50 Sports Flics You Shouldn't Miss
Mar 02 '01
The Bottom Line Watch all fifty of these films. If you love sports, you will enjoy the vast majority of these. Then, rank them for yourself.
Everybody has there own way of rating movies. Many critics rate the movie specifically on the acting, plot, special effects, etc. I must warn you. I rate a movie by how much I enjoy it. The true test of a good movie is how much you enjoy the film, the tenth time you watch it. Although I'm only 34, I am sentimental to the old days of our National Pastime (Baseball). I think you will be able to see that in my ratings. No matter what you think of the way I rate these movies, I suggest you see them all and decide for yourself.
My 50 Favorite Sports Movies
1. Rocky (1976) Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith - The ultimate underdog movie...Rocky Balboa (Stallone) rises from the bums to fight for a heavyweight title.
2. The Longest Yard (1974) Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert
Convicted ex-pro quarterback Paul Crewe (Reynolds) leads a team of inmates against the prison guards. This film has good acting, a good story, and some very funny moments.
3. Field of Dreams (1989) Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Amy Magidan, Burt Lancaster--An Iowa farmer (Costner) builds a baseball diamond in his corn field. The field is visited by deceased major leaguers such as Joe Jackson, Joe Wood, etc. This is my sentimental favorite for the beauty of the innocence and way of life baseball used to be.
4. Rudy (1993) Sean Astin, Ned Beatty - The best true underdog story ever filmed. The film is based on the story of Rudy Ruettinger's desire to become a Notre Dame football player.
5. The Natural (1984) Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger, etc. Redford stars as Roy Hobbs who becomes a great baseball hero. This film has it all..stars, special effects, story-line, etc.
6. The Absent-Minded Professor (1961) Fred MacMurray, Mary Olsen - Professor Ned Brainerd (MacMurray) accidentally invents Flubber, which is a substance that can make objects fly or jump very high. Flubber is put on the soles of the basketball team which propels them to success.
7. Pride of the Yankees (1942) Gary Cooper, Walter Brennan
Also known as the Lou Gehrig Story.
8. Rocky II (1979) Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith...Sequel to Rocky...but this time he wins!
9. Caddyshack (1980) Rodney Dangerfield, Chevy Chase, Bill Murray. Great golf comedy...will keep you laughing.
10. Hoosiers (1986) Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper - Hackman coaches a small Indiana High School Basketball Team to the title game.
11. It Happens Every Spring (1949) Ray Milland, Paul Douglas - A substance is applied to a baseball that makes it impossible to hit.
12. Fear Strikes Out (1957) Anthony Perkins, Karl Malden
Anthony Perkins plays major-leaguer Jimmy Piersall and his journey that led to his nervous breakdown. This is a must-see story for any parent that has a child playing sports.
13. Brian's Song (1970) Billy D. Williams, James Caan.
True story about Chicago Bears Star Brian Piccolo who was struck with leukemia in his prime.
14. Knute Rockne, All-American (1940) Pat O'Brien, Ronald Reagan - The story of the legendary Notre Dame football coach and their star player, George Gipp.
15. The Stratton Story (1949) Jimmy Stewart, June Allyson -
The story of White Sox pitcher, Monty Stratton, whose leg was amputated after a hunting accident.
16. Jim Thorpe, All-American (1951) Burt Lancaster, Charles Bickford - Accurate depiction of the life of Jim Thorpe.
17. The Kid From Left Field (1953) Dan Dailey, Lloyd Bridges, Anne Bancroft An ex-ball player, whose temper had kept him from a managing job, gets control of the team through his son and leads them to a pennant.
18. The Winning Team (1952) Ronald Reagan, Doris Day
The story of Hall of Famer, Grover Cleveland Alexander and his troubled life.
19. Rhubarb (1951) Ray Milland, William Frawley, Jan Sterling - A cat inherits a baseball team.
20. Angels in the Outfield (1951) Paul Douglas, Janet Leigh, Keenan Wynn Angels in heaven watch out for the awful Pittsburg Pirates.
21. The Son of Flubber (1963) Fred MacMurray - Sequel to the Absent-Minded Professor. This time Flubber is used on the football field.
22. Slap Shot (1977) Paul Newman, Strother Martin.
Newman coaches a minor league hockey team. Possibly the best hockey movie ever.
23. The Babe Ruth Story (1948) William Frawley, Charles Bickford, Claire Trevor The historical, well-protrayed Babe Ruth Story. This is the story that we all wanted to believe, but in truth it is the fictional version.
