Top 10 Sports Films

We here at Movies For Lunch are proud to present another installment of the top ten list. Ever since our review of Coach Carter, our minds have been plagued by the thought of what would be considered the best sports movie. Since there are so many to choose from that are great in different ways we came up with a list. We came up with these movies individually which may explain why some movies are on both of our lists. So here are the top ten sports movies.

Dan - I’m not quite sure where to begin this list. I will list them alphabetically since it seems unfair to compare movies that are so different. I admit that I have not seen what some would consider great and classic like Raging Bull, Bull Durham, or Eight Men Out. I like all of these movies and it is fair to say that I found all of them to be uplifting and inspirational. Some of them are Oscar winners (The Fighter, Million Dollar Baby), and others clearly are not (Happy Gilmore). One could argue that many of these movies may not even be about sports, but use sports as a theme to simply tell a great story (see Field of Dreams). So without further ado, The Lists:


 Cinderella Man (2005) - Russell Crowe and Ron Howard had previously collaborated with the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind, and re-teamed here for the based on a true story of boxer Jim Braddock. This is a fantastic movie about a broken man (at times literally) who lived during the Great Depression and was struggling to make enough money just to feed his family, much like the rest of the country during that period. There are some really cool boxing scenes with several point of view shots on the receiving end of a few punches which made it seem like I was participating in the ring instead of just watching. The story itself is ultimately so triumphant that I’m going out on a limb here and calling it not only the best movie of 2005, but the best boxing movie I’ve seen.


 Field of Dreams (1989) - Have you ever noticed that some of the best sports movies aren’t so much about sports? There is hardly any baseball in this movie and the focus is not on an individual player or a team’s quest to win the championship. It is the story about a man’s (Kevin Costner) discovery he makes about himself before he understands why he is compelled to do such strange things as make a baseball diamond in the middle of his corn crop ("If you build it, he will come). The whole movie leads up to the realization of his own father’s regrets of the relationship (or lack thereof) with his son. And this one line: "Hey, dad? You wanna have a catch?" This line alone is responsible for making many a grown man cry (including me). Every time I hear this I think of the times when I was a kid and used to play catch with my old man. Hopefully you do too.


 The Fighter (2010) - I would have never guessed that this scrappy movie about a scrappy boxer would almost be the best boxing movie I’ve ever seen. It sucked me in right from the start (maybe it was the catchy soundtrack). This is another movie where the boxing is only a part of the greatness of it. The rest lies in the compelling portrayal of the family relationship between Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, and Melissa Leo, the latter two winning Oscars for their work here. Bale and Wahlberg play boxing brothers with Leo is their mother/manager. While the boxing is exciting in and of itself, it is the family dynamic that is the real meat of the movie. Leo is the ultimate manipulator and Bale is so convincing as a crack addict that I believed him to be this actual person and not an actor. Just watch it. You will be surprised how slyly you are drawn into their world. But be warned that there is a fair amount of language (especially the F-bomb).


 Happy Gilmore (1995) - The funniest sports movie on the list by far. The ridiculous plot follows a hockey player (who doesn’t know how to skate!) entering the equivalent of the PGA tour because his slapshot translates well on the golf course. You might recognize Happy’s love interest Virginia from the current TV comedy hit Modern Family as high-strung mom Claire Dunphy. A fact which I did not notice until my wife pointed it out me. Two scenes make me cry from laughing so hard: The scenes with Bob Barker, and the missed putt where Happy launches a profanity-laced tirade that the broadcast TV censors try to edit. This movie is quoted almost as much as Tommy Boy in my circle of friends. Keep a sharp eye for Ben Stiller as a slave-driving retirement home employee. Please, please remember to not take it seriously, and just laugh at how absurd it really is.


 Hoosiers (1986) - This movie is the first movie about basketball that I ever remember seeing and it has yet to topped as far as basketball movies go. I watched it with my dad and brothers when we were kids. Hoosiers to me is the quintessential basketball movie. A new coach with unusual methods shows up and teaches the players fundamentals, physicality, and how to play with confidence. It takes place in a small town in Indiana where most of the players are farm boys without a lot of amazing talent except for one guy, and the movie wisely does not focus on him but keeps it about the team. Gene Hackman as the coach gives a performance that makes you as the viewer want the team to win as much for him as for themselves. And it’s based on a true story. What’s not to love?


 The Karate Kid - I’m talking about the original here, and not the crappy sequels (except for Karate Kid 2) or the modest re-make. Mr. Miyagi and Daniel LaRusso all the way. I used to call myself Daniel-san and attempt the crane kick whenever my friends and I wrestled each other. This story of a kid who is bullied and learns to defend himself is even more relevant today, especially as one hears of teens ending their own lives as a result of bullying. The best way I can think to describe this movie is uplifting. Watch it and be uplifted. There are portions that may seem a little dated, but it certainly doesn’t detract from the message. And Mr. Miyagi was nominated for an Oscar!!


 Million Dollar Baby (2004) - I had no expectations going into this movie. This was the first movie that Clint Eastwood directed that began my understanding and appreciation for how great of a filmmaker and actor he really is. After watching this I went back and re-watched some of his previous movies like Mystic River and Unforgiven. The guy’s an incredible talent on both sides of the camera. Anyway, I had read a few reviews of it and heard it was good, but I was blown away. I don’t know how Eastwood did it, but he took a movie about boxing and made it about so much more. There was a lot of flak about the second half of the movie (which I will not reveal/discuss here), but I realized that this isn’t so much about what decisions are made as it is about the feelings/motivations behind them, or the "why" of it all. And as the relationships between the characters is observed it becomes clear why these people do what they do, like why Hilary Swank wanted to become a boxer in the first place, and why Eastwood didn’t want to manage/coach any more boxers.


