The famous question is always why would
people spend money to see sports movies, when they can see sports
everyday of the week on TV?
Every Sunday you have more than 9 hours of football to choose from.
You also have Monday Night football during football season. Pretty
soon we will have baseball playoffs occurring as well. The great
thing about these sporting events is the outcome is unknown. Unless
of course it is Super Bowl 40 and the outcome of Pittsburgh beating
Seattle is decided by the refs. That is neither here nor there
though. But why would we attend and pay money to see a sports movie
in the theater when we can view it in our home for free?
Sports movies are very by the book. Underdog athlete starts from the
very bottom, gets a trainer, trainer pushes him hard, no one
believes in him, he faces the tough champion, pulls off the upset,
people clap, credits roll, all is well. We have already seen this
twice so far this year with Invincible and Gridiron Gang. You have
your half time speeches, big game, final minute, long touchdown, and
all your wonderful cliches. People still fork over money to see this
exact formula done 10-15 times a year.
What is the appeal?
People love to feel good. They love to cheer the underdog, feel good
after victory, and they love to win. Even when I play Madden 2007, I
love to win. A lot of times our everyday life can be challenging
with all the obstacles we face and must overcome. Nothing like going
to the flicks and clapping along the way. You might even put
yourself in the shoes of the underdog and relate to his plight. So
in essence when he wins, so do you. You live through him.
With so many sports films out, what are some of the better ones? I'm
going to count down the top 10 Sports Movies of all time to help
answer this question.
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10) Cinderella Man
directed by Ron Howard (2005)
This film was one of the criminally overlooked movies of
last year. Russell Crowe gave the best performance of
his entire career in this movie. He was perfectly cast
as the sensitive but rough in the ring boxer who is
doing his best to combat The Great Depression. So many
boxing movies have mean, gruff, and heartless boxers,
but Crowe does a good job of playing this great human
being in James J. Braddock. Strong supporting work was
also included by Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti, Craig
Bierko, Paddy Considine, and Bruce McGill. Howard is
wise in letting this true story tell itself and not get
too flashy with a lot of the in ring sequences. This was
one of the best films of 2005. |
9) Bull Durham directed by Ron
Shelton (1988)
Kevin Costner loves baseball and he is doing his best work when he
is in movies about baseball such as Upside of Anger, For Love of the
Game, Field of Dreams, and even in the golf flick Tin Cup. Nobody
plays the washed up, out of shape, and drained athlete better than
Kevin Costner. He teams up with Tim Robbins, and Susan Sarandon in a
smart, sexy, and funny comedy about having the talent, but never
having the shot. And then having to deal with others who get things
handed to them.
8) Bang The Drum Slowly directed by John D. Hancock (1973)
Was anyone better in the 70's than De Niro? Seriously. He was the
king of the 70s with his amazing line of work such as Godfather 2,
Mean Streets, Taxi Driver, Deer Hunter, New York, New York and so
many other classics. This is a powerful story about friendship that
is very moving with solid supporting work by Vincent Gardenia. It is
a shame Vincent Gardenia didn't really make much noise after this
solid Oscar nominated performance. A film about looking out for
people less fortunate than yourself.
7) The Harder They Fall directed by Mark Robson (1956)
A very dark film noir that tries to be a lot like On The Waterfront.
The film is not as good as On The Waterfront, but on its own is a
well-acted drama. Max Baer, who was the villain in Cinderella Man
stars in this film along with the legendary Humphrey Bogart and Rod
Steiger. It was Bogart's final film and what a way to go out with
this underrated classic.
6) Slap Shot directed by George Roy Hill (1977)
An hysterical look at the world of hockey. This is an old school
look at hockey and the way it used to be before all of the problems
with the league we see today. Paul Newman and a wonderful cast keep
us laughing, guessing, and give an honest portrayal of old-time
hockey. The best movie about hockey ever made. Yes, even better than
The Mighty Ducks.
5) Jerry Maguire directed by Cameron Crowe (1996)
Yes, I know Tom Cruise is annoying. Yes, I know you can't stand him.
But he can act and no other film proved this more than Jerry
Maguire. It also jump started the career of Renée Zellweger. Who
some of you might remember from my number 10 film Cinderella Man.
This film started and ended Cuba Gooding Jr. and his career. He won
the Academy Award for this film and everything went downhill
afterwords. A smart script, a great sports movie, and a great love
story all in one. One of Cameron Crowe's finest.
4) Field of Dreams directed by Phil Alden Robinson (1989)
Kevin Costner returns again in another baseball flick. This is not
only a great sports movie, but a great father/son movie as well. If
you are a sports fan and you did not cry during Field of Dreams, you
have the heart of a black stone. You know how they say they don't
make movies like they used to? I think they are talking about movies
like this one.
3) Rocky directed by John G. Avildsen (1976)
Not many films can be seen over and over again and still get to you,
but Rocky is one of them. Don't bother with the sequels, especially
Rocky 5, check out the original. The film gets dark, and repressed
Philadelphia right and really paints a grim picture for Mr. Balboa.
The great musical score, the great acting, and the final sequence
will leave you breathless.
2) Tie: Hoosiers directed by David Anspaugh (1986), and
The Hustler directed by Robert Rossen (1961)
These two were so good, I had to include them both.
Hoosiers is culturally significant and features two of the best
performances in their respective careers by Gene Hackman and Dennis
Hopper. This film also gets the small town right. Of how much
basketball means to them, and the importance of it. I traveled to
Indiana a lot during my travels on the road, and every time I go
there, I think of Hoosiers. A legendary classic that just refuses to
age or go away.
The Hustler is a rare look at billiards that shows the dangerous
side of gambling your life away. Paul Newman and George C. Scott
star in this thrilling drama. A remake was made with Newman and
Cruise directed by Scorsese entitled The Color of Money, and that
film is not in the same breath as The Hustler. A dark drama with
intense performances.
1) Raging Bull directed by Martin Scorsese (1980)
No sports movie will ever defeat Raging Bull as number 1. They can
only hope to be half as good as Raging Bull. Scorsese takes you in
the ring and out of the ring and shows you this brutal and
unforgiving character and pulls no punches. Literally. Raging Bull
should have definitely won the Best Picture of 1980. I love Ordinary
People, but Bull might be one of the top 10 films of all time. It
gets the sports world and the real world all in one.
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