Fantasy Football (film)

Fantasy Football is a 2022 American fantasy sports 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.

Fantasy Football
Streaming release poster
Directed by	Anton Cropper
Written by	Zoe Marshall Dan Gurewitch David Young
Produced by	Spencer Beighley Timothy M. Bourne Jamal Henderson LeBron James Joshua Martin Marsai Martin
Starring	Marsai Martin Omari Hardwick Kelly Rowland
Cinematography	Anthony Hardwick
Edited by	Sarah Lucky
Music by	Kovas
Production companies	Nickelodeon Movies SpringHill Company NFL Films Awesomeness Films Genius Productions
Distributed by	Paramount+
Release date	November 25, 2022 (2022-11-25) (United States)
Running time	98 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

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

Plot

15-year-old Callie Coleman is the daughter of Bobby Coleman, a once-promising NFL running back whose career has been plagued by repeated fumbles and team changes. The film opens with a quick montage of Bobby’s downward trajectory, starting with a disastrous debut game and tracing the family’s constant relocations as his career struggles continued. Callie, now in Atlanta and used to being the "new kid," is a bright and tech-savvy teen who’s more focused on coding and gaming than football. Still, she’s supportive of her dad’s latest—and likely last—shot with the Atlanta Falcons.

Everything changes when Callie discovers something extraordinary: a glitch in the video game Madden NFL 23 seems to grant her real-world control over her dad’s moves on the field. After testing the theory during a game and seeing Bobby suddenly perform like a superstar, Callie and her friends realize that the video game has somehow synced with real-life NFL performances. What begins as a fun secret experiment quickly turns into a magical way for Callie to restore her dad’s legacy and help him become the player he was always meant to be.

As Bobby’s game drastically improves, he becomes a media sensation, and the Falcons begin winning games. Callie, hiding behind the scenes, juggles the responsibilities of high school, friendships, and controlling her dad’s every move on the field—literally. However, things get complicated when the strain of keeping the secret starts affecting their relationship. Bobby begins to believe his success is truly his own doing, while Callie starts to question the morality of controlling someone else's life, even for a good cause.

The tension builds toward a major playoff game, where Callie must choose between continuing to manipulate the game or letting her dad play on his own merits. In the emotional climax, Callie reveals the truth, prompting a heartfelt reconciliation between father and daughter. Bobby learns to believe in himself again, and Callie gains a newfound respect for the real-world complexities of success, failure, and family. In the end, the Colemans emerge stronger than ever, with Callie stepping into her own spotlight—not as her dad’s controller, but as a tech wizard with a future of her own.

^[2]

Cast

• 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

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

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

Marketing

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

Reception

On review aggregator site Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 40% approval rating based on reviews from 5 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]