My guess is that we all have, over the years, watched many sports films, some more than others. I have compiled a list of my 10 favorite sports films. These are not necessarily what film critics, or even sports buffs, would consider the best or greatest sports films. These are simply my personal favorites. And because I cannot bring myself to making cold, hard, executive decisions, I have included a few Honorable Mentions.
I tend to gravitate to films that are off the beaten path. I don’t think I do this just to be different, but I guess I resent people telling me what I should watch or like, and what I shouldn’t watch or like. So, on this list you will see a few films that you may not even have heard of, let alone seen.
I will embarrassingly admit that there are many great sports films that I have never seen. Raging Bull, the Robert DeNiro/Martin Scorsese masterpiece, a film that the AFI placed in its Top 10 of the greatest films ever produced, is on this list of never having been seen by yours truly. So are Remember the Titans, Hoop Dreams and Bull Durham. I have only seen snippets of Tin Cup and Slap Shot. And this may be sacrilegious in our Singapore Slingers circles, but I cannot get through Caddyshack. I have tried on more than one occasion, but it ain’t happening. The same goes for Happy Gilmore.
Some films make my list despite not having seen them for decades. Even though the details may be a bit fuzzy, I distinctly remember the emotions they stirred and the impact that they had on me. Rocky, and especially Brian’s Song (the James Caan original) are two such films. North Dallas Forty is another.
Some of you may be surprised to see that perhaps the most celebrated T&F film, Chariots of Fire, is not on my list. It won the Oscar for Best Picture but, truth be told, I was rather bored with the film.
And now, my esteemed list of Favorite Sports Films.
Honorable Mention:
The Hustler. The 1961 Paul Newman film about a young pool shark taking on Minnesota Fats makes this list because of, well…Paul Newman.
North Dallas Forty: Nick Nolte and Mac Davis suiting it up for the Dallas Cowboys.
Eight Men Out: superb film about Shoeless Joe Jackson and the 1919 Chicago Black Sox.
Pawn Sacrifice: Bobby Fischer (Toby Maguire) takes on Boris Spassky, the Russians, the CIA and just abouteveryone else on his way to conquering the chess world.
Major League: Sports films don’t get any funnier than this crazy take on America’s past time.
Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Wesley Snipes, Corbin Bernsen and others shine in this comedy.
#10: Coach Carter: the Samuel L. Jackson high school basketball film has it’s flaws, but I found it much more enjoyable than the more praised Hoosiers. Hoosiers does not make my list because, other than the fact that it is based on a small, rural high school winning the Indiana state basketball title, everything about the film has been embellished for Hollywood. And I
mean everything. EVERYTHING! Watch Coach Carter instead.
#9: Riding Giants: an enlightening, thoroughly entertaining history of the world of surfing.
#8: Rush: a Ron Howard film about the F1 rivalry between British playboy James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Austrian Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl)
#7: Rocky: Academy Award winner for Best Picture that catapulted the career of Sylvester Stallone. Loosely based on Chuck Wepner’s journey and eventual match with Muhammad Ali. NOTE: there is a recent film titled Chuck, (which I have not seen), about the real Chuck Wepner.
#6: Brian’s Song: The original 1970 film with James Caan and Billy Dee Williams as Chicago Bears teammates will have even the most hard-hearted male viewer with a box of Kleenex at his side while watching this film.
#5: Breaking Away. Another small-town Indiana film, this time with cycling at center stage, and some lighthearted humor sprinkled in. “The Italians are coming!â€
#4: The Natural: Yeah, it’s over-the-top with the dramatic home runs, come-from-behind victories, bursting stadium lights, covers literally coming off the baseballs, blood-soaked jerseys and a baseball bat with a lightning bolt. Still, it is everything you want in an underdog movie. Darren McGavin is delightful as the villainess owner.
#3: Field Of Dreams: “If you build it, he will come.†That may be the most memorable quote of any sports movie. This film is, simply put, magical. The final scene, in which Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) asks a certain player for a game of catch has me reaching for the tissues no matter how many times I see it. That field in Iowa draws thousand of visitors to it every year. Magical indeed.
#2: Miracle: The film brings to the screen the true story of THE greatest upset in sports history – the 1980 US Olympic hockey team, comprised of college kids, beating the Soviet juggernaut on its way to the gold medal. No other sporting event comes close to this. Despite a few minor flaws, to say it does justice to the actual events is an understatement. The re-enactment of the hockey games, especially the semi-final against the Soviet Union, are impeccable.
#1: Without Limits: The story of American middle-distance runner Steve Prefontaine has been brought to the screen no less than three times, and this retelling is the best. When the film was released, I remember hearing a film critic on the radio saying the worst thing for a critic is to watch an incredibly memorable film that he knows no one else will see. Even knowing the Prefontaine story and how everything played out did not detract from this powerful drama. Much of the success of this story is due to Donald Sutherland’s portrayal of Oregon coach and Prefontaine’s fatherly mentor, Bill Bowerman. And Billy Crudup as Pre is astonishing. The race scenes are portrayed amazingly accurately. And, like a few other films on this list, the final scene has me blubbering like a baby.
There you have it. This list is not wrong. It is MY list of MY favorite sports films. I’d like to hear your opinions of these films and others that did not make my list. Some that I have left off include, The Legend of Bagger Vance, Seabiscuit, Pride of the Yankees, The Blind Side, Moneyball, Jerry Maguire, The Rookie, Bad News Bears, The Sandlot, We Are Marshall, A League of Their Own, White Men Can’t Jump, The Longest Yard, Rudy, Million Dollar Baby and many more.
Let’s see your list.
I will embarrassingly admit that there are many great sports films that I have never seen. Raging Bull, the Robert DeNiro/Martin Scorsese masterpiece, a film that the AFI placed in its Top 10 of the greatest films ever produced, is on this list of never having been seen by yours truly. So are Remember the Titans, Hoop Dreams and Bull Durham. I have only seen snippets of Tin Cup and Slap Shot. And this may be sacrilegious in our Singapore Slingers circles, but I cannot get through Caddyshack. I have tried on more than one occasion, but it ain’t happening. The same goes for Happy Gilmore.
Some films make my list despite not having seen them for decades. Even though the details may be a bit fuzzy, I distinctly remember the emotions they stirred and the impact that they had on me. Rocky, and especially Brian’s Song (the James Caan original) are two such films. North Dallas Forty is another.
