The Champion ★★★

THE Italian comedy/drama Il Campione (The Champion) is an entertaining, lighter look at the world of professional sport.

It tells the story of Christian Ferro, a talented, high-profile footballer playing for Roma who is in danger of going off the rails and taking the club’s on-field fortunes with him.

He has a Ferrari, a sprawling mansion, a pet pig, a girlfriend obsessed with collecting social-media followers and an ever-increasing collection of hangers-on.

His entourage includes mates who spend all day in his home playing video games, watching football and partying and a newly-resurfaced father who is in dubious charge of Christian’s charity.

While Christian’s talent and value to the team are undeniable, the coach and the club’s owner are tired of his antics.

Christian reacts like a spoilt brat when he is dumped for one match and told he must achieve his upper high school certificate by the end of the season with weekly progress tests impacting his availability for selection.

Enter Valerio Fioretti, a freelance teacher who knows absolutely nothing about the young protege and consequently is seen by the owner as the ideal personal tutor, trying to draw Christian’s focus away from his posse and other distractions and instill some much-needed discipline.

While the film looks good, moves along at a nice pace and has plenty of entertaining moments it isn’t quite as humorous or dramatic as other efforts set in a competitive sports background.

Andrea Carpenzano as Christian and Stefano Accorsi as Valerio work well together and the development of their relationship is well-written and believable.

The Roma Football Club provided debut director Leonardo D’Agostini, who also co-wrote the film, with full access to its training and playing facilities and the limited game sequences are quite authentic without being spectacular.

But the best scenes are those between the two central characters, Valerio learning how best to ensure Christian can understand and retain information and their gradual sharing of experiences and concerns.

In the end you have enjoyed spending time with the pair even though you realise there hasn’t been much else of great substance to the film overall.