Home Team
Home Team
Home Team is an alright film that could be quite funny throughout. While the plot was quite predictable and the football itself was a bit lacking, the humour from Kevin James and the rest of the cast made this a fun time.
Sebastian : 7.6/10
Non-Spoiler:
This was a fun movie. Now story-wise this film is pretty typical underdog sports team rallies behind the new coach story. This is based on a true story but a lot of based on true story films will still mold the story to fit a typical structure or sometimes template so as to make the film more dramatic.
What really makes this movie for me is a few things. One, I really like underdog sports stories particularly about football as it is my favourite sport so I love seeing the underdog squad improve until they make the championship game. I like the colourful characters we get and the process of the team becoming a true team. Another thing I like about this movie is unlike some true stories I actually knew about this one, well at least some of it since I knew the story of “bounty gate” and the Sean Payton suspension. So it was kind of cool since I remember seeing reports on tv and reading it in Sports Illustrated. Even with all of that said I think the best thing in this movie is Kevin James. Now I think Kevin James is funny most of the time but I actually found it interesting here as his humour was more subtle than some of the other roles. I’ve seen him play but he and the rest of the cast did make me laugh quite a few times. What can I say though, I am a sucker for this type of sports story and I think this was a well-executed family-friendly version of one of these stories. This movie is mind-blowing or amazing but it is funny and it is fun.
All in all, this is a funny movie with all the sports movie moments that make sports movies great. I think that this would be a fun movie to watch as a family so head to Netflix and check it out.
Spoiler:
The only spoiler thing I have to say is more of a question. There is a scene in this movie where the players eat the energy burritos and then proceed to throw up on the field. Now I am just curious if that actually happened or if that was added for extra comedic purposes. Either way, it was certainly unexpected.
Nathanyal : 7.5/10
Non-Spoiler:
Home Team was a pretty generic movie to me. I’ve never been a huge fan about American football, so the subject of the movie itself wasn’t my cup of tea. As a comedy, the movie did have a few moments that made me chuckle, but it wasn’t a gut busting experience. There was one scene that threw me off, which I will mention more in the spoiler section.
Honestly speaking, I didn’t find anything special about the movie. Most of the characters were alright and the comedy was slightly lacking. Those familiar with Sean Payton may find more connection with this movie that I did not. As a standalone movie without the background info, it can still be enjoyed.
Spoiler:
As the movie was quite lackluster, there was one scene that really threw me off. In the game before the championship match, there was almost no reason to show everyone puking during that game. Even if this movie is based on a true story, I think we could’ve gone without seeing all that. It wasn’t necessarily disgusting, but it did feel unnecessary.
Overall, Home Team was quite a generic movie. The story, characters, and comedy were quite alright, and there was nothing special about it. If you’re looking for a sports movie to watch, this one is an alright choice.
Austin : 7.3/10
Non-Spoiler:
Home Team follows Sean Payton, played by Kevin James, through his year off from football due to suspension. He returns to coach his son Connor, who he has barely known. The plot of this movie is pretty simple, but if you are a football fan it is interesting to get a semi-accurate look into what happened when Coach Payton was out of the NFL.
The characters, our coaches and the kids, are hilarious. This is a really funny family sports movie with a ton of interesting characters. As expected, this doesn’t have much of a plot and our characters are fairly one-dimensional outside of Sean and Connor. With this in mind, I thoroughly enjoyed our characters. They all bring a slightly different humour to the movie, and it keeps the movie entertaining. Payton and Connor were both developed decently enough, although it was super predictable.
I didn’t find the football side of things to be all that interesting, which was disappointing for a big NFL fan. I found the film focused more on our characters instead of the football storyline, which is where some of the intrigue could have come from. There isn’t a ton of twists and turns, and there is very little focus put on the actual games. Would have loved to make this movie a little bit longer to add that detail and create a true sports movie atmosphere.
If you enjoy Kevin James, or anything made by Adam Sandler, this is going to be enjoyable. I wouldn’t watch this if you are a Saints fan coming for a funny retelling of his year off, nor if you have an itch for football. It’s a decent family movie, but fails to hit on its main selling points.
Spoiler:
Although my co-writers may not have enjoyed it, I thought the puking scene was hilarious. It fit the vibe that the movie had set, and it was situationally hilarious. It was a little bit gross, but that nastiness fit our characters quite well. There wasn’t a ton else that went down that a casual viewer couldn’t predict. I really expected them to lose, although it would have been really cool to see them win. It’s a feel good ending to a simple movie, but the lack of football makes this a lot harder to watch.
