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National Champions

Play trailer 3:00 Poster for National Champions R,  2021,  1h 56m,  Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
National Champions: Trailer 1 National Champions: Trailer 1 Now Playing National Champions: Movie Clip - You're the Guest of Honor National Champions: Movie Clip - You're the Guest of Honor Now Playing National Champions: Movie Clip - This is a Shakedown National Champions: Movie Clip - This is a Shakedown Now Playing View more videos
Watchlist 65% 57 Reviews Tomatometer 79% Fewer than 50 Verified Ratings 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.
National Champions

What to Know

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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Critics Reviews

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Tim Cogshell FilmWeek (LAist) Dec 24, 2021
It's very intense, very present day, and I liked it a lot. Go to Full Review
Adam Mullins-Khatib Chicago Reader Dec 18, 2021
While not a perfect film, National Champions does express the discourse around an important issue in a compelling way. Go to Full Review
Brian Lowry CNN.com Dec 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. Go to Full Review
M.N. Miller Ready Steady Cut Oct 21, 2022
3/5
National Champions is far from a perfect movie, but it’s one hell of an entertaining one. Go to Full Review
Cory Woodroof 615 Film Jun 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. Go to Full Review
Julian Roman MovieWeb Jan 4, 2022
3/5
National Champions treads preachy, but makes an overall compelling argument against a skewed college athletics system. Go to Full Review
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National Champions

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Cast & Crew

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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

Movie Clips

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National Champions

National Champions: Movie Clip - You're the Guest of Honor National Champions: Movie Clip - You're the Guest of Honor 0:40 Now Playing National Champions: Movie Clip - This is a Shakedown National Champions: Movie Clip - This is a Shakedown 0:47 Now Playing View more videos

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National Champions

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National Champions

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Movie Info

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
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