24. The Jackie Robinson Story (1950) Jackie Robinson, Ruby Dee - Jackie Robinson playing himself is what makes this movie. You know it is accurately portrayed. However, it was a low-budget film.
25. Damn Yankees (1958) Gwen Verdon, Tab Hunter, Ray Walston - This is the film version of the Broadway hit. It was one of the first old baseball movies I ever saw, and I've always loved it.
26. Major League (1989) Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Rene Russo, Wesley Snipes The Cleveland Indians finally win the pennant with a cast of unlikely characters.
27. Fastbreak (1979) Gabe Kaplan, Bernard King, Mike Warren - Kaplan recruits four New York playground kids to a small Nevada college to make run against a national power.
28. One on One (1977) Robby Benson, Annette O'Toole -
High School basketball star runs into corruption and a tough coach at the collegiate level.
29. Bull Durham (1988) Kevin Costner, Tim Robbins, Susan Sarandon. Costner stars as Crash Davis, a journeyman minor league catcher. The movie mixes baseball with real life.
30. Raging Bull (1980) Robert DeNiro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci - The biography of Jake LaMotta.
31. Diggstown (1992) James Woods, Lou Gossett, Jr., Bruce Dern - Very under-rated movie, which is elevated by its conclusion
32. Tin Cup (1996) Kevin Costner, Rene Russo, Don Johnson, Cheech Marin - Roy McEvoy, a failed pro-golfer, makes it to the last hole of the US Open with the lead. Then...
33. The Bad News Bears (1976) Walter Mathau, Tatum O'Neal A group of kids form a little league team and to begin with, they are quite bad.
34. Paper Lion (1968) Alan Alda, Lauren Hutton, Alex Karas. A sportswriter works out with the Detroit Lions and actually plays in an exhibition game.
35. Don't Look Back (1981) Lou Gossett, Jr. - The story of Leroy "Satchel" Paige, perhaps the greatest Negro League Baseball Player of All-Time. The film is highlighted by the appearance of Satchel at the end.
36. All the Right Moves (1983) Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson Lea Thompson - A Pennsylvania High School Star clashes with his head coach.
37. Kill The Umpire (1950) William Bendix, Una Merkel, Ray Collins, William Frawley. Fictional comedy about umpire Bill Johnson.
38. Somebody Up There Likes Me (1956) Paul Newman, Pier Angeli, Everett Sloan, Steve McQueen - Biography of Rocky Graziano's rise to the top.
39. Jerry Maguire (1997) Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. - A movie about a down and out sports agent who manages to sign one client that gets him back on his feet.
40. Heaven Can Wait (1978) Warren Beatty, Julie Christie
Quarterback Joe Pendleton returns to earth in another man's body after being pronounced dead.
41. The Waterboy (1998) Adam Sandler, Henry Winkler, Kathy Bates. Bobby Boucher is the waterboy who turns out to be a heck of a football player. This film is very funny.
42. A Day At the Races (1937) Goucho, Harpo, and Chico Marx. Typical Marx Brothers comedy.
43. Eight Men Out (1988) John Cusack, Clifton James, Charlie Sheen Story of the 1919 Black Sox.
44. Le Mans (1971) Steve McQueen, Sigfried Rauch - A good view of Grand Prix racing and a duel between a German Ferrari and an American Porsche.
45. Take Me Out to The Ball Game (1949) Gene Kelly, Frank Sinatra. Baseball Musical. The actors athleticism is not too good, but the music is great.
46. A Winner Never Quits (1986) Keith Carradine - The true story of one-armed St. Louis Browns outfielder Pete Gray.
47. Pride of St. Louis (1952) Dan Dailey, Richard Crenna
The Story of Dizzie & Paul Dean.
48. Roogie's Bump (1954) Robert Marriot, Ruth Warrick, William Harrigan The spirit of deceased ballplayer Red O'Malley blesses Roogie Risby with a powerful arm.
49. Fighting Back (1980) Robert Urich, Art Carney, Howard Cosell, Bubba Smith - The story of Rocky Bleier and his comeback after being wounded in Vietnam.
50. Grand Prix (1966) James Garner, Eva Marie Saint - A story of a race car drivers success on the track and with the women.
I won't say I have seen every Sports film ever made, but I have seen most. There may be a sleeper or two out there that I haven't watched. Certainly, Diggstown is a sleeper on my list.
I found it hard to rank different types of movies. Old movies and newer ones have different styles. How do you rank a sports epic with a love story? I did my best.
I hope you have the chance to enjoy all of these films. Then, rank them for yourself.
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Epinions.com ID:
Santo10
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Member: Howard Whitley
Location: Saint Pauls, NC
Reviews written: 21
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