Producers' Pick | Kevin James' New Netflix Film "Home Team"

The talk show that's getting you talking. You're with Brian Kilmeade.

Welcome back everybody. One of the people I've gotten to know a little bit, and I really respect his diversity, his work ethic, and man, his talent is Kevin James. We watched him on King of Queens, then we watched him in Hitched, we watched him in every Adam Sandler movie that's worth anything, Grown Ups. I think we're up to Grown Ups 11.

I'm not sure. So, one movie that he's doing now that's out that you've got to see starting tonight is Home Team, especially because you can watch with your home family. And before you do, go on Google and YouTube and look up Sean Payton and Cutting Oranges. Because Sean Payton, when he got suspended from football on the New Orleans Saints for Bounty Gate, which was his defensive coordinator, Greg Williams, went and said to his defenders, if you hurt this guy, if you hurt that guy, I'll give you money, I'll give you an incentive.

That got out. And next thing you know, they suspended Williams and they banned Sean Payton for a year. He was head coach.

He said, you must have known about it, so therefore you'll pay the price. So what does he do for that year? He went back and coached his son, his sixth grade football team. They based that off a comedy where Kevin James plays Sean Payton. I watched the movie, then interviewed Kevin.

Here it is. You know what Drew Brees does? When everybody else has gone home, Drew stays on the field. You see what he could have done better.

That's how you become great. That was a clip from Home Team, the new sports comedy starring and produced by Kevin James, co-produced I should say. He plays NFL coach and real life Sean Payton. It premieres this week on Netflix. The film sees the Super Bowl winning coach get suspended, take on his next coaching challenge, and that is his son's sixth grade football team during his suspension. It is fantastic.

It's based on a true story. Kevin James joins us right now. Kevin, congratulations. Another winner. Thanks, Brian.

I appreciate that, buddy. So when you heard about Bounty Gate, we all did, and it resulted in the suspension of Sean Payton and Greg Williams and others. What made you and Adam say, now there's a comedy?

Nothing made me say it. I had no idea. I remember going down and I didn't know what happened, what was the, you know, all the inner workings of what happened down there, but I knew he was off. Never knew about this part of the story. Sandler called me and said there's an idea for a story that about Sean Payton and about this, and it was what took place after the suspension when he was off for the year.

And once I found out that what he did was turn that, you know, downtime in his life into an incredible story and the greatest year of coaching football in his career, he said, after winning a Super Bowl, it was just a very interesting story. And it was like, oh, man, this is really is a great movie. And there's some moments in it. I mean, you can act. I know everyone looks at you as a stand up, but you you clearly can act. And I saw when you were with your son in the movie and you have to bond with him and he's upset about the divorce and whether that was true or not doesn't matter. Because you had to break the ice with him.

And though could you describe those moments? Did you channel your own kids? Because you have four of them.

I do have four. Yeah. You think about what it would be like to be separated from them and talking to Sean and what it was like, you know, and I mean, how many of us do have jobs where it's it's, you know, it's difficult because it keeps you away from them. And, you know, it's some people can't afford to even stop working to go back and do that. And it's, you know, they have to do this. They have to fulfill that duty.

And it's tough on relationships. And, you know, that's what moved me so much was that, Sean, when when this thing happened, it gave him a moment to think about his life and reassess everything, what was important and bond with his kid. And he's got a great relationship with his son to this day. And, you know, I did think of that. I did channel what, you know, man, what would it be like to be away from my kids and try to reconnect with them?

And it would be horrible. So it's like, you know, you do anything, you know, even though you have that love of football and you love, you know, coaching, it's it's a tough balance. But, you know, you know, family family comes first over that, you know, I mean. Right. So, Kevin, the other thing is pretty clear. You got your brother on the set.

He does a great job. Gary, Rob Snyder, one of your great friends, the brother, Adam's brother-in-law was co-writer on it. And you actually have as your wife in the movie Adam's wife. Yes.

Yes. So how did you do that? How did you handle that? Because you and Adam are friends. But yet when when they say action, that's your wife. Like, how did you handle that emotionally? How did he handle seeing his best friend with his wife?

Well, we're not kissing, you know, like they were they were ex at the divorce at the time. So it was, you know, a little bit better. It's a great love, as I do for Jackie. She's amazing. So it was easy.

It was easy to play that. You know, she she she's amazing. She's, you know, an incredible actress.

Her own, you know, on her own. And she just made it simple. She was just, you know, and having, you know, being really friends with them for so long and knowing them and them knowing our family so well and us knowing their family so well, you know, it just made it easy.

It really did. You know, it's more awkward for Schneider because Schneider was the one who had, I think, kiss her and be all over. Right. He's the new guy. Right. I know he had to really play that role. He had to sell that. I don't mess with that.

Not with Sandler. Why would I do that? Exactly. From the Fox News Podcast Network, I'm Janice Dean, Fox News senior meteorologist. Be sure to subscribe to the Janice Dean podcast at Fox News podcast dot com or wherever you listen to your podcasts.

