''The Winning Season'' is a 2009 American

sports Sport pertains to any form of competitive physical activity or game that aims to use, maintain, or improve physical ability and skills while providing enjoyment to participants and, in some cases, entertainment to spectators. Sports can, th ...

comedy film A comedy film is a category of film which emphasizes humor. These films are designed to make the audience laugh through amusement. Films in this style traditionally have a happy ending (black comedy being an exception). Comedy is one of the ol ...

written and directed by

James C. Strouse James C. Strouse is an American screenwriter and film director. He wrote and made his directorial debut with ''Grace Is Gone (film), Grace Is Gone'' (2007), starring John Cusack. Career He wrote the film ''Lonesome Jim'' (2005), directed by ...

and starring

Sam Rockwell Sam Rockwell (born November 5, 1968) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in independent films and also as a character actor portraying a wide variety of roles both comedic and dramatic in films such as '' Lawn Dogs'' (199 ...

. Premiering at the

2009 Sundance Film Festival The 2009 Sundance Film Festival was held during January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival. Award winners *Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - ''We Live in Public'' *Grand Jury Prize: ...

, the film had a limited theatrical release on September 3, 2010,Honeycutt, Kirk (September 1, 2010)
"Hoops Drama "Winning Season" Completely Predictable"
''

ABC News ABC News is the news division of the American broadcast network ABC. Its flagship program is the daily evening newscast ''ABC World News Tonight, ABC World News Tonight with David Muir''; other programs include Breakfast television, morning ...

''. Retrieved September 3, 2010. distributed by

Lionsgate Lions Gate Entertainment Corporation, doing business as Lionsgate, is a Canadian-American entertainment company. It was formed by Frank Giustra on July 10, 1997, domiciled in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada and is currently headquartered ...

in the United Kingdom and the United States after they brought the rights to the film at Sundance. Plum Pictures and Gigi Films produced the film.Zeitchik, Steven; & Fernandez, Jay A. (January 20, 2009)
"'Winning Season' for Lionsgate"
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

''. Retrieved January 21, 2009.

Plot

Bill Greaves, a divorced deadbeat dad, is estranged from his teenage daughter Molly. His friend Terry is a high school principal who gives him a job as the coach for the girls' varsity basketball team. Bill begins to regret his decision when he meets the girls on the team: Abbie Miller, Tamra Schemerhorn, Mindy, Wendy Webber, Lisa Robinson, and Kathy Reyes. They improve under Bill's coaching and advise him on his relationship with his daughter, but their winning season does not protect the girls from their real world difficulties.Chang, Justin (January 21, 2009)
"The Winning Season"
''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

''. Retrieved January 21, 2009.

Cast

as Bill Greaves *

Shareeka Epps Shareeka Epps (born July 11, 1989) is an American actress. She is best known for starring in the 2006 film '' Half Nelson'', alongside Ryan Gosling. She won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Female Lead for her performance in the film. Life ...

as Lisa Robinson *

Emily Rios Emily Clara Rios (born April 27, 1989) is an American actress and model. She is best known for her role as Andrea Cantillo on the AMC series ''Breaking Bad''. In 2013 she began portraying newspaper reporter Adriana Mendez on the FX series ''The ...

as Kathy Reyes *

Rooney Mara Patricia Rooney Mara ( ; born April 17, 1985) is an American actress. She has received various accolades, including a Cannes Film Festival Award for Best Actress, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards, a British Academy Film Award, ...

as Wendy Webber *

Emma Roberts Emma Rose Roberts (born February 10, 1991 Additional on October 9, 2016) is an American actress. Known for her work in film and television projects of the horror film, horror and thriller (genre), thriller genres, she has received List of awar ...

as Abbie Miller * Meaghan Witri as Tamra Schemerhorn * Melanie Hinkle as Mindy *

Margo Martindale Margo Martindale (born July 18, 1951) is an American character actress who has appeared on television, film, and stage. In 2011, she won a Primetime Emmy Award and a Critics' Choice Television Award for her recurring role as Mags Bennett on '' ...

as Donna *

Rob Corddry Robert William Corddry (born February 4, 1971) is an American actor and comedian. He is known for his work as a correspondent on ''The Daily Show with Jon Stewart'' (2002–2006) and for his starring role in the film ''Hot Tub Time Machine''. He ...

as Terry *

Jessica Hecht Jessica Hecht is an American actress and singer who played Gretchen Schwartz on '' Breaking Bad'', Susan Bunch on ''Friends'', and Carol on '' The Boys''. She has also made numerous Broadway appearances. Early life and education Hecht was born ...

as Stacey * Shana Dowdeswell as Molly Greaves * Caitlin Colford as Trish *

Connor Paolo Connor Paolo (born July 11, 1990) is an American actor. He is known for his roles as Eric van der Woodsen on The CW's teen drama series ''Gossip Girl'' and Declan Porter on the ABC drama series ''Revenge''. He has also appeared in two Oliver S ...

as Damon

Devin Ratray Devin D. Ratray (born January 11, 1977) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Buzz McCallister in the ''Home Alone'' franchise, as well as the films ''Nebraska'', ''Blue Ruin'' and '' Kimi''. His television work includes '' The Tick' ...

portrays a

security officer A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) from a variety ...

named "Buzz", in reference to his role as "Buzz McCallister" in ''

Home Alone ''Home Alone'' is a 1990 American Christmas comedy film directed by Chris Columbus and written and produced by John Hughes. The first film in the ''Home Alone'' franchise, the film stars Macaulay Culkin, Joe Pesci, Daniel Stern, John Hear ...

'' (1995) and '' Home Alone 2: Lost in New York'' (1997). Ratray would subsequently reprise his role as Buzz McCallister in ''

Home Sweet Home Alone ''Home Sweet Home Alone'' is a 2021 American Christmas comedy film directed by Dan Mazer, written by Mikey Day and Streeter Seidell, and starring Ellie Kemper, Rob Delaney, Archie Yates, Aisling Bea, Kenan Thompson, Pete Holmes, Ally Maki, and ...

'' (2021), in which Buzz is revealed to have become a

police officer A police officer (also called a policeman and, less commonly, a policewoman) is a warranted law employee of a police force. In most countries, "police officer" is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. In some, the use of the ...

(and to have also formerly been employed as a

security guard A security guard (also known as a security inspector, security officer, or protective agent) is a person employed by a government or private party to protect the employing party's assets (property, people, equipment, money, etc.) from a variety ...

) since the events of the first two ''Home Alone'' films.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Winning Season 2009 films American sports comedy films American basketball films 2000s sports comedy films Films scored by Edward Shearmur Films directed by James C. Strouse Films set in Indiana 2009 comedy films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films