energy and sense of timing is spot on, giving his scenes his usual brand of vigor.

There are fine supporting performances that manage to come through despite the loggerheads about the game. Among these are Alexander Ludwig as Emmett Sunday, LeMarcus’ best friend and loyal sidekick, who spouts biblical phrases with jocular vitality.

Kristin Chenoweth plays the buxom Bailey Lazor, a smart cookie who has an odd, wound-up look about her. Her exasperation with her coach husband shows on pinched, tanned face. She takes up with ex-lover Elliott Schmidt (Timothy Olyphant), renowned poet and college professor, who mentored LeMarcus in college and gives him one last piece of advice. Jeffrey Donovan is cool and disquietly reassuring as pin-striped executive Mike Titus, and Tim Blake Nelson as the slick manager, Rodger Cummings.

National Champions certainly deserves kudos for accurately dramatizing serious issues in college sports that must be rectified, namely money and health. Athletic scholarships exist to provide opportunities for a professional career — by way of a degree if not a draft pick. An admirable goal, bearing in mind that the road of collective bargaining can be a rough one, as exemplified in the superb documentary American Dream. (Note: NCPA is a good resource for college athletes.)

Rating: 7/10

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