The Winning Season

source: The Winning Season

This coming of age school sports drama adds nothing new to the genre. It has the usual tropes, washed out basketball coach, underperforming team with female teenage issues etc. However, it is really well done, with maybe a darker edge to proceedings than usual and some really good performances (Emma Roberts stands out and Rockwell as always puts in a good shift). If you want a coming of age drama and don't mind you have seen it all before, you could do a lot worse than this.

Sam Rockwell is perfect for this part, and does a great job with it. In real life h can't play basketball at all, but in watching this performance I found myself believing he was an all star. But he has a drinking problem, a very serious problem. The movie doesn't sidestep this at all, but it doesn't drag the movie down either. The actresses playing the girls all do a perfect job, and I commend them all. Emma Roberts is best, with Sharika Epps right behind. And Margo Martindale is fantastic, seems made for the part of the bus driver and then assistant coach. The Negotiation between her and Sam to take the job is hilarious. I won't give any real spoilers here, other than to say that I was left with the feeling that Sams Coach will recover in the end, and I found the ending was perfect for this disease, from which you're never totally cured.

The troubled basketball coach who brings his team of losers to the championship is as familiar as western shoot outs and "boy meets girl" rom coms. The pivot on this one - it's a team of grrls! Still, it would be a mistake to pass on this one. Sam Rockwell is perfect as the ne'er do well coach who gets a second or maybe fourth chance at redemption. It's his edgy performance and a strong supporting cast (including the athletes who bring a wonderful authenticity and charm) that take you beyond the contrived scenes and corny sports cliches. A fun and thoughful family movie with a satisfying ending. If you don't over think it. "See the three. Be the three!"

Watched this on Amazon Prime, mainly because it starred Sam Rockwell, a great actor. He plays a disgraced high school basketball coach and alcoholic who is given a chance by a Principal to coach his girls basketball team. The Winning Season doesn't stray too far from the normal sports movies, but thanks to a good script and fine acting it succeeds in being far better than most. A Thumbs up, P.S you don't need to like sports to enjoy this movie.

I love Sam Rockwell. The humor is perfect. Written around this time you had the "hot tub time machine" type of humor take over movies. Raunchy bawdry & slightly immature humor that 13 year old boys and 30 year old men like. Still the director/writer kept true to himself and carved this classic indie type gem, The chemistry between the kids and the dialogue is el naturale. It just flows and seems real. Subtle pauses and stammers are accented in the "teens" dialogue.

The guy played a pretty good run down character barley hanging on. Funny lines and situations. Movies shows how to be part of a group🐒. 1 plastic hummer swaying on a string in the wind. Western.

Enjoyed the movie it was entertaining, and thoughtful

The plot of this movie is nothing new. The redemtion of a loser coach and his troubled life he has. In does however play to a comedic tone for the entire movie, sort of making fun of a genre that takes itself so seriously. It is unique in having so many different plot/teen/strife/issues; It feels like they throw the entire arsenal at you. You think to yourself, do they even have time to Fix all of these conflicts; But, Like any great commerical they don't show you everything. They do however enough to get the point across. The comedy was light and fresh, swearing added to the mocking tone of sports struggle movies. The redemtion is on both sides of the isle as the coach and his team learns something. If your in a basketball mode or just an avid sports fan, i'd recommend -

Terry (Rob Corddry) is the high school principal and he invites his old classmate Bill Greaves (Sam Rockwell) back to coach girls' basketball. He's a drunk busboy. He tries to reconnect to his daughter from his failed marriage. He's still struggling with his past basketball dreams. The girls' team isn't any good and has only 6 girls with 1 on crutches. The school bus driver Donna (Margo Martindale) helps out. It's an odd mix of Rockwell playing a slacker indie and the girls doing a fun underdog sports movie. It doesn't always mix well but there are enough good parts. The characters are likable. There is some fun with the girl drama clashing with Rockwell. Rooney Mara and Emma Roberts play two of the girls. Emma is the more compelling actress. It's reminiscent of 'Bad News Bears' with a drunken Walter Matthau.