5 Essential Sports Flicks

C'mon, is it really possible to select the 5 best sports flicks? I'd rather choose a list that is eclectic, like a good buffet. Consider this your guide if you have one sports night, and you neither want to bore your guests nor run off your girlfriend. Warning: you are about to enter a "Rocky" and "Hoosiers" free zone.

I see dead people- Field Of Dreams (1989)

The source of the most famous movie whisper in cinematic history("If You Build It, They Will Come"), Field Of Dreams is a sports movie I name only. It stars Kevin Costner as a Quixotic corn farmer who builds a baseball field at the behest of voices he hears. After a year of no activity, his family on the brink of bankruptcy, he sees ghosts of baseball past and invites them to play-it is little wonder his family questions his sanity at first.

At it's core, Field of Dreams is about attaining peace with the past. It nudges you to ask, "what moment would you want to have back?" It features legend Burt Lancaster in his final film role as a doctor with one regret-he played one major league game, but never batted, and Ray Liotta as "Shoeless" Joe Jackson, a man who many believe is innocent of the 1919 scandal that resulted in his lifetime ban from baseball.

Fighting for Honor- The Karate Kid (1984)

This one has all the essential elements. Fatherless and lonely outsider(Ralph Macchio in his signature performance) comes to strange land(Reseda, CA form Newark, NJ) wih harried mom. Attracts eye of bully's ex-girlfriend(Elisabeth Shue). Boy gets thrashed by bully and his friends. Lonely old man(Pat Morita) rescues boy, and reluctantly agrees to teach him self-defense. Boy learns old man lost his family in war, and old man becomes surrogate father. Frustrated boy learns patience, perseverance and balance-oh, and conquers the bully. All to the dulcet tones of Peter Cetera. This is one sports movie that can qualify as a family movie and a romance, with action, perfect for those "compromise" nights with the better half

Of the Father, The Son, and The Holy Jumpshot- He Got Game(1998)

This is a pick that won't make a lot of lists, but it's here because it is by far the most athletically credible basketball movie ever made, as well as one of the more ambitious in scope. It stars Denzel Washington as Jake Shuttlesworth, the convict father of Jesus, a top flite New York high school basketball star. Jake is serving a life sentence for accidentally killing his wife, Jesus' mother. He's given a furlough to meet up Jesus, with this caveat; convince his son to go to the governor's alma mater, and his sentence will be commuted.

NBA star Ray Allen as Jesus lends instant credibility. For us hoop heads, it's hardly a stretch, as 21yo Allen was himself only 4 years removed from the same ravenous recruiting process. Director Spike Lee throws us further bones by having several actual coaching icons cameo, and populating Jesus' high school team with recent college basketball greats. But there is an even bigger surprise-the acting of Allen himself, which drew accolades from such prominent critics as Roger Ebert and Janet Maslin.

There is conflict and treachery aplenty surrounding Jesus during the process, and everyone is on their own agenda, from Rosario Dawson as the girlfriend desperate not to be left behind, to the scheming relatives. Through it all, Jesus remains guileless and noble, striving to keeping he and his little sister's interests first. He Got Game paints a compelling tableaux of what happens when various interests collide.

Born to do it- Ali (2001)

Has there ever been a man more suited to play a pop culture giant than Will Smith as Muhammad Ali? His flamboyance, gift of gab, athletic build, and even skin tone make it unlikely that anyone else was seriously in the running for the role. It also doesn't hurt that Smith is one of the few box office magnets who isn't short.

The arc of the movie is the period form 1964-1974, when Ali was the most compelling and polarizing figure in sport. As J. Hoberman of the Village Voice puts it, the movie from the start "contextualizes the hero in his times." The narrative quick without feeling rushed, and although sympathetic to Ali and his principled stands, it never falls prey to cloying sentimentality. The climax is the iconic Rumble In The Jungle, at the time the most anticipated sporting event of the 20^th Century.

In this era, where boxing is marginalized, it's easy to forget that the biggest sports personalities were boxers. Ali captures the organically viral buildup to the Great Fihts in the pre-ESPN era without seeming dated. Oh, and one more thing the fight scenes are sublime

Can You Come Out And Play?-White Men Can't Jump (1992)

Although it was a hard decision between this and Caddyshack, I came down on this buddy flick as the most fun sports movie. Woody Harrelson plays the titular character, Billy Hoyle, whose corny hick manner and less than imposing frame make him the ultimate hoops hustler, using the racial chauvanism of his mostly black opponents against them. It co-stars Wesley Snipes as his (occasionally two-timing) partner, and Rosie Perez as his trivia obsessed girlfriend.

The movie makes the list because of great pacing and dialogue. It has some of the best smack-talk committed to celluloid. Also, like all great comedies, it has undercurrents of pathology(gambling addiction) and danger(residential crime, mobsters). White Men Cant Jump treats them in an adult manner, but without darkening the light mood.