Here is my list of the best sports movies ever made. I blog a lot about sports and I blog a lot about movies, so I figured I would do something that combine the two. Sports movies are great because they are usually uplifting, even if the characters you cheer for are defeated by their anonymously evil opponents, and they are usually pretty funny even f they are not comedies. Sometimes sports are only a small part of the movie, but it makes he list because that aspect of it makes it a better movie. I tried to include as many different sports as possible, but there have been so many good sports movies made over the years that it was impossible to make everyone happy. Please comment on what you think and enjoy!
10. Whip It
I just saw this movie and I thought it was a lot of fun. Very few movies have been made about roller derby but this one made it seem like a sport that people can have a passion for, and like the other sports that have movies in this countdown, it is an escape for both the fans and the players. This star studded cast featuring Ellen Page, Alia Shawkat, Jimmy Fallon, Andrew Wilson, Kristen Wiig, and first time director Drew Barrymore, shows us how small town misfits can become superstars in the heart of Texas even if their mothers want them to be in beauty pageants instead.
9. Space Jam
This one makes the list because it was one of my favorites as a kid. When I watched it recently though, I realized that there were a lot of great cameo appearances by NBA stars and it combined the greatest basketball player ever (Michael Jordan), the greatest cartoon character ever (Bugs Bunny), and one of the funniest comedic actors ever (Bill Murray) all on the same team. How's that for a fantasy basketball squad?
8. Forrest Gump
I know that the movie is not all about sports, but sports are an important part of the life of Forrest's life. He played college football at the University of Alabama, one of the most storied and prestigious football programs in the country. He also represented the United States as a ping pong champion and one day decided to run across the country for a while, until he had enough. His experience at Alabama, playing for the legendary Bear Bryant and receiving All American honors, was a really big deal, but it didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary to him.
7. The Mighty Ducks
Its a classic tale of taking a group of loveable misfits and turning them into winners. In the same place, you could also have The Bad News Bears or even Glee for that matter, but I particularly like the Ducks. Gordon Bombay, a successful but cynical lawyer is the reluctant coach who has to work with the kids from the loser district because their coach quit as community service after driving drunk (a pretty serious plot twist for a Disney movie). He says in the beginning that he hates hockey and the flashbacks of his past and playing for the coach who he needs to beat all these years later reveals why. Gordon must overcome his fear of failure and get closure on a darker time in his life. I think that more NHL teams should use the “Flying V” formation because it was so effective in this movie. The Mighty Ducks is a really fun one for audiences of all ages.
6. Fever Pitch
On the surface, it is just another romantic comedy with likeable stars like Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore. The setting for this movie is what separates it from other rom-coms though. They could not have been more lucky choosing to film this movie in the 2004 baseball season. It was supposed to end with them falling in love while watching the Red Sox get eliminated once again and waiting until next year. Instead, they fall in love in the midst of the most exciting thing that has ever happened in the history of professional sports (in my humble Sox fan opinion). Its a good movie to watch in April to get pumped for Red Sox season once again. For the record, it does not bother me that Jimmy Fallon is a lifelong New Yorker and not really a Red Sox fan. He isn't the only one who pretends to do that (Alec Baldwin pretended to be a Bostonian in The Departed and on 30 Rock and don't even get me started on Jack Nicholson) and for every New Yorker who plays a Sox fan, there is Denis Leary who plays a New York firefighter on Rescue Me. The cameo appearances by the Red Sox stars and the footage from the games in 2004 make this movie just that much better.
5. Miracle
I was not alive yet when the U.S. Hockey team beat the Soviets in 1980, but I hear about it from my father every Winter Olympics that there will never be a more exciting hockey tournament and the Olympics are a lot less interesting now that they have NHL players in it. While I may not agree with that, Miracle is still a really good movie about that 1980 team. This movie had one of the best locker room pep talks in movie history which was even more entertaining when that little kid recited it on Opening Day for the Red Sox this year.
4. Million Dollar Baby
Not all stories have happy endings. Maggie Fitzgerald worked hard to rise from poverty to become a late blooming boxing star, but her chances were tragically dashed. Winning the Academy Award for Best Picture in 2004, Million Dollar Baby was a masterpiece that brought out the best in Hilary Swank, Morgan Freeman, and director/producer/co-star Clint Eastwood. Eastwood and Swank became each other's family when their biological families ignored their dreams.
3. Rocky
Before Invincible, this was the original story of a Philly underdog getting the opportunity of a lifetime. This movie made Sylvester Stallone into a superstar, and gave Philly fans more to cheer about that their actual teams since it came out in 1976. With five sequels afterward, it is perhaps the most successful sports movie franchise ever. This movie also wins the award for having the best training montage ever. Another thin I like about this movie is that it does not really portray Apollo Creed as evil or malicious. He is just a champion boxer who wants somebody to challenge him. He gives Rocky a chance and Rocky takes full advantage. Creed is cocky and has to give more of an effort than he thought he would in fifteen rounds, but he is not really a villain. Rocky won the Academy Award for Best Picture, which is an achievement that speaks for itself. It is a classic that you do not need to be a boxing fan to appreciate.
2. Remember the Titans
This is one of Denzel Washington's greatest performances. This movie could very easily be number one on the list. Everything about it is great. It is a classic underdog story about the first racially integrated high school football team in Virginia and their quest for the state championship. It has its fair share of comic relief and moments that get you choked up. From the speech Coach Boone gave about Gettysburg to the star linebacker getting in a car crash, Remember the Titans goes through the ups and downs of the season and the triumphs and tragedies.
1. Field of Dreams
“If you build it, he will come.” This line has inspired many a backyard ballpark (or skating rink) over the years. The idea of having a baseball field in your yard is cool enough, but having one where ghosts can fulfill their unfinished dreams is even cooler. Whether it is getting to play in the majors after getting banned, or getting in the one at bat that you never got, getting to play catch with your son and meet your granddaughter, this is a place where dreams can come true. They ask if it is heaven, but it is only Iowa. James Earl Jones' “people will come” monologue is one of the most inspiring in movie history. This movie defined Kevin Costner's career. It is everything anyone could want in s sports movie with the surreal concepts of redemption and living up to your dreams sprinkled in as well. Another great thing about this movie is that his wife and daughter re just as enthusiastic about baseball as he is, which is every guy's dream.
This concludes my list. Feel free to comment and tell me which movies I missed or to argue the order in which I put them.
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