Tuesday, August 06, 2024
The Olympics are back, having returned to Paris for the first time in a century (if you're not familiar with that 100-year-old history, no worries—there's a movie about it). Sports fans, of course, can find reasons to be entertained by films that depict and dramatize all the best action, but plenty of movies have been broadly popular hits among even the uninitiated. Even viewers who wouldn't sit through a baseball game might tear up at the human drama depicted in movies like Field of Dreams or A League of Their Own; you don't need to be an expert in football to cheer for Rudy or the Titans. Whether based on real-life events or completely fictionalized, movies can distill the thrill of the game(s) into a manageable, emotional two-or-so-hour chunk, capturing emotional moments that might take seasons to build to in real life, while also going behind the scenes to visit the human drama that you'd never get while watching the big game or your favorite event.
These are some of the best, most emotional, and most inspiring sports movies currently streaming.
Challengers (2024)
It's a tennis movie, sure—and by all accounts an impressively accurate one. I'll have to take their word for it. But it's from Call Me By Your Name's director Luca Guadagnino, bringing us the horny bisexual romantic sports drama we didn't know we needed. Zendaya stars as a former tennis pro turned coach who falls into a love triangle with her champion husband (Mike Faist) and her low-circuit boyfriend (Josh O'Connor). The chemistry between the three is a smash.
Where to stream: MGM+, digital rental
Chariots of Fire (1981)
The Vangelis theme tune might be better remembered than the movie at this point, but this Best Picture Oscar winner takes an unconventional approach that largely pays off. Set in and around the 1924 Olympics in Paris (the last time they were held there), the movie dramatizes the real-life stories of Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross), a track and field runner and an English Jew fighting to overcome prejudice, and Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson), a devout Christian whose uncompromising convictions made national headlines. The pacing might be on the slow side for a film about competitive running, but it's a straight-up shot of sports-related inspiration.
Where to stream: digital rental
The Set-Up (1949)
Robert Wise, the director who brought us one of our best musicals in West Side Story, as well as a couple of our best horror and science fiction movies (The House on Haunted Hill and The Day the Earth Stood Still) also gifted us The Set Up, a brilliantly sweaty boxing movie that also stands as a great film noir. Like Robert Ryan’s tired, has-been boxer Stoker Thompson, the movie is lean and dirty, taking place mostly in a smoky, small-time arena in which there aren’t any saints. Noir mainstay Audrey Totter plays his wife—she knows he’s on his last legs, but also knows they have nothing if he can’t win (or throw) just one more fight.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Friday Night Lights (2004)
Though “based on a true story,” Friday Night Lights uses H. G. Bissinger’s non-fiction book of the same name (and the season it depicts) as only a loose framework, finding its primary inspiration in the idea of a small Texas town for which high school football is the only significant industry—it's loosely based on the championship run of the 1988 Permian High School Panthers from Odessa, Texas. As with the later TV series adaptation, it’s both an inspiring tale of impressive athletics and a slightly pathetic portrait of a community with not much else going for it. It features a particularly good performance from Billy Bob Thornton as the controversial Coach Gaines.
Where to stream: Starz, digital rental
Hoop Dreams (1994)
This one's a documentary, but no less compelling for it. Hoop Dreams is about two Black teenagers (William Gates and Arthur Agee) recruited for a predominantly white high school’s basketball program, is every bit as fascinating and relevant today as it was back in 1994, in ways both inspiring and depressing. The stories of their lives, told over the course of six years, are fascinating and engaging, though they speak to much larger issues: These teenagers see success in professional basketball as their only way out and up in the America they inhabit—that vanishingly small chance of success still representing their best hopes. Through Gates and Agee, documentarian Steve James explores daily life beyond media depictions of “the ghetto” as merely a place for white people to avoid, as well as the grift that’s at the heart of anyone promising the American dream.
Where to stream: Max, Paramount+, The Criterion Channel, Crackle, digital rental
The Express (2008)
Rob Brown leads the cast as Ernie Davis, the “Elmira Express,” who lead Syracuse University to a national championship in just his sophomore year, becoming the first Black recipient of the Heisman Trophy. In the movie, as in real life, Davis faces ugly examples of racism, playing in an era when Black players were only starting to become a more familiar sight. The film goes hard on “inspirational sports movie” tropes, but tastefully, and without creeping into full-on tearjerker mode, even when Davis’ leukemia diagnosis brings a premature end to his career. Brown is great, but The Express also marked the film debut of Chadwick Boseman, who plays Floyd Little, Davis’ successor at Syracuse.
