Director Ric Roman Waugh scores a touchdown, a few field goals, some point-afters, and then some with NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. Timely, topical. A powerhouse film with one of the strongest first-string ensemble casts you’ll see on screen all year with each bringing their A-game in every scene; Uzo Aduba is award-worthy and in one scene will have you on your feet gasping, crying, and cheering. This is one of Waugh’s best, if not the best film, to date as he tells a human story of conviction and principle with all of the shades of grey and perspectives that life brings.
As timely and topical as ever, written by Adam Mervis and directed by Waugh, NATIONAL CHAMPIONS is a story set three days before the college football national championship game. Star quarterback LeMarcus James and his teammate and BFF Emmett Sunday ignite, and incite, a player’s strike vowing they won’t compete in this championship game until all student-athletes are fairly compensated. With not only their individual futures on the line, as well as those of fellow players, not to mention the billions of dollars at risk associated with donations, alumni support, team and school sponsorships, the college sports program itself, television rights, etc., this is the biggest high stakes poker game ever played. With battle lines drawn, we count down to kick-off as the players stand their ground, leaving their head coach and a myriad of assistant coaches, power brokers, and lawyers scrambling for a pre-game Hail Mary that will either protect or destroy the collegiate athletics system.
As we have seen play out in real life more publicly over the recent years, college athletics is a multi-billion dollar business that leaves student-athletes clawing their way to a winning and hopefully championship season while continuing to fight for fair compensation, i.e., insurance, medical pay, living wage stipends, etc., while individual schools, coaches, and the NCAA program itself rake in the cash. . Granted, a good portion of the billions that are funneled into the NCAA program are used for athletic scholarships, but at what cost to the players. Case in point is former Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley who nabbed a big payday for $110 million with USC.
Adam Mervis delivers an all-encompassing, solidly constructed script that gives each “side” their day in the sun and a chance to explain the respective positions. From the players to the coaches to the local boosters to university reps, attorneys and more. Everyone has a voice. No one is cut-off. And we get to decide for ourselves who is right, who is wrong. There aren’t two sides to this coin. There are about 20. But I think that a key scene of attorney Poe’s breakdown gives us one of the clearest pictures of what’s at stake. Then turn this solidly constructed script over to Waugh and an amazing cast and they fill the words on the page with powerful emotion and conviction.
While many know Waugh best for his action films like “Greenland” or “Angel Has Fallen” with Gerard Butler or “Snitch” with Dwayne Johnson, each film is a character study at its heart, very similar to his earlier films like “Felon” or “Shot Caller”. Waugh is able to tap into what makes individuals tick and give us food for thought every time.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS boasts an impeccable cast led by Stephan James and Alexander Ludwig as LeMarcus and Emmett, quickly followed by JK Simmons, Uzo Aduba, Jeffrey Donovan, David Koechner, Tim Blake Nelson, Timothy Olyphant, Lil Rel Howery, Andrew Bachelor, Kristin Chenoweth, and more. What stands out is that each character has their own perspective on the situation at hand and thanks to Mervis and Waugh, each is given their own moment in the sun to shine and express those perspectives with interesting and compelling monologues.
Speaking of the characters of LeMarcus and Emmett, first I have to look at Alexander Ludwig who perfectly captures the religious, good old Southern boy, loyal best friend perfectly while adding confidence and street smarts as Emmett.
But then we get Stephan James. I first took note of James and what he did for Stephen Hopkins with his portrayal of Jesse Owens in “Race.” James is so focused and controlled in what he brings to a character. Conviction. That’s the word. And here, in the most powerful moments of monologue, the camera holds on him, it doesn’t move and in character as LeMarcus, he never breaks eye contact. A rooftop scene where LeMarcus calls for a boycott is mesmerizing and empowering. He has us in the palm of his hand.
Always a joy to see whether in a Ric Waugh film or something else is Jeffrey Donovan. As power broker Mark Titus, Donovan gives him a cool, calm, and collected air but with a touch of cocky self-assured snark in some key moments. As Elliott Schmidt, a professor at the university where LeMarcus and Emmett go, Timothy Olyphant blows your mind not only with a big character twist, but with his performance. Olyphant is rock solid and unyielding, never giving away any ticks or hints to tip us off to his position in this power play.
But then we get David Koechner as Richard Everly, a man with somewhat of a used car salesman oil slick running through his personality. And Tim Blake Nelson knocks it out of the park as the local “drunken”, party-hearty, university alumni booster Roger Cummings who will stop at nothing to try and coerce LeMarcus and Emmett to give up their boycott and play the game because without them, the Wolves probably won’t win. (Nothing worse than a die-hard alum trying to cheer for a losing team.)
Not much one can say about JK Simmons as Coach James Lazor but that he just “brings it” throughout the whole film.
Leaving the best for last, just one look at Uzo Aduba as league attorney Katherine Poe and you will be gobsmacked with jaw-dropping. Had this film been made available to me for screening before my critics association nominations were due, Aduba would have been my first pick for Best Supporting Actress right next to Rita Moreno. There is a key hotel confrontation between Poe, LeMarcus and Emmett that had on my feet, clenching my fists, clutching my throat and crying. With the most powerful moment and monologue of the entire film, Aduba blew everyone out of the water and Waugh very keenly just kept the camera on her. Still. Silent. Unfettered.
Together with cinematographer Khalid Mohtaseb, Waugh keeps the visuals simple, clean. He lets the camera hold; he doesn’t rush scenes. Those moments of quiet are as important and telling as moments of argument and rage. Staying with the intimacy of two-shots and close-ups while avoiding ECUs, we are in the moment with the players and the power brokers. We are as focused as the characters. Wide-shots are used judicially and with purpose. Already familiar with Mohtaseb’s work thanks to “Uncle Frank” which had a much lighter visual tone than NATIONAL CHAMPIONS, here the visual tonal bandwidth is darker, emphasizing the darkness of the issues and machinations at hand. Currently shooting with Waugh on “Kandahar”, I can’t wait to see what this collaboration brings us next.
Editor Gabriel Fleming does a superb job finding the perfect pacing for this film. Like a good quarterback or coach, he knows when to buy some time and linger and when to move on. There is some really nice observational coverage cuts during the big pow-wow sessions of the greedy execs, especially of Donovan and Aduba, both of whom have the best damn poker faces.
Scoring the winning point after is Jonathan Sanford’s score. It never overpowers; never leads. But what makes the biggest impression is an almost omnipresent constant subtle drumbeat that reminds us – this is war. Hand in hand with Sanford’s score is some terrific sound mixing that not only delivers chilling heart-dropping moments of silence, but also the energy and “noise” of an enthusiastic game day stadium blended with hyped-up sportscasting by Steve Levy who plays himself. For anyone who has ever been to a college championship game, you will hear and feel the exhilaration of it with NATIONAL CHAMPIONS.
NATIONAL CHAMPIONS is raw, compelling, thought-provoking. It’s human. We see the good, the bad, and the ugly and, as Ric Roman Waugh does so well, all the shades of grey in people, in issues, in life.
Directed by Ric Roman Waugh
Written by Adam Mervis
Cast: Alexander Ludwig, Stephan James, JK Simmons, Uzo Aduba, Jeffrey Donovan, David Koechner, Tim Blake Nelson, Timothy Olyphant, Lil Rel Howery, Andrew Bachelor, Kristin Chenoweth
by debbie elias, 12/3/2021
