"Invincible" and "Miracle" Top List of Sports Movies of the 2000s

Since 2000 we have seen a plethora of sports movies released year after year. Many of them have come from Disney, which has taken real life stories and brought them to life for a new generation to experience on the screen.

While it is hard to rate all of these new sports movies against some of the classic sports films in years past. I decided it was best just to rate the current films against films made in the same decade.

There were several favorites of mine that didn't make the top of my list. "We Are Marshall" was good, but not great. "The Express" had amazing acting performances, but spent too much time on Ernie Davis' childhood. "Glory Road" kept me interested throughout, but was missing a heart-tugging moment. "Million Dollar Baby" would've been at the top of my list, had the whole movie not fallen apart in the last 30 minutes. "61*" again had amazing performances, but felt drawn out.

Here's my list of the top 5 sports movies of the 2000s.

5. (tie) "Gridiron Gang" (2006) and "The Greatest Game Ever Played" (2005)

These are two very different movies, yet they are very similar. Neither one made a very big impression at the box office, and for vastly different reasons.

"Gridiron Gang" was widely released and starred Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, who was making a departure from all the pure action films he had starred in. This movie was more dramatic with some comedy overtones, and the material wasn't geared toward generating a $100 million dollar smash.

Meanwhile, "The Greatest Game Ever Played" starred a still up-and-coming Shia LaBeouf and was veteran actor Bill Paxton's directorial debut. The film was modestly released in theaters, and therefore the expectations were fairly low.

Yet both movies are similar because they are both based on true stories, and they are both extremely underrated.

In "Gridiron Gang," Johnson portrays Sean Porter, a supervisor at the Kilpatrick Youth Detention Center in California. Porter decides to help the kids that come to the detention center reject the gang lifestyle by joining a new gang - the detention center's football team the Mustangs.

From there the film shifts back and forth from dramatic to comedic tones. Porter has to find equipment for the team to use, he has to find teams for the Mustangs to play against and he has to get his players, some of whom belong to rival gangs, to play together.

Johnson was tailor made for the role of Porter, and rapper Xzibit is solid as his assistant coach and fellow detention center supervisor Malcolm Moore.

But it's the relatively unknown actors that play the juveniles that eventually comprise the Mustangs football team that really pulls the movie together. They are all standouts, and give the movie its heart, allowing for the viewer to cheer them on by the final game.

In "The Greatest Game Ever Played," LaBeouf portrays Francis Ouimet, an amateur golfer with dreams of competing in the 1913 U.S. Open, being played right across the street from where he lives in Brookline, Mass.

But Ouimet has agreed to give up golf and get a real job to please his father. He still enters the tournament, and matches up against the top golfers from around the world, including Harry Vardon, played by Stephen Dillane.

This film also adds comedic touches to its dramatic story, and Paxton does an excellent job of keeping the pace going, which can be tough when the basis of your story is a slow sport like golf.

LaBeouf does an excellent job, and veteran character actor Elias Koteas is also strong as his father Arthur.

"The Greatest Game Ever Played" is really another underdog story, but all involved do their best to elevate it in to a fine film.

("Gridiron Gang" is available from Amazon.com at this link. "The Greatest Game Ever Played" is available from Amazon.com at this link.)

4. "Remember The Titans" (2000)

Also based on a true story, "Remember The Titans" stars Denzel Washington as football coach Herman Boone, who takes over as head coach at the newly integrated T.C. Williams High School in 1971.

Boone's selection as head coach pushes aside Bill Yoast, played by Will Patton, who eventually agrees to become Boone's assistant coach.

The black and white players on the team clash throughout pre-season, and Yoast struggles with the different philosophy of coaching that Boone brings to the program.

The film deftly deals with the racial prejudice of the town, both by showing Boone's struggles to fit in as head coach, Yoast's difficulties accepting his new role and the players' accepting their new teammates.

Washington is his usual excellent self, able to give stirring speeches to his team and deal with heartfelt moments.

Patton leads an excellent supporting cast that also includes Donald Faison and Ethan Suplee in comedic roles, and Ryan Gosling, Kate Bosworth and Hayden Panetierre, all of whom were fairly unknown at that point and have minor roles in the film.

