We'll have to be honest, having Netflix and Happy Madison Productions work on a film doesn't really inspire any confidence to its quality. Surprisingly though, "Home Team" was competent enough to be entertaining. It had the right elements to be inspiring and moving but muddled and held back by its tendency to force its comedy throughout the film's runtime.
Two years after he and the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl, NFL head coach Sean Payton (Kevin James) is suspended as it is revealed that his team paid bounties to injure players. Barred from his team and from contact with any NFL personnel, he decides to goes back to his hometown in Texas to reconnect with his son Connor (Tait Blum) and in the process decides that he will coach his son's team from deadlast to champions in a single season.
Let's get straight to the point, if you know family-inspired sports films, then you'll probably know what will happen in "Home Team". This is as formulaic as it gets when it comes to narrative and character development. You'll know where this film will go by the time the credits roll but there's no denying that even with its predictability, we still found ourselves inspired and entertained. Kevin James was the biggest surprise for us as he brought in a more serious and nuanced performance than what we're used to seeing from his roles. He could have easily went all-in with his more comedic facade but luckily, he was more dramatic this time around and the humor just felt in-tune and natural to his character. What we didn't love though was how blatant and forced the comedy was in other aspects of the film. Two characters in particular should have been scrapped (Rob Schneider and Gary Valentine) from the film completely. Not only were these characters weird but they barely provided any value to the film except for the occasional quip or one-liner. "Home Team" could have been so much more competent if it actually focused more on its dramatic aspects but it stuck to towing the line from being serious and funny so much that it severely impacted how the story and characters developed. If you're up to a quick inspiring no-brainer film, "Home Team" should easily fit the bill.
Rating: 2 and a half reels
Why you should watch it:
- had an inspiring story at its core
Why you shouldn't watch it:
- the comedy can be topsy turvy and was being forced a lot of times
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