The sports movie genre has delivered some incredibly inspirational tales. Some are based on actual events, while others are fictional. They highlight the hard work, dedication and eventual success of man and beast alike.
Not all sports films hit the mark, but those that have are part of cinema legend. If you’re searching for something to watch, check out these titles:
1. Seabiscuit
Anyone who has ever scored big on Grand National betting knows what it’s like to watch an underdog pass the winning post first. While it seems like those big winners are less common than they previously were with all the data at the market’s disposal, it still happens. If you’re getting inspired for your next big bet, watch ‘Seabiscuit’.
‘Seabiscuit’ is an exciting film about an underdog racehorse set in the era of the Great Depression. It hits all the emotional notes by highlighting the struggle in every scene.
You cannot go wrong with Seabiscuit if you love an equine movie. Three men and a horse, it’s that simple.
2. Rocky
The original ‘Rocky’ film is still a classic even today. Set on the mean streets of Philadelphia, Rocky Balboa works for the mob in clawing back debts. He falls in love with a woman and gains the opportunity of a lifetime when he’s hand-picked by reigning world heavyweight champion Apollo Creed.
While some prefer the subsequent ‘Rocky’ films, the original still stands the test of time. The 1976 original featured the training montage that started it all.
Made on a budget of less than $1m, it turned into a sleeper hit that generated $225m at the box office.
3. Raging Bull
Made by Martin Scorsese, a man who famously finds sports boring, Robert De Niro was the catalyst that pushed the story of Jake LaMotta onto the big screen.
Unlike ‘Rocky’, it’s far from a film that settles exclusively on boxing. Instead, it covers the violence, women and pain that would punctuate LaMotta’s troubled existence as one of the world’s most famous boxers.
It’s a gritty, brutal and agonizing look into the dark reality of boxing. It’s no surprise De Niro’s performance won him the Best Actor Oscar and ‘Raging Bull’ became one of Scorsese’s top five films.
4. Bull Durham
‘Bull Durham’ was Kevin Costner’s high point as a gruff veteran baseball catcher named Crash Davis. Languishing in the minor leagues, he hired a tutor, played by Tim Robbins, and together they attacked the world of baseball.
This is the sport of baseball at its most philosophical. The constant tension between young and old represents the conflict of natural talent versus hard work.
No baseball film has come close to digging as deeply into the DNA of the quintessential American sport as ‘Bull Durham’.
5. Hoop Dreams
‘Hoop Dreams’ is a documentary that follows two teens from the Chicago area as they battle to make it to the NBA. This three-hour film covers all the bases, from poverty to a failing education system and the entrenched racism present at the time.
It shines a light on what many inspirational sports films ignore: the basketball apparatus that makes and breaks the hopes and dreams of thousands of young men every year.
‘Hoop Dreams’ is a winning addition to this list because everyone can relate to it on varying levels. Young people watching this film might see themselves with their hopes of becoming a professional sportsperson. On the other hand, parents may find themselves being hit harder by this film, as they watch children like their own fighting and suffering to accomplish their goals.
Never has a free throw been more momentous than in ‘Hoop Dreams’.
6. The Wrestler
‘The Wrestler’ follows an ageing wrestler whose glory years are long past, yet his passion for the business drives him on. It’s the film that brought Mickey Rourke back to respectability, as he plays Randy “The Ram” Robinson, a wrestler searching for redemption.
The plot follows his relationship with a stripper who comes into his life and his reunion with his estranged daughter. It’s never overblown and never crosses the line into unrealistic.
Director Darren Aronofsky’s comeback movie was responsible for restoring the reputations of many of Hollywood’s big-name actors.
Conclusion
Sports films are about much more than portraying a favourite team that wins it all. They have a habit of digging deep into the molecular levels of sports and society at that time. These snapshots of a world gone by are a nostalgic look into yesteryear.
If you’re searching for a picture that runs the gamut of emotion, these are the films for you. What’s your favourite sports film?