However it's the story that takes center stage. Whether dealing with racial prejudice, keeping the football action exciting and intense, allowing the players to put aside their differences and come together, allowing Boone to prove himself worthy of his new post or throwing one final heart-tugging moment in near the end, the film is engaging throughout.

("Remember The Titans" is available at Amazon.com at this link.)

3. "The Rookie" (2002)

A nearly perfect film, "The Rookie" is the true story of Jim Morris, a minor league baseball coach who was supposed to be one of the next great pitchers in Major League Baseball.

But a shoulder injury sidelined his pro career, and he never made it to the big leagues. While his team is marred in a losing streak, Morris makes them a deal, if they win the district championship, he will try out for the majors.

Morris ends up being signed by the Tampa Bay Devil Rays organization, and starts the road to becoming the oldest rookie in Major League Baseball history.

Dennis Quaid portrays Morris, and was a perfect fit for the role. Not only was Quaid about the right age, but he was also trying to make a comeback as a major movie star after a string of flops.

Rachel Griffiths does a good job as his wife Lorri, but it's Angus T. Jones as his son Hunter who really helps bring the story to life. Hunter gets to see his father live his boyhood dream, and the interaction between the two is very memorable.

The only downside about the movie is that it is 2 hours and 7 minutes long. There is some filler that could've been taken out to make the movie a tighter and more entertaining 1 hour and 45 minutes.

("The Rookie" is available at Amazon.com at the link.)

2. "Miracle" (2004)

The true story of the United States men's hockey team that upset the heavily favored Soviet Union en route to winning the gold medal at the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, N.Y.

The story itself has the makings of a classic film. A rag-tag group of players come together under a tough-as-nails coach who demands the best from his team, and in the end, gets a surprising result.

However, without the right cast, the movie would've been just another made for TV film.

Kurt Russell stars as head coach Herb Brooks, and plays the role with the right amount of intensity and compassion. Brooks is determined to get his team ready to not just compete with the Soviet Union team, but beat them, and Russell is able to get that emotion out without seeming crazy.

Patricia Clarkson does a fine job as his wife Patti, and Noah Emmerich is solid as assistant coach Craig Patrick. But, just like with "Gridiron Gang," it's the cast of actors that portray the hockey players that help make the film memorable.

The standout performance for me came from Eddie Cahill as goalie Jim Craig, who assumes he is the starting goalie until Brooks challenges him and demands more than what he's been giving.

Director Gavin O'Conner does a solid job with the hockey action, and with the intimate atmosphere of hockey arenas, does a good job of capturing the crowd reaction at the Olympics, where chants of "USA" were ringing loud.

The movie does an excellent job of bringing to life one of the greatest underdog stories in the history of American sports.

("Miracle" is available at Amazon.com at this link.)

1. "Invincible" (2006)

Starring Mark Whalberg as Vince Papale, who walked on to the Philadelphia Eagles and went on to play in the National Football League from 1976-1978, "Invincible" has all the right tools to make it not just a great sports movie, but a great movie.

The Eagles a horrible team when Dick Vermeil takes over as head coach in 1976 and decides to hold open tryouts for a spot on the roster. Papale is 30 and just lost his job as a part-time teacher. He decides to try out for the team while also working as a bartender.

Papale's wife believes he is wasting his time trying out for the Eagles, and leaves him, leaving a not behind that inspires Papale throughout the film.

While bartending, Papale falls in love with Janet, and navigates through his new relationship and his new career as a professional football player. Papale has to overcome the locker room sentiment that he doesn't deserve to be on the team, while believing in himself that this is something he can do.

Whalberg has never been better as Papale, showing a great range of emotion and providing us with a lead character we truly want to see succeed.

Elizabeth Banks shines as Janet, who reluctantly falls in love with Papale, and also provides him with the support he was lacking in his previous relationship.

Greg Kinnear might have been a stretch to play Dick Vermeil, but he does a good job and doesn't bring the film down in any way.

Ultimately the film succeeds in making you believe that if you try your hardest, you are capable of doing anything. And that's the message any good sports film should deliver.

("Invincible" is available at Amazon.com at this link.)