The 10 Worst Sports Movies of All Time
Jan 23 '02
The Bottom Line These are 10 sports movies that you should not waste your time on. See my list of the 10 best if you're looking for something to watch.
I thought it was only fitting that after writing a review to inform people about the 10 best sports movies of all time, that I should write a review to warn people away from the 10 worst sports movies of all time. Again, the criteria for making the list includes: 1) That I have seen the movie, 2) That the movie is particularly bad in terms of plot, story development, sports action, and overall impact on the sport movie genre, and 3) The movies are rated in terms of their overall viewing enjoyment (or lack thereof) given your interest in comedy, drama, or other at the time of viewing.
So, here they are... The 10 worst sports movies of all time!
10. Cutting Edge - Some people might not be familiar with this pick. Others might not be in agreement, as I have noticed on some top 10 best sports movie lists. But, this movie about a figure skating duo who eventually discovers their true feelings for each other is somewhat lacking in plot strength as well as overall impact on the genre. The fact that the movie is about figure skating and it provides some insight into that relatively unrecognized sport prevents it from being higher (or lower) on the list of movies to avoid. I didn't find this movie to be a bore necessarily, but it didn't have a lot of dramatic strength to it.
9. Hoop Dreams - Again, some people have this movie on their top 10 lists of best sports movies. I, however, did not see the particular appeal of spending three hours watching the development and struggles of two high school basketball stars as they looked to make it to college and live out their "Hoop Dreams." Some of the basketball action was interesting, but the movie, which was a real documentary, dragged out way too long. The behind-the-scenes interviews and activities weren't as captivating as I was hoping. This movie rates low in terms of viewing enjoyment.
8. The Fan - This movie wasn't necessarily boring to watch either, but I had to score it low based upon its concept and the ending. The plot of the movie is that a crazy fan, played by Robert DeNiro kidnaps the son of a star baseball player, played by Wesley Snipes. DeNiro's character is an overzealous fan who wants Snipes' character to play the game his way and he will go to any length get what he wants. The movie action is somewhat captivating, but again the plot is ridiculous and the ending is very poor.
7. Summer Catch - This recent movie is too much of a cliche'. The star pitcher (Freddie Prinz, Jr.) struggles with his game and his relationship and he must find a way to make both work. Freddie Prinz plays a great baseball pitcher who returns home to play in the renowned Cape Cod baseball league. He falls for a beautiful girl from a wealthy family and struggles with his own self worth, as the son of a lawn care business owner. He must overcome his own personal issues and focus on his game to get what he wants. The baseball action in the movie was fair. The movie just kept going though. It was too predictable and although I enjoy baseball romances, it was too easy to figure things out.
6. White Men Can't Jump - Any movie that includes Woody Harrelson in an athletic role is hard to get into. Not only that, but after seeing him play a naive, clueless bartender on Cheers for so long, it was hard to take him seriously as a street hustling ball player. The basketball action in the movie is fair, but the plot and the development of the story aren't that exciting. Wesley Snipes and Harrelson don't have great chemistry and the movie itself wasn't overly exciting.
5. The Scout - Not a whole lot to say about this movie other thant that it was a terrible baseball movie. It's another story about a star pitcher trying to make it big. Too much cliche', the baseball action was fair at best, and the development of the story was long and drawn out.
4. Angels in the Outfield - The excitement in this movie is supposed to be that the Angels baseball team that is consistently bad, suddenly is visited by angels who help turn them into winners. The concept is original but the baseball action is hokie. Angels fly about the outfield wall to save home runs and "somehow" the ball drops into the unquestioning outfielders mit. This movie might be entertaining to young children, but no one else.
3. Cool Runnings - Most people are probably familiar with the background of this movie. It's based on the men's olympic bobsled team from Jamaica. The intriguing part of this movie, which was loosely based on true developments, is that the team must train using makeshift bobsled runs as they obviously don't see much snow in Jamaica. The team makes it to the olympics and performs fairly well, which provides the inspirational part of the movie. But, the movie goes more for the comedic interaction of the members of the team, and it doesn't provide a great deal of entertainment. They should have focused more on the drama and the story, and left the acting to professionals.
2. Any Given Sunday - I'm sure this pick is going to create plenty of controversy, but I have my reasons. To some who remember the glory days of smash mouth football this movie is an excellent portrayal of the behind-the-scenes interaction that takes place between coaches and players. I enjoyed that part of the movie. But, the movie was too long. It was about three hours. And, although Al Pacino brings great passion to his role as the coach, the football action was far too ridiculous for this movie that was hyped as a realistic movie about the game. The other players and characters in the movie are poor and the movie dragge on way more than it should have.
1. The Replacements - I think many will agree with me that the football action in this movie was horrific. First of all, how can you take Keanu Reeves seriously as a football player. Many people may not notice, but it's hard for me to get into a movie that is so obviously off on the aspects of the game. At one point in the game the "good" team has the ball on their 20 yard line when they are called for a "10 yard" holding penalty. The next play was run from their 7. The plot was ridiculous. There was some comedic element added by Orlando Jones, but not enough to keep the movie entertaining. Keanu Reeves, the star quarterback falls for one of the team's cheerleaders, which is the basic plot of the movie. But there's not a lot of romantic interest built up for the audience.
Other movies that just missed the cut: 1. The Air Up There, 2. The Babe, 3. Rookie of the Year
*Thanks for taking the time to read my review. I hope you will consider adding me to your Web of Trust so that you can read future reviews that I write.
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mets86
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Location: St Louis Missouri
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