National Champions

Play trailer

3:00

National Champions

R

2021

1h 56m

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

65%

Tomatometer

57 Reviews

79%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings

Three days before the college football national championship game, star quarterback LeMarcus James (Stephan James) and teammate Emmett Sunday (Alexander Ludwig) ignite a player's strike declaring they won't compete until all student-athletes are fairly compensated. With billions of dollars at risk and legacies on the line, the stakes could not be higher. Now, with only hours until kickoff, the head coach (J.K. Simmons) and various power brokers (Lil Rel Howery, Tim Blake Nelson, Andrew Bachelor, Jeffrey Donovan, David Koechner, Kristin Chenoweth, Timothy Olyphant, Uzo Aduba) must race against the clock to protect or destroy the prevailing collegiate athletics system.

Critics Consensus

National Champions is well-acted and timely, even if it undercuts its own effectiveness with cheesy dialogue and gimmicky plot twists.

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Tim Cogshell

FilmWeek (LAist)

12/24/2021

It's very intense, very present day, and I liked it a lot.

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Adam Mullins-Khatib

Chicago Reader

12/18/2021

While not a perfect film, National Champions does express the discourse around an important issue in a compelling way.

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Brian Lowry

CNN.com

12/11/2021

The message is still worth contemplating, but lacking a better vehicle to convey it, feels more deserving of analysis on sports pages than the entertainment space.

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M.N. Miller

Ready Steady Cut

10/21/2022

3/5

National Champions is far from a perfect movie, but it’s one hell of an entertaining one.

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Cory Woodroof

615 Film

06/15/2022

Even when maybe it’s one twist too far, it’s still a deeply compelling expose on the hypocrisy of the NCAA and the danger of the “warrior” mentality that makes college athletes second-class citizens in their own sports.

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Julian Roman

MovieWeb

01/04/2022

3/5

National Champions treads preachy, but makes an overall compelling argument against a skewed college athletics system.

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Jim

12/24/2021

A little slow at times but a great storyline. Great exposure to the big business of college football

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daniel m

12/21/2021

Intriguing movie but the final scene just ends.

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Marie78

12/18/2021

National Championship is a very enlightening movie especially with players now being allowed to benefit from endorsements. It is eye opening to the amount of money made in college football and the strain put on their bodies. But, the movie was a tad bit too long and really could’ve been a Netflix film.

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James U

12/17/2021

Great job reviewing issues facing college football. Very interesting.

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Keith M

12/16/2021

Content was very relevant and acting was outstanding.

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William T

12/16/2021

Brilliant, complex and real! An intelligent, thought-provoking film that wss also very engaging and entertaining.

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Ric Roman Waugh

Director

Stephan James

LeMarcus James

J.K. Simmons

Coach James Lazor

Alexander Ludwig

Emmett Sunday

Lil Rel Howery

Coach Ronnie Dunn

Tim Blake Nelson

Rodger Cummings

National Champions: Movie Clip - You're the Guest of Honor

0:40

National Champions: Movie Clip - This is a Shakedown

0:47

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National Champions: Trailer 1

3:00

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Synopsis

Three days before the college football national championship game, star quarterback LeMarcus James (Stephan James) and teammate Emmett Sunday (Alexander Ludwig) ignite a player's strike declaring they won't compete until all student-athletes are fairly compensated. With billions of dollars at risk and legacies on the line, the stakes could not be higher. Now, with only hours until kickoff, the head coach (J.K. Simmons) and various power brokers (Lil Rel Howery, Tim Blake Nelson, Andrew Bachelor, Jeffrey Donovan, David Koechner, Kristin Chenoweth, Timothy Olyphant, Uzo Aduba) must race against the clock to protect or destroy the prevailing collegiate athletics system.

Director: Ric Roman Waugh
Producer: Basil Iwanyk, Brendon Boyea, Greg Economou
Screenwriter: Adam Mervis
Distributor: STX Films
Production Co: Game1, Thunder Road Pictures, Capstone Group, BondIt Media Capital, New Legend Entertainment
Rating: R (Language Throughout|Sexual References)
Genre: Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Dec 10, 2021, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Dec 28, 2021
Box Office (Gross USA): $455.5K
Runtime: 1h 56m