My Top 10 Sports Movies
Jul 14 '06
The Bottom Line I love a good sports movie, and these are my view of 'the best of the best.'
Introduction
I will admit it, I’m a sucker for a good sports movie. Heck, I’m a sucker for several ‘not so good’ sports movies too. I guess it’s because normally it’s a ‘David and Goliath’ type tale of the little guy going after the big guy. Or it’s the emotional pull of facing our own mortality and limitations.
I don’t really know what it is, I just know that I’m a fan of sports, of movies and (naturally) of sports movies! Therefore, I have decided to take some time and compile a list of my “Top 10" sports movies.
#10–Major League Baseball: All Century Team
I remember back in 2000 when the All-Century team was named, so when I saw that a documentary had been made about this I knew I’d love it. Narrated by Bob Costas, a familiar and pleasing voice, Major League Baseball: All Century Team is a look at the 30 best baseball players of the 20th century. It goes through the players one by one and gives a lot of information about each of them. I enjoyed watching this with my 10 year son, introducing him to the players I used to watch. It also introduced me to some players that I really didn’t know all the much about. It’s a must-see for the arm-chair sports historian!
#9–High School Musical
Okay, I know I’m about 20 years too old to enjoy this movie but I can’t help it. It’s the story of a Troy and Gabriella who meet in one town but later end up going to the same school. He’s the star of the basketball team, she’s the ‘brainiac.’ When Gabriella wants to try out for the musical Troy steps up as her partner–much to the dismay of his teammates. They think he needs to ‘get his head in the game’ and out of the play. While not a ‘straight up’ sports movie, this musical has all the elements that make sports movies work.
#8–The Sandlot
This is a classic movie that I can sit down and watch with my kids and we all enjoy it. “The Sandlot” is a story about a young boy, and how baseball defined his connection to his friends and his stepfather. New in town, Scotty is alone until Benny recruits him to be the 9th man on their baseball team. He has never played before, doesn’t know anything about it. But if baseball will get him friends he’s all for it. Ignorant of the history of baseball, Scotty takes his stepfather’s baseball (autographed by Babe Ruth) out to the sandlot–only to lose it over the fence where a very intimidating dog resides. This movie includes a wonderful appearance by James Earl Jones, and a shockingly pleasant (though brief) appearance by Denis Leary.
#7–Hoosiers
Now this movie takes me back to my freshman year in high school. My basketball team made it to the state championships, and as an ‘over the top’ effort at motivation our coach had us watch this movie. It must have helped because we ended up in 2nd place, by only a very small margin.
“Hoosiers” is the story of an Indiana high school basketball team and their very unlikely journey towards the state championship. Expectations start low, but the teams goes farther than anyone would have imagined. Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper deliver excellent performances!
#6–Happy Gilmore
“Happy Gilmore” is probably the funniest sports movie out there. Adam Sandler plays the title character–an out-of-luck hockey player who finds he’s got an amazing ability to hit a golf ball a really long way. When his granny is forced out of her home for failure to pay her taxes, Happy gets himself on the professional golfing tour to earn the money to buy it back for her. With Adam Sandler’s usual humor this movie will keep you laughing and keep you cheering throughout. Don’t look for anything deep or meaningful in this one, “Happy Gilmore” is meant for nothing more than a good laugh–and it delivers.
#5–The Quiet Man
Of all the movies John Wayne made, especially those in which he was paired with Maureen O’Hara, “The Quiet Man” one of my few favorites. I mean, I like a lot of John Wayne movies, but this one comes in as one of the best of the best. John Wayne portrays Sean Thornton, a boxer who retreats to his childhood homeland of Ireland after a boxing match that leaves his opponent dead, only to be forced back into fighting to win the love and loyalty of his feisty wife.
#4–A League of Their Own
As a woman, and a sports fan, how could I not love “A League of Their Own?” This movie is a fictionalized account of a very real time in US history. At the height of World War II a ladies professional baseball league was formed–the All American Girls Professional Baseball League. This movie mixes some good baseball with the groundbreaking feats of these women who opened up a whole new world for female athletes. Geena Davis and Tom Hanks both deliver amazing performances. Davis is Dottie Hinson, the star pitcher for the Rockford Peaches and the wife of a soldier off at war. Tom Hanks plays Jim Dugan, the drunken, washed up former star and manager for the Peaches. “A League of Their Own” balances humor (Jon Lovitz has a small but hilarious role) and drama to create a movie that goes beyond sports to the heart of social changes.
#3–Gladiator
You might think it’s a bit of a stretch to put a movie like this into a ‘Top 10 Sports Movies’ list, but the gladiatorial games of ancient Rome was the first sporting event to really pack out a stadium–the Colosseum.
Maximus (Russell Crowe) is a Roman general whom, through his honorable leadership, the emperor of Rome has chosen to succeed him as leader upon his death. This doesn’t sit well with the emperor’s son, and the son finds a way to ensure his own ascent. Thinking Maximus to be dead, the emperor is shocked to see him turn up in the arena during the Games thrown in honor of his father’s passing as a gladiator. Maximus must fight his way through many a man and beast to be free from the arena forever.
#2–Million Dollar Baby
If you don’t like the typical, feel-good sports movie than this one is for you. “Million Dollar Baby” is a gut-wrenching story of a female fighter (Hilary Swank) whose persistence wears down the resistance of an aging trainer (Clint Eastwood) and his ‘assistant’ (Morgan Freeman). It definitely brings a whole new meaning to the age-old taunt ‘you fight like a girl.’
Have you ever watched a movie once, known it was one of the best movies you’ve ever seen, and at the same time know you will never watch it again? I’ve only seen “Million Dollar Baby” once, and I don’t think I can handle watching it again. It’s amazing, phenomenally well-done, gut-wrenching and more than I can emotionally handle watching again.
#1–Field of Dreams
Moving from my #2 pick which I have only (and will only) see once to a movie I’ve seen more times than I can count...
“Field of Dreams” is one of my all-time favorite movies, and quite easily my very favorite sports movie. It’s about baseball, it’s about family, and it’s about forgiveness. As a child, Ray Kinsella says some pretty harsh things to his father. By the time he’s grown mature enough to realize how wrong he was it’s too late to take it back. When Ray gets the chance to do something for his father’s idol (the late ‘Shoeless’ Joe Jackson) he does it–building a baseball in the middle of his Iowa corn field. When he built it, they did come–the Chicago ‘Black’ Sox. The voice keeps sending Ray farther and farther, until he finally learns what it was all about.
Conclusion
Sometimes sports action is the focal point that makes a movie great, sometimes it’s off to the background. No matter where it is, the sports element in each of these movies is what makes it a part of my ‘Top 10.’ I hope you enjoy these movies as much as I have.
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CindyJean
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