Fantasy Football (film)

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Fantasy Football
Streaming release poster
Directed byAnton Cropper
Written by
Produced by
Starring
CinematographyAnthony Hardwick
Edited bySarah Lucky
Music byKovas
Production
companies
Distributed byParamount+
Release date
  • November 25, 2022 (2022-11-25) (United States)
Running time
98 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Fantasy Football is a 2022 sports family comedy film directed by Anton Cropper and written by Zoe Marshall, Dan Gurewitch and David Young from a story by Richard T. Jones, Jeremy Loethen, and Tim Ogletree. Produced by SpringHill Company, NFL Films, and Nickelodeon Movies, the film stars Marsai Martin, Omari Hardwick, and Kelly Rowland. It released on November 25, 2022 on Paramount+ and received mixed to negative reviews from critics, who found it to be generic and a shameless plug for EA Sports' Madden NFL games.

In June 2023, the film was silently removed from Paramount+.[1]

Plot[edit]

Callie, the daughter of fictional Atlanta Falcons player Bobby Coleman, is barred from playing football herself. She discovers that she is able to control her father's playing abilities through a magical copy of Madden NFL 23. Realizing these newly unlocked powers, Callie begins playing the game extensively to improve her father's reputation while juggling a commitment to the robotics team as well as facing pressure from the NFL playoffs.[2]

Cast[edit]

  • Marsai Martin as Callie, a technologically gifted high schooler, who excels at video games and robotics. Estella Kahiha and Rudie Bolton portray younger versions of Callie[3]
  • Omari Hardwick as Bobby Coleman, a professional football player who plays for the Atlanta Falcons and Callie’s father.[3]
  • Kelly Rowland as Keisha, Callie's mom[3]
  • Rome Flynn as Anderson Fisher, Bobby’s rival[3]
  • Hanani Taylor as Kayla[3]
  • Elijah Richardson as Nate[3]
  • Abigail Killmeier as Margot[3]
  • Tyla Harris as Zoey[3]
  • Isac Ivan as Oliver[3]

Production[edit]

The film was formally unveiled on September 27, 2022.[4] Various facts about the film were quickly unveiled alongside the announcement, including the film's cast, an official poster, and a crew listing. The film was backed by EA Sports, publisher of the Madden NFL 23 game featured in the film, which led to some publications deeming the film an advertisement for the video game.[5] In an interview, stars Rome Flynn and Omari Hardwick said that one of their favorite aspects of the film was the on-set chemistry the two of them had.[6] In an interview with BET, Marsai Martin stated that she wanted her character's interest in robotics to make her a very strong intelligent character, saying that "Black girls in STEM are such a beautiful thing and it's a powerful thing. It just really tells a lot about how your mind works. I love shining a light on the amazing things that Black girls can do and are able to do."[7]

Release[edit]

In addition to its announcement, the film was given a release date of November 25, 2022.[8]

Marketing[edit]

A trailer for the film was released on October 26, 2022.[9][10]

Reception[edit]

On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 33% approval rating based on reviews from 6 critics.[11] Brandon Yu of The New York Times called the film "controlled chaos", stating that it is "mostly perfunctory. [...] a long ad for Madden [...] and lacks a true charisma that would make it a children’s classic worth revisiting."[12] Marco Castaneda of Hollywood Insider on the other hand, spoke more positively about the film, praising it for showing the "importance of family", and saying that it has "a wonderful cast and production team that involves LeBron James and his collaborator, agent, and long-time friend Maverick Carter. The film will have audiences entertained and their hearts will be touched."[13]

References[edit]

  1. ^ White, Peter (2023-06-27). "Paramount+ Purge Continues With 'Inside Amy Schumer', 'Fantasy Football' & Nickelodeon Content Scrapped". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-06-27.
  2. ^ "Fantasy Football movie starring Omari Hardwick, Kelly Rowland hits Paramount+ Nov. 25". CBSSports.com. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Fantasy Football (2022) - IMDb, retrieved 2023-03-20
  4. ^ "Breaking News - "Fantasy Football," Starring Marsai Martin, Omari Hardwick, Kelly Rowland and Rome Flynn, to Premiere Nov. 25, Exclusively on Paramount+ | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  5. ^ Good, Owen S. (2022-10-27). "Sports movie Fantasy Football is a big ad for Madden, but its heart's in the right place". Polygon. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  6. ^ Kelly Rowland, Omari Hardwick & Cast Talk Paramount+ New Movie 'Fantasy Football', retrieved 2023-05-12
  7. ^ "Interview: Marsai Martin And The Cast Of 'Fantasy Football' Reminisce About On-Set Family Affair". BET. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  8. ^ "Breaking News - "Fantasy Football," Starring Marsai Martin, Omari Hardwick, Kelly Rowland and Rome Flynn, to Premiere Nov. 25, Exclusively on Paramount+ | TheFutonCritic.com". www.thefutoncritic.com. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  9. ^ "'Fantasy Football': Marsai Martin Can Control the NFL in New Comedy -- Watch the Trailer! (Exclusive) | Entertainment Tonight". www.etonline.com. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  10. ^ Fantasy Football | Official Trailer | Paramount+, retrieved 2023-05-12
  11. ^ "Fantasy Football - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 2023-03-20.
  12. ^ Yu, Brandon (2022-11-23). "'Fantasy Football' Review: Controlled Chaos". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  13. ^ "'Fantasy Football' - A Fantasy/Sports Comedy for the Whole Family - Hollywood Insider". 2022-11-27. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
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