The Champion: the protagonist of Leonardo D’Agostini’s drama may not be directly based on any particular real person, but it’s certainly inspired by a great number of similar cases. The film smartly makes the man-child surrounded by enablers and freeloaders likable; it may all be too pat and calculated, but it still works well to tell the story. Likewise, the same can be said about his tutor and friend, who has his own issues to deal with. In any case, the tutor-pupil relationship is an interesting field to be explored, and it’s done well here. Stefano Accorsi is quite good as the professor with his worried, sad eyes; Andrea Carpenzano certainly has the physique du rôle for the role, but his acting is too inert. The film looks good, but it’s not particularly special in its below-the-line aspects.