National Champions

The incendiary playbook falls short of the goal line in National Champions due to a combination of unfortunate timing and fumbled execution.

More heavy-handed than provocative, this topical drama shines a worthwhile spotlight on the efforts of collegiate athletes to change the antiquated definition of amateurism in order to earn a rightful share of the massive profits from the system that marginalizes them.

While it remains a vital issue, the true-life passage of name, image and likeness (NIL) legislation by the NCAA earlier in 2021 doesn’t factor into the film’s narrative framework.

At any rate, melodramatic contrivances and logical exaggerations undermine the message in an earnest effort from director Ric Roman Waugh (Greenland) that seems more interested in stirring the pot than galvanizing actual change.

LeMarcus (Stephan James) is the star quarterback for the undefeated Missouri Wolves, who are in New Orleans for the national championship game. However, he and his tight end (Alexander Ludwig) have other priorities in mind — trying to organize a boycott among players in a bid to unionize across all sports.

As his high-profile coach (J.K. Simmons) scrambles to find him in the team hotel, LeMarcus stays a step ahead, emphatically quoting scripture to elicit buy-in. The grassroots plan to blow up the system also relies on a sensationalistic media machine that’s as complicit as anyone.

Meanwhile, furious executives and game organizers try to fight back with a smear campaign against LeMarcus in the hours leading up to kickoff. He must risk everything to avoid compromise.

Shrewdly, the film realizes that any action between the white lines is just a small piece of the overall puzzle. The real action takes place off the field in a landscape that’s more about hype and talk than touchdowns and interceptions.

The well-researched screenplay by Adam Mervis (21 Bridges) knows the ins and outs of high-stakes college football as it tackles broadly controversial themes such as player empowerment, socioeconomic inequities, racial perceptions, and the maze of boosters, sponsors, and rabid fanbases.

It also nimbly navigates trademarks and benefits from strong performances to enhance its credibility. The film is most persuasive in its more intimate moments that toss aside dumb-jock stereotypes.

Exposing corruption and greed in college athletics is hardly edgy or revelatory, to the extent that National Champions almost feels like it’s piling on — as deserving as that may seem.

Rated R, 116 minutes.