And don't forget to spread the sunshine. So, Kevin, the other thing is I didn't get permission, I don't believe, from the NFL to use it. But I watched the documentary that his daughter shot as a look back at what really happened. This Super Bowl winning coach goes back and coaches his son's sixth grade team. And he has the closing moments. He says, this is the best thing I've ever done. I rediscovered my love of football. I connected with my family the most enjoyable season ever.

And you see those real moments happening. So how much did you say? I kind of want to stick to the movie. I want to stick to what really happened. How much did you say?

I got to make people laugh. It was a combination. But that was that documentary was called Cutting Oranges. And that's really what the movie was based on.

It was Megan. She just did such a great job with that information that it sells the movie in itself right there. You know, so we just took that and, you know, with the guidance of, you know, Sean and and Sandler and everybody kind of putting this movie together. It was just one of those things where we go, hey, we have to have a balance of fun and and and tell a story. And a lot of fun things did happen with that team. So it was like a bad news bears team. They just worked in such a perfect way that Sean brought him all the way to the championship and they lost the championship, which they did, which is great for, you know, the other coach and team to be able to say they beat, you know, Super Bowl winning. You know, Sean Payton's team. It was just a win for everybody. You know, it worked for the movie.

So, so, Kevin, I don't want to give the whole movie away, but they could always watch the documentary. But in this to solve this offense that the team that crushed you guys, the Warriors, he called Bill Parcells to try to solve this offense in your movie. You called Bill Cower. Could you not afford Parcells? I mean, was he too expensive? Was Cower coming in cheap? That was the one.

No, no, no, no, no. We just we made a decision. I don't think Bill was available at the time to film it. And we wanted to do it live. And he was great. He was he was willing to do it. It was a scheduling thing.

So we had to go with Cower. That was very funny. Right. Kevin, the other thing is, it seems to me, I don't know Sean Payton well, but growing up in New York, as you did, we saw a lot of Parcells. You reminded me.

I hope it's not an insult. You reminded me more of Parcells in the movie. And did you try to be that guy that the Parcells like character or were you like, this is how Kevin James would have coached football? That's it's a little bit of me in there, but it's and again, it was it was a mishmah, a potpourri, if you will, of coaches and of accents. Because, by the way, I have to say, Sean Payton's got an accent that dances all over the joint.

You know, it was hard for me to kind of I told him, I go, hey, people can think I can't do your accent because I'm all over the place. And he says, well, that's what it is. You know, he said, you know, he's from California. I thought he was from I he's got a little drawl in there, a little bit of Southern Texas.

He's got Texas. He's got he's got everything in there. So it was a mix of everything. I brought what I brought to what I think a coach would do and, you know, trying to make it fun as well.

But yeah, it would it all came together really well. Kevin, the one thing's pretty clear. Sports matters to you. You wrestled.

It formed a lot of your personality. I know your kids wrestle. Are you concerned at all as we see these sixth graders have these impressionable moments that kids aren't playing sports anymore? Just because they're not stars, they're not playing the stats show it. Do you think about that as a dad and then after going through this sports movie coaching youth sports?

I didn't I didn't think of that because I didn't know that stat, to be honest with you. I didn't know that kids aren't playing this of that reason. I would think they're not playing a lot because they're on the internet and constantly doing that stuff. And obviously, you know, with the with the struggles of covid and everything going on, kids aren't getting outside enough and doing that. So that would be my concern. But I didn't know that was a stat.

They don't play because they're not winning. But it's certainly I mean, sports definitely shaped my life. And I would love it to, if not entirely partially shaped my kids lives and and help those. You know, it was a great avenue for me to learn about life, you know, and about being a teammate and and, you know, just and working hard, you know, for for things.

So it's not to say you have to be in sports, but it's it definitely helped me for sure. Movies. Great. Best of luck, Kevin.

Home team. You're excellent. And to everybody involved, this case, if we get a chance to smile again and I think America needs it. Good job. Thanks, Brian.

Appreciate it. But you got it. Kevin James talking about his role on the sidelines.

So it's not going to be feel like the documentary. But it's so weird that Sean Payton ends up after I watch the movie. I'm not the biggest New Orleans Saints fan, but of course, where they're all their success in the Super Bowls.

So both of them. So so the movie comes out and Sean Payton's doing some interviews for it. And then they go, Sean Payton resigns. He resigned from the Saints this week. So not only is the movie come out, he's like, I think I'll quit.

So he quits. And the word is he could be going to TV. Everybody wants him. And I think if he's available, I think the Giants get him and others say, you know, McCarthy's got one more year with the cow. He's got a lot of years. He's got a five year deal or maybe a 10 year deal. But the Cowboys don't care about losing money. If he doesn't turn it around and get them deep into the playoffs, they love Sean Payton. They loved him and he was offensive coordinator there. They'll go tap him. He'll have plenty of options. But he it's just weird for him to resign after 10 years or more the day the movie comes out. So when we come back, I wrap things up. Also, I got to remind you, I got to remind you again, Saturday, 8 o'clock, One Nation. Educating, entertaining, enlightening. You're with Brian Kilmeade.