Where to stream: Max, digital rental
A League of Their Own (1992)
Back before it was enshrined as a minor classic, this movie’s success might have seemed wildly unlikely, despite the stacked cast (Geena Davis, Rosie O’Donnell, Tom Hanks, Madonna) and direction from Penny Marshall. The true-ish story of the relatively short-lived All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (founded during WWII to keep baseball alive while the men were off at war) sounds poised for overt sentimentality—and it kinda is—but Marshall’s cynical sensibilities lend it a strong sense of humor and help it avoid descending into mawkishness (after all: There's no crying in baseball). The movie was (and remains) broadly popular, but has a special place in the hearts of many a sports-averse queer kid who showed up to see Madonna and left with an appreciation for baseball. Or maybe that's just me?
Where to stream: Digital rental
Remember the Titans (2000)
High school football was a way of life in Alexandria, Virginia in the 1970s. We’ve seen that before, but 1971 was the year in which the all-white and all-Black schools were integrated, to the outrage of white parents. Adding to the tensions was the potential disruption to local athletics, providing a cover story for those who preferred not to be seen as overtly racist but still opposed the merging of the two schools. Denzel Washington plays the real-life Herman Boone, the coach who winds up getting the job leading the team, picked over the already legendary coach of the former white school’s team. There’s a formula at work here, but the depiction of a moment in history makes the story both more fraught and more interesting. It’s a legit crowd-pleaser.
Where to stream: Disney+, digital rental
Rocky (1976)
As inspirational sports narratives go, it’s hard to beat Rocky’s blend of old-school fist-pumping and just enough realism (that not-entirely-happy ending, for instance) to keep things from ever getting too schmaltzy. The meta-narrative doesn’t hurt, either: His screenplay and starring role catapulted Rocky-esque underdog Sylvester Stallone from Hollywood bit player to the A-list (he was nominated for an Oscar, and the movie won Best Picture and Best Director). And, of course, it kicked off a franchise that, while having gone down more than once, is still going strong.
Where to stream: Prime Video, digital rental
Moneyball (2011)
I’m still not sure how a movie about the intersection of baseball and statistics manages to be so broadly compelling, even for those of us with limited affinity for either—but here we are. Aaron Sorkin co-wrote the screenplay, and it has displays the strengths of his better works without many of his annoying tics; it’s a talky movie that builds its dramatic moments not around events on the field, but around people talking about them. Brad Pitt plays Billy Beane, general manager of the Oakland A’s who, against a century of tradition, decides to put his money on statistical analysis (embodied by his numbers guy, played by Jonah Hill) in order to build a winning team. It's a reminder that pro sports are played at least as hard behind-the-scenes as they are on the field.
Where to stream: Peacock, digital rental
King Richard (2021)
It was, and remains, an odd choice to make a movie about Venus and Serena Williams that focuses on their father rather than the tennis legends themselves—but the two produced the movie, and it seems like it's the story they wanted to tell. Will Smith, who won an Oscar after contributing to one of the most stressful nights in Academy history, is pretty brilliant here as the hard-driving but affectionate father who'd groomed his daughters for success on the tennis court from the day they were born. The movie paints a nuanced picture of a father who never stops pushing his daughters, but who also turns out to have been absolutely right in his conviction that they could be among the greatest to ever play the game.
Where to stream: Max, Peacock, digital rental
Knute Rockne, All American (1940)
Based on the life of Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne, the movie is probably most famous for providing future President Ronald Reagan with a life-long catchphrase (one that makes absolutely zero sense if you’re not actually star football player George Gipp), Knute Rockne, All American is still an entirely enjoyable early football movie that sets in place many of the tropes that would come to dominate the genre: hard-nosed but big-hearted coach, climactic big game, and a tragedy that inspired everyone to fight that much harder.
Where to stream: digital rental
I, Tonya (2017)
This ice-skating rockumentary doesn't make a hero of Tonya Harding, exactly, but avoids mocking her even as it plays fast and loose with the events of her life and the frenzy surrounding the 1994 attack on skater Nancy Kerrigan—an attack in which Tonya may or may not have played a direct part. Treating Tonya (Margot Robbie) and ex-husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan) as thoroughly unreliable narrators, the movie revisits one of the most sensational stories in Olympic figure-skating history. Robbie is great, as is Allison Janney as her hectoring, abusive mother.
Where to stream: Max, digital rental
Field of Dreams (1989)
Whatever your feelings about the sport in general, it’s tough to walk away from Field of Dreams without feeling like James Earl Jones is on to something when he talks about baseball as the rare constant in modern American history. On one level, it’s a story about a farmer struggling to pay his bills and about to lose his land. On another, it’s a slightly bonkers fantasy about the ghosts of dead baseball players speaking to Kevin Costner in the same way that, in a different movie, angels might whisper advice in someone’s ear. It’s all quite silly, but so skillfully made that it’s hard not to be drawn in—especially if you have daddy issues; that climactic game of catch between Costner and his ghostly patriarch is basically your permission to sob openly every time you watch it.
