The plot behind The Winning Season goes all the way back to The Bad News Bears: one-time star athlete, now a loser doing menial jobs is brought in to coach a team of misfits and manages to turn their luck around. Though thanks to stellar casting and solid acting from the leads, The Winning Season manages to overcome all the baggage it’s been saddled with and the result is a pretty decent family movie.
Sam Rockwell plays Bill, the former basketball star and coach now working as a busboy, who is brought in to coach a girls’ basketball team (with the expected “girls can’t play basketball” jokes) lead by Emma Roberts. Rob Corddry does as much as possible with his glorified cameo playing the principal who brings Bill in to coach the team.
There is little that is original about the plot, but Rockwell, Roberts and Corddry still manage to make it work, even with the predictable ending, proving yet again that Rockwell makes anything better.
The Winning Season/ 1 DVD/104 Mins./Lionsgate