 The Natural (1984) - I love how fitting the title of this movie is. Robert Redford stars as Roy Hobbs, who was literally on his way to be "the best there ever was" playing baseball before suffering a horrific setback. The rest of the story is about how he still makes it big. The more I think about it, the more I love how this movie comes together. Everything seems to be going against Redford to keep him from being successful from the owner of the team he plays for betting against his own team to being distracted by Kim Basinger, all the way to his beloved bat breaking when he needed it the most. It’s the journey of this guy that becomes so compelling, almost more than his talent for baseball. And the last scene is a spectacular contrast to the rest of the movie’s pizzazz.


 Remember the Titans (2000) - This movie always strikes me as an important sports movie, if there is such a thing. Denzel Washington is appointed as the head coach of a football team in Virginia that becomes one of the first schools to integrate after the Civil Rights Movement. The resulting racism from both sides makes for a compelling movie on its own, but throw in the egos of young athletes who think they are better than everyone else and you’ve got a movie ripe with conflict to be resolved. I don’t know how much of this "based on a true story" movie is fictionalized, but it was done in such a way that I feel as uplifted as I do when I watch the original Karate Kid. This is an inspiring movie. Watch it and be both uplifted and inspired to never judge people by the color of their skin. And just for fun, look sharp for before-they-were-famous stars Ryan Gosling and Kate Bosworth.


 The Sandlot (1992) - This is the quintessential kid-sports movie about pickup games and having fun. There is nothing spectacular about the plot to get back an autographed baseball signed by Babe Ruth from a giant dog holding it hostage other than seeing all of the ways the kids come up with to retrieve it. I think movies like this are great because they remind me of similar experiences from my own childhood. Not that I ever had anything this exciting happen, but I seem to remember something like it. I loved just getting the chance to go play with my friends every day during the summer. I guess nostalgia is a big reason that I continue to enjoy this movie as an adult as opposed to just when I was a kid.

Mark -
My own criteria in determining this list had as much to do with what films I really enjoy, as compared to films that I think were really well made. In order to make the list for me these films all receive a yes to the question of "If this film is on, am I going to watch it?" I don’t care if it’s on TV or DVD or something else, if I see the film, the chances are that I’m going to watch at least part of it. Having said that, here are my favorite/top sports films in no particular order.

1) The Fighter - Even though Mark Wahlberg plays the main character in this film, Christian Bale easily steals the focus and attention anytime he is on screen. This film reminds me of a terrible accident that you had to look at, but at the same time you simply can’t help but look and be amazed at the horrifying results.

2) Cinderella Man - I have to admit that I am a big fan of Russell Crowe, and thus this movie easily makes my list. I know a lot of people who hate boxing, but have loved this movie simply because of the plot centered around the struggles endured during the great depression.

3) Field Of Dreams - Of all of the films on this list, this is the film that I have watched more times than any other. It got to the point a few years ago where no one could stand to be in the same room as me while I watched this film, simply because I could repeat the entire dialogue. This is one of the few films that is equal to or better than the book in my opinion.

4) Hoosiers - For me this is by far the best basketball film ever made. Dennis Hopper and Gene Hackman both give amazing performances. There have been a lot films that try to depict the same underdog defeating the giant scenario, but none of them do it as well as Hoosiers.

5) Rocky (as the series, minus Rocky V) - You simply can’t talk about sports movies without mentioning the Rocky films. One of the best parts about these films is still the music. I’m glad that Stallone decided to make Rocky Balboa so that the franchise didn’t have to end on the mess that was Rocky V.

6) Caddyshack - My bias again comes out with this selection because I think that Bill Murray is one of, if not the, funniest comedians in film. Murray’s role as Carl the groundskeeper is one of the funniest things I have ever watched. This film amazes me even more after learning how much of the dialogue was improvised by the actors. Harrold Ramis and Bill Murray really made some great movies together.

7) The Sandlot - The characters, and especially their nicknames, are some of my favorites ever. This film really does remind me of what it was like to simply be a kid and get together with friends to play baseball, or any other sport, after school or during the summer. I can still remember my group of friends determining who was which character from this movie. Just for the record I was Smalls, although my favorite character is Squints.

8) Major League - Its impossible for me to watch a baseball and not think of "just a bit outside" anytime a wild pitch is thrown. The revelations of Charlie Sheen actually taking steroids for this film, and Wesley Snipes being incredibly slow only seem to add to the lore of this film in my opinion. Seeing where those two actors are now in their lives what is perhaps even crazier is the notion that these revelations don’t seem shocking at all.

9) Million Dollar Baby - Clint Eastwood deserves all of the praise and recognition for this film. No other actor could have played the role that he did in this film. Hilary Swank was definitely good and deserved her praise as well, but this movie would not have been the same without Eastwood.

10) The Rookie - I figure that this film is one that not many others would pick for their own list, but it is one that I really enjoy. Dennis Quaid plays such an easy character to like that it’s hard not to enjoy this film in my opinion. One of my favorite lines also comes from this film which is, "Sometimes you have to stop doing what you want to do, and start doing what you were meant to do."