Where to stream: Peacock
Body & Soul (1947)
John Garfield was at the top of Hollywood’s A-list before he ran afoul of the House Un-American Activities Committee, and this film, one of Garfield’s best, speaks to that era in ways that HUAC couldn’t have been happy about. A gruff working-class New Yorker (as Garfield had been himself), Charley Davis gets into boxing against the wishes of his mother, rising up the ladder with the support of some unscrupulous characters. He takes as a trainer a Black boxer (Canada Lee, a brilliant actor also soon to be brought down by HUAC) no longer able to find work because of his skin color. Given the choice between his principles and money, Charley chooses the former, even if he knows it could mean his life.
Where to stream: The Roku Channel, Plex
Damn Yankees (1958)
A delightfully old-school Hollywood musical (based on the Broadway show, and a novel before that), Damn Yankees also takes its inspiration from Faust; blending sports, musical comedy, and demonic bargains in the story of an aging baseball fan who literally sells his soul in order to secure his beloved Washington Senators a win over those damn Yankees. If it doesn’t have the most memorable line-up of songs in American musical history, it does give us Gwen Verdon, equally hilarious and sultry, tempting gay icon Tab Hunter with the seductive ditty “Whatever Lola Wants.”
Where to stream: Prime Video, Tubi, Prime Video
Rudy (1993)
All but guaranteed to melt the hardest of hearts, Rudy pushes every emotional button and still, improbably, creates a believable world in which we can’t help but root for the literal little guy. Broke, undersized, dyslexic, and without any particular skills (at least in the movie), Rudy (inspired by the real-life Rudy Ruettiger who, at a wee 5 feet 6 inches, pursued his dream of playing football) commits himself to his highly improbable dream of both attending Notre Dame, and of playing for its football team. Sean Astin is absolutely iconic as the underdog hero.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Bull Durham (1988)
Bull Durham works not by side-stepping the details of the game, but by digging into the details with a nearly forensic eye (the movie was written directed by Ron Shelton, who spent several years as a minor league player). There’s a love triangle in the mix too—between a super-groupie played by Susan Sarandon, a rookie played by Tim Robbins, and the never-was veteran catcher brought in to coach him (Kevin Costner)—and the fine performances sell it, but the movie is more concerned with selling baseball itself. It’s a compelling portrait of the behind-the-scenes drama that plays out on the field.
Where to stream: Tubi, MGM+, digital rental
Raging Bull (1980)
Jake LaMotta isn’t a hero. Instead of celebrating the sweet science as so many boxing films do, Martin Scorsese’s early ‘80s masterwork meditates on the idea that, surprise, the “masculine” brand of violence boxing celebrates might not be confined to the ring. Robert DeNiro’s LaMotta is a pretty poor excuse for a human being, but Scorsese makes his rise and fall fascinating nonetheless. Moreover, the fight photography is hypnotic, with the matches feeling like beautiful, horrific fever dreams that capture a sense of what it might be like to be inside a ring rather than watching from the floor.
Where to stream: Max, digital rental
The Sandlot (1993)
A shamelessly nostalgic coming-of-age movie that has itself become an object of nostalgia, this ‘60s-set summertime classic follows Scott Smalls (Tom Guiry), the friendless new kid in town who doesn’t know a single thing about baseball, but takes an opening on the local sandlot team, hoping to fake it until he makes it. It’s filled with quirky characters and hits all the expected story beats, yet though it received a mixed reception back in 1993, it’s shown impressive staying power with the kids who watched it growing up. For those of us with limited interest in the sport, Smalls is right there with us.
Where to stream: Disney+, Hulu, digital rental
Concussion (2015)
Traumatic brain injury, specifically chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), is still a subject of debate for doctors and the NFL, though conversation now is less about whether or not repeated concussions in sports can have long term consequences, but about the extent of the potential damage. Following Will Smith’s Dr. Bennet Omalu, Concussion isn’t a sports movie per se, in that it doesn’t focus on athletics or big-game set pieces so much as it does the real-life battle between a forensic pathologist and football industry types who weren’t terribly interested in hearing what he had to tell them.
