Champions

When the names of producers Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus are mentioned, it seems that the first thought that comes to mind are the schlocky B-grade action movies that they made. While this is understandable (they *did* make a lot of those movies), what has faded from people's minds is that they produced a number of arty, serious-minded dramas as well. That includes "That Championship Season", which is pretty unknown today despite getting some respectable reviews at the time. It's a movie that deserves to be rediscovered. No, it's no classic, but it has a lot going for it, the most obvious thing being its cast. The cast is first-rate, with all five players giving top-notch performances. The characters they play are interesting as well - they are all flawed (including, but not limited to spouting racial slurs), but interesting in their flaws and how they deal with them when exposed. I was interested in how these characters would end up at the film's end. It isn't a perfect movie - it's obvious which parts of the movie were not in the original play, for one thing, and most of the movie is stuck in the ground floor of a house - but it is *good*, and will make you wonder why Golan and Globus' tries for respectability were rejected by audiences.