A sports film can be described as a movie genre that makes use of sports as the central story point of the movie. It’s a fictional production where a sport, player, event, fan of a given sport, or even country are heavily involved, and that rely on sport to some extent for their main plot inspiration or resolution. The sub-parable or the non-traditional sports film genres that make up Hollywood today rely on other elements such as the director, the cinematographer, or the star of the movie. However, this reliance on these outside elements is also what makes them so intriguing and rewarding for movie goers. Let’s look at how these sports movies work.
In NEED OF WINTER 2021, Michael Brown ( Creedence Clearwater Revival) plays a former athlete who turns professional after his release from prison. He thrives in the NFL, but when his agent tells him he can sign with the World League of Poker’s biggest tournament, he instead signs with Antonio Banderas’ World Series of Poker tourney. Now, Banderas is determined to win the money and challenge for the title himself. In the process, he gets involved in a lot of scandals involving the tournament’s financial sponsors, illegal betting and other unethical acts that threaten to damage the reputation of WPT. Meanwhile, Michael also gets caught up in the midst of an ethics case brought against him by Chris Brown (FX’s “Love Actually”), forcing him into an all-out battle to win back the love of his life.
With the help of a charismatic trainer, Michael quickly becomes a star and decides to run for political office in order to give America a representative of the people. But Michael’s personal life is also getting complicated because he’s forced to take on the persona of a multimillionaire when he accepts the governorship of a city with a burgeoning tourism industry. But with Michael’s new career comes a new determination to win the respect of the public, as well as make the city a better place. His campaign begins to take shape when he realizes that the only way to defeat opioid addiction and achieve his goals is by convincing congress to create a commission that will address the issue head on, as well as develop an extensive training and educational program to deal with issues such as substance abuse.
With the help of his campaign manager, Jennifer Lopez, Michael takes the helm of this commission, believing that if she is elected, it will be a defining moment in the fight against opioid addiction and other social issues. But Michael quickly discovers that winning over congress won’t be easy, as no single politician is able to commandeer the support of both Democrats and Republicans. With the help of Assemblywoman delegate Karyn Politi, the movie takes on a new and unexpected turn as they team up to secure enough votes to win the commission. However, when Michael learns that Lopez plans to run for governor in next year’s election, he makes a decision to switch his support from her to Assemblyman Lopez.
The movie’s storyline follows Michael’s struggle to give up his chosen career and accept his new role as an active member of the team, but what doesn’t seem right happens at the start of the show, when he accidentally steps on a chemical during an exhibition game and suffers an unfortunate injury. When he recovers he teams up with Chris Rock’s character, Chris Washington, who happens to be the former NBA star, and together they form the Red Hot Heat. During the team’s first few games, Michael and Chris enjoy some good-natured ribbing, until an unexpected turn of events sees the two split apart. A new character, Elijah Wood, arrives on the scene, claiming to be a drug dealer, and demanding that the team release their players from their contract. A struggle occurs, and Michael must choose whether or not to help him with his dilemma.
Although it’s unlikely that gamers will ever be as popular as sports stars, the popularity of this film shows that there is still a huge following for these types of games, even outside of the major professional leagues. They are fun, engaging, physically demanding and can teach valuable life lessons about overcoming obstacles and maintaining focus and discipline. Even if you don’t like to play video games, you should definitely try this movie, as it will make you think.