Where to stream: Digital rental
White Men Can't Jump (1992)
Wesley Snipes gives a smart, funny performance in this basketball-themed comedy-drama, as does Woody Harrelson—though, of course, Rosie Perez steals every scene she’s in. About a couple of Venice Beach basketball hustlers, at its heart it's a coming-of-age story about a couple of guys who are maybe a little too old to be in a coming-of-age movie. It was one of director Stanley Kubrick’s favorite movies.
Where to stream: Max, digital rental
Major League (1989)
I suspect many baseball fans would put Major League near the top of their own list of sports movie favorites, but its goofy humor and underdog narrative have made it a broadly popular and well-remembered bit of ‘80s nostalgia beyond that group. A former Las Vegas showgirl (played by Margaret Whitton) inherits the Cleveland Indians from her dead husband. Wanting nothing more than to move to Miami, the widow decides to take the team with her, which she can contractually only do if attendance falls below a certain threshold. No problem: She just makes sure to assemble the worst team possible. Before too long, though, the team (which includes Tom Berenger and Charlie Sheen) gets wind of her plan, and what follows is an unchallenging but appealing blend of lowbrow comedy and legitimately appealing underdog story.
Where to stream: Max, digital rental
We Are Marshall (2006)
After a 1970 plane crash that killed members of the Marshall University football team, the plan was to suspend football indefinitely for the school—but the few surviving members of the team convinced the University President to rebuild the team. The movie focuses on Matthew McConaughey’s rookie coach, Jack Lengyel, who is joined by one of the only surviving members of the previous coaching staff (Red Dawson, played by Matthew Fox) in creating a new team from scratch. Initially, they’re not very good, but the team’s determination is where the inspirational aspect really kick into gear.
Where to stream: Digital rental
Creed (2015)
Creed simultaneously revived the Rocky franchise and pointed toward the future of boxing movies, celebrating everything that we love about the genre while also turning old tropes on their heads. Donnie Creed is a scrappy underdog too, but he’s also the rich son of boxing royalty facing off against a gruff, working class opponent. Michael B. Jordan is more than a match for earlier boxing greats, while director Ryan Coogler creates a movie that’s thoughtful and contemplative while never forgetting to be crowd-pleasing. Sylvester Stallone, back as Rocky, gives one of his best performances ever as the one-time great surrendering to the depredations of old age.
Where to stream: MGM+, Prime Video
The Karate Kid (1984)
Rocky director John G. Avildsen went from working class Philly to low-rent Reseda, Los Angeles in this mega-hit following bullied 17-year-old Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) as he faces off against karate champ Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) and his unambiguously evil sensei John Kreese (Martin Kove). Pat Morita earned an Academy Award nomination for his role as Mr. Miyagi, and the movie has uplifting music, a big championship finale, and a legacy such that we're still hanging out with these characters. What more do you need?
Where to stream: Starz, digital rental
Love & Basketball (2000)
Sanaa Lathan and Omar Epps generate heat in this debut from writer-director Gina Prince-Bythewood. The two characters grow together, their mutual love of basketball bringing them together but also frequently pulling them apart. Tracing their relationship over years, the underrated movie flawlessly balances its character work with a real love of the game, and an appreciation for the kind of effort that it takes to make it.
Where to stream: Paramount+, digital rental
The Champion (1949)
The first of two genuinely great boxing movies directed by Mark Robson (The Harder They Fall would follow in 1956) stars Kirk Douglas as a back-stabbing, brutal boxing champ who ruthlessly climbs up the ladder while treating the people in his life (especially the women) like garbage. Deeply cynical about success, American-style, the film came from producer Stanley Kramer and writer Carl Foreman, who would collaborate just a couple of years later on High Noon, an anti-HUAC film that would set off a firestorm in a much more charged climate.
Where to stream: Digital rental
The Pride of the Yankees (1942)
Before The Pride of the Yankees was released in 1942, baseball movies were just, well, baseball movies. There were plenty of films about the game, but none of them were likely to appeal to non-baseball fans (granted, that accounted for a much smaller portion of the population at the time). Pride, starring Gary Cooper, tracks the life of New York Yankees first baseman Lou Gehrig, who’d died of ALS only a year before the movie came out. Baseball isn’t incidental to this story by any means, but the movie considers the entire scope of his life and tragically young death, with a climactic on-the-field speech that remains incredibly powerful.
Where to stream: Tubi, Peacock, Prime Video
The Iron Claw (2023)
An A24 dramatization of the real-life Von Erich family, the movie follows three wrestling brothers (played by Zac Efron, Jeremy Allen White, and Harris Dickinson), part of a family long seen as cursed for its seemingly endless tragedies. There's quite a bit about the American dream here, but there's also an exploration of American-style masculinity, and the high price of success when the trials outside the ring are at least as great as those within.
Where to stream: Max, digital rental
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