Five Great, yet Often Overlooked Sports Films

Movies such as "Rocky", "Rudy" and "Brian's Song" regularly sit atop lists claiming to display the top sports films of all time, and deservedly so, as these films could entertain a crowd just as well during the time of their release as they can today. While there are numerous movies that could garner mention in a top five list, I am choosing instead to pay homage to some of the entertaining sports films that never seem to get the credit they deserve. The following five movies came out at completely different times and some of them focus on some pretty obscure sports, but they all have two things in common: they are entertaining and severely underrated.

Coming in at number five on the list is the recently released film, "Forever Strong". Many have referred to this film as the "Rudy" of rugby, and while one would think that since there are not exactly a wide variety of rugby films out there, this would have to be the best rugby movie by default. While this is partially true, it is also a great film based on an actual high school rugby teams recent success. The film is supported by some fairly well known talent as well; Sean Astin (Yes, Rudy had a significant part in this film), Sean Faris and Penn Badgely are just a few of the recognizable names with significant roles. While this film was a bit on the corny side it was not over the top but was plagued by a factor that affects most sports films, predictability. As the story goes; hard nose trouble maker gets a second chance through sport and wins the championship as well as his father's love. Even with it's negatives, the film still manages to hold your attention through very accurate and well filmed action sequences that help the viewer better understand the sport of rugby. While "Forever Strong" may never win any prestigious awards, it still deserves mention as underrated simply because of the director's ability to make an entertaining and inspirational sports film through a focus on such a little known sport as rugby.

Number four of the list, "Hometown Legend", is even more obscure than the last mention. This little gem was able to get noticed even though it was filmed with a relatively low budget and with very little top shelf acting. The movie tells a story of a high school football team in small town Alabama that has to deal with the tragedy of a player's death on the field. A new player comes in, lacks acceptance, but through his great skill and with a little faith, he manages to help lead the team back to prominence. This movie has a strong religious undertone to it, which is what I think turned a lot of people off to it at first. It is absolutely worth a watch however, as it is truly a great underdog story that any person who has ever lived in a small town can relate to in some way.

Number three on the list is "Endless Summer 2", the sequel to the often-mentioned 1960s classic "Endless Summer". While the first film was an epic exploration into the world of surfing in the mid 1960s, things had changed and people needed a fresh look at the sport by the mid 1990s. "Endless Summer 2" may lack the nostalgic allure of the first film, but it definitely gave a much needed look into the surfing culture that the general public had not seen since the original film's release. Aside from the fact that this movie did so much for surfing's popularity in the mainstream, it is just a plain fun movie to watch. You wish you could be as free as the two main characters and it is almost as if you get to travel with them through watching this film.

At number two, we have the recently released football film, "Friday Night Lights". There is not another film that I know of that displays small town high school sports in a more accurate and perfect light than this film. As a graduate of a large Texas high school myself, I can personally say that the dedication to high school sports borders on obsession in many places, and this film does a great job portraying that through the telling of a story based on an actual team's successes and failures in the 1980s. The fact that this was based on a true story is reason enough to watch it, because the actual drama unfolds far better than anyone could have written it. This film is definitely worth a watch as it is entertaining, truly heart felt and because it has some of the best football action sequences of any film in recent memory.

And number one on the list of the most underrated sports films is... "White Men Cant Jump", starring Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes. This film focused on the culture of street basketball way before AND1 mix tape was playing all over ESPN2. This film was ahead of its time as far as the humor and sports focus was concerned, and the acting was absolutely top notch. The chemistry between Harrelson and Snipes is amazing, and the fact that they are both actually relatively decent basketball players made for some legitimate looking action sequences. While this film does garner the occasional bit of recognition as a great sports film, it rarely makes anyone's top fifteen, and I must say, I see that as an injustice to this classic and absolutely hilarious film.

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