Welcome to Scribeing Cinema with Shane! What do cinephiles love to do most? Rank all things movies and that is what we will do in this series. Favorite actors… filmmakers… genres… narratives… you got it here! Time to highlight my top football films…
The Replacements
What a fun ride The Replacements is? Keanu Reeves leads a ragtag crew of replacement players who join professional football to fill the void of striking players. This is an oddly relevant film with the state of the film industry now, but this is certainly one of the funniest films on this list. Gene Hackman gives an earnest turn as the coach who must bring this random batch of football rejects together. There are fun and exciting football moments (with the great John Madden announcing), a bar brawl, a dash of romance, and an iconic rendition of a Gloria Gaynor classic.
Remember the Titans
Who says you cannot tackle racism while making a football film? This is the inspirational Disney sports flick for a whole generation. Denzel Washington and Will Patton lead the way on a newly integrated football team full of tension and potential. Washington brings his towering talents to this role which helps elevate this from a by-the-numbers attempt to maneuver complicated issues. The film is stacked with plenty of young talented actors (including Ryan Gosling of all people). There are plenty of great moments that will inspire and make you feel good and a fair share that will bring a tear to your eye too.
Rudy (1993)
Can you possibly make a list of sports films without including a bona fide underdog tale? Rudy is THE underdog story. Sean Astin has made a career of portraying characters who have the world towering over them but find the determination and courage to stand tall in the face of adversity. This story of perseverance finds a young man desperately trying to get on that Notre Dame football field. With a strong central performance and a narrative full of inspiring moments and emotion, this is a film that has left a lasting impression on audiences for decades.
Brian’s Song (1971)
Well…time to cry, right? This just might be the saddest film on this list as we see two teammates connect during the illness that will soon take the life of one of them. Two great performers, James Caan and Billy Dee Williams make Brian’s Song a must-see football film. It was made for TV and not too long at all but that does not stop it from being an affecting and impactful film. It is about football, friendship, life, and death…just so much to sink your teeth into. Few TV movies have transcended their bounds to make a lasting societal impact, and this is truly one of those instances.
Any Given Sunday (1999)
Oliver Stone make a football film? That just might be the most shocking thing on this list. A man known for his biting dramas about big cultural topics takes that lens and shines it on the world of professional sports. The cast of Any Given Sunday is shockingly stacked with Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quaid, and Cameron Diaz. But it is Al Pacino’s Tony D’Amato who steals the show. The highlight of the whole film is his impassioned and poignant half-time speech which set the standard for all sports speeches. Stone’s electric and aggressive directions make this a memorable and ruckus experience.
Invincible
Was Mark Wahlberg born to be in a football movie? He takes up the mantle of the least likely Eagles player to ever don the green. Vince Papale went from being underemployed to being a professional football player and that journey made for an inspiring tale on screen. A rock-solid cast and a pitch-perfect 70’s soundtrack breathe life into this sports biopic. Wahlberg delivers a respectable performance as this underdog athlete, and it pays off by delivering a moving experience.
The Waterboy
I certainly grew up in the 90’s, didn’t I? I grew up on those Adam Sandler films. Are they low-brow? Yes. Have they all aged well? Not quite. But do they make me laugh and oddly feel for these strange characters that Sandler creates? You bet. The Waterboy is an unexpected comedy where Sandler sheds his lovable jerk persona for an unfortunate protagonist who has been sheltered his whole life by his Mama. The tale of Bobby Bouche is filled with brutal football action, some pro wrestling, a strange romance, and an odd charm that connects. It doesn’t hurt to have acting legends like Kathy Bates and Henry Winkler in the cast as well. If you love Sandler, this football flick is for you!
Little Giants
Why are there not more Little League football movies? I guess baseball gets to have all the fun! But Little Giants certainly scratches that itch with an underdog team on a collision course with a talented and well-financed team. We know that story, but it is a fun novelty to see it play out with children. But the inclusion of Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neil spices things up for the adults in the room as they are a pair of great comedic actors. Watching this rag-tag team grow is a fun time and witnessing a climactic miracle win will never get old. Heck…they even have John Madden in this one too!
The Longest Yard (2005)
If I grew up decades before and saw the original, that might make my list, right? But to reinforce my earlier point, I was a 90s kid and Sandler was my jam. This The Longest Yard remake offers up all the Sandler humor and personality you want while offering up a diverse and strange ensemble. There are plenty of pro wrestlers popping up in this flick and their physicality helps sell the nicely thrilling moments of this film. This might not be top-tier Sandler, but it boasts some great personalities from Chris Rock to Burt Reynolds to Terry Crews and so many more. Don’t mess with the Mean Machine!
American Underdog
What about another biopic, shall we? Where Invincible rides on a surprising and under-the-radar tale, American Underdog tells the iconic tale of a grocer turned arena football star turned NFL Hall of Famer Kurt Warner. Zachary Levi does a fine job balancing humor and emotion to hit the right buttons. There is a good mix of faith-based film and sports filmmaking for quite a unique experience. This might be a fresh one on this list but it still hits the right buttons to deliver a moving and relatable tale of never giving up on your dreams.
