Champions

Two main characters of color; most of the cast and significant characters are White. Ten actors with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including Down syndrome and autism) are authentically cast as Marcus' team. While their role in the story is to support the journey of a character who isn't disabled, they're depicted as unique individuals. Some jokes are based in their personal quirks, but laughs aren't at the actors' expense.

Violence is infrequent, but in one dramatic scene, Marcus pushes his boss to the ground. In another, he drinks and collides with the back of a police car while driving. When a stranger insults his team and calls them a slur, Marcus punches the person in the stomach; the film seems to view this as a victory.

Marcus and Alex meet on Tinder and have a one-night stand, followed by an affair both insist is "just sex." They kiss, sometimes passionately, and fall into bed together, then wake up wrapped in sheets. In one scene, Alex retrieves her underwear from under Marcus' pillow. Team member Craig seems preoccupied with sex; many jokes are about him telling his teammates about his girlfriend, who's into "nasty stuff," and about his sex life (he mentions a "three way"), though he doesn't go into frank detail.

Cursing includes spare use of "f---ing," plus "s--t," "a--hole," "son of a bitch," "damn," and "hell." In one scene, a character shows double middle fingers to someone she's angry at. Two instance of characters being called "retards"; in both cases, the people who use the slur are are swiftly reprimanded.

Marcus drinks and drives at the beginning of this movie and is arrested for a DUI. He doesn't drive for the rest of the movie, and a character who suffered a traumatic brain injury due to being hit by a drunken driver explains briefly how dramatically his life was affected by drinking and driving.

Parents need to know that Champions is director Bobby Farrelly's comedy about a basketball coach named Marcus (Woody Harrelson) who is court-ordered to coach a team of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (including Down syndrome and autism) after he's arrested for a DUI. The team members are all authentically cast, and while their role as a group is primarily to support the story of a character who isn't disabled, they're all presented as individuals and treated with respect. There are some jokes based in their personal quirks, but those laughs aren't at the actors' expense. Violence includes a few brief physical scuffles, including a scene in which Marcus punches someone for calling his team "retards." Characters kiss passionately, fall into bed, and then wake up wrapped in sheets. One of the team members also often makes revelations about his sex life; he mentions having a "three way" and says that his girlfriend is into "nasty stuff." Language includes "f---ing," "s--t," "a--h--e," "damn," "hell," and "son of a bitch," plus two instances of characters using a slur for those with developmental disabilities. Themes include teamwork and perseverance, and there are positive messages about the value of supportive friendships and family relationships.

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