My Top Five Sports Movies

I would like to begin by admitting that I am not a sports fan. Yes, I know. How dare I write an article on sports?! However, I am a movie fan, and I have seen more than my fair share of sports movies. All right, now that the shock has abated, I will explain. I am writing about my favorite sports movies, my "top five." Oddly enough, they are all in some way about football.

One of the earliest sports movies that I remember seeing and loving was Wildcats (1986), starring Goldie Hawn. This movie is about a single mother who is trying to get a job coaching a varsity team. Ultimately, she is sent to coach a team in an inner-city high school full of kids who saw no point in trying to win. The team is full of talented young men, though. There were some big names in this film, such as Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes. Hawn's character, Molly McGrath is able to raise the expectations of these students and show them that they all had the potential to be champions. McGrath had to fight prejudice against herself and against her team, and she won. There are also issues with her ex-husband and her job, and she is trying to balance being a mom with her career. While those issues are serious, there are many humorous moments, especially if you watch the credits.

The next movie that I really enjoyed was Jerry McGuire (1996). While it was humorous, I feel that it showed a more human side and some of the reality of professional sports. Pro-sports are business. This movie was brilliantly made to appeal to most people. The actors did a superb job, and worked together brilliantly to provide humor, love, reality and some nice pretend-football. Jerry helps Rod understand that he needs to play from his heart and not primarily for the money, while Rod helps Jerry to understand that he needs to live from his heart and appreciate what he has. There were many comical moments, especially from the children in the cast. I still tell people that "the human head weighs eight pounds."

A truly wonderful movie about football is Remember the Titans (2000). The first time I saw it was in my Freshman English class in college (No, I am not that young. I was a returning student). Our instructor showed it, and we had to write about it. That was the best assignment I have ever had. Denzel Washington and Will Patton played coaches of a team that had recently been forced to integrate: the end of segregation in the schools. This movie is a mix of the personal lives of both coaches, their families and the team. This part of history is not often noted for the difficulty that arose for black and white kids. There was so much fear and prejudice on both sides, and I think this story was an excellent tribute to the accomplishments that can be made when two groups can cast aside doubt and learn acceptance and tolerance.

Now for a completely different type of football movie, Any Given Sunday (1999), was a look at the darker aspects of professional sports. There was no sugar-coating of the drugs, the infidelity, the backstabbing, bickering, vanity and sycophants, to name a few. These things are part and parcel with nearly every form of celebrity, so why not our sports heroes. Oh, and we cannot forget the money. From top to bottom, the people involved with the mythical team, the Miami Sharks, the coach, played by Al Pacino, and the co-owner/manager of the team, played by Cameron Diaz, are hindered by each other. When the main quarterback (Dennis Quaid), has to sit out due to an injury, another player (Jamie Foxx) gets his chance to shine. If anyone thought these professional athletes were role models, it would definitely be an eye-opening experience to see the exploits of the characters in the movie. The casting was superb, and I have a lot more sympathy for the athletes and the pressure they are under, as well as a woman trying to do a "man's" job, or an aging coach being forced to update his style of coaching. I thought this movie was well-done.

Finally, one of the funniest sports movies that I have ever seen is The Replacements (2000). Now, this opinion is not colored by the fact that Keanu Reeves is in it. To be honest, I do not generally care for his movies. I am always waiting for him to say, "Dude!" However, I love this movie in spite of him. The professional athletes for the Sentinels have gone on strike, so the management brings in a motley crew of talented men to replace them. I was able to be on board with this movie from that point, since it sometimes seems that professional football players are overpaid whiners. From then until the end of the show, I was laughing. Not only are the antics of the replacement team wonderful, there are highlights like the cheerleading tryouts and some of their routines. Keanu or not, I loved this one. It was a well-conceived film made to make people laugh.

I truly hope that I have not offended anyone. That was not my point. I simply wanted to share with others the movies about sports that I find the most entertaining and why. I do not avoid this type of film. If I did, only because the story was about sports, I would have missed some of the best movies that have been made. I also hope that you will enjoy them as much as I have, if you have not already done so.

Source: IMDB.com for dates of movies and some cast members names.