The Super Bowl is almost here and it is always a fun time for me. I always watch the big game regardless of who is playing. It is also a good time for me to talk more about football to my friends who share the same passion. Once the Super Bowl is over, then football talk gets put on hold until next season. Baseball rolls in about that time, which is another great passion for me. You can read about my picks for the best baseball movies right here.
Now, this got me thinking about football movies. It got me excited, which means I can come up with a list concerning that sport. Here are my choices for the best football movies (in chronological order):
Forrest Gump (1994)
Okay, not really a football movie, but there are key scenes in which the title character plays college football. Forrest Gump (Tom Hanks), a simple-minded man with a heart of gold, unwittingly becomes the college football hero when he does what he does best: running. After running through a football field to escape some bullies, Forrest is spotted by some scouts who immediately see to it that he plays for the University of Alabama.
Forrest doesn’t really know what he’s doing – he is just told to hold the ball and run to the end zone. He does precisely that…but doesn’t really understand the concept of the end zone. He just keeps running like his life depends on it – all the way out of the stadium. Forrest even says that college was “very confusing times.” However, Forrest gets help from the whole stadium when they all yell “STOP!!!” once he makes it to the end zone. With all his football heroics, he is named to the All-American team and gets the opportunity to meet John F. Kennedy (in a memorable, funny scene).
Little Giants (1994)
This one is a childhood delight. It’s like The Sandlot (1993), but on a football field (which is probably exactly what the movie executives heard when pitched the idea). The film follows Danny O’Shea (Rick Moranis), who has always lived in the shadow of his older brother Kevin (Ed O’Neill). Kevin played college football and won the Heisman Trophy, and is considered by many to be the hometown hero.
Danny’s daughter is cut from the team coached by Kevin, simply because she’s a girl. She then convinces Danny to start a new pee-wee team. Danny accepts and brings in other kids that were cut from the same team. However, to make up a full team, Danny brings in other kids who have never touched a football before. Danny has his work cut out for him with training these kids to form the Little Giants in time for an upcoming match with Kevin’s Pee-Wee Cowboys. The movie is a heartwarming classic, and you can’t help but root for the underdogs. And goodness knows I’ll root for the Giants (New York or Little) any time…as long as they aren’t playing my Seahawks.
Jerry Maguire (1996)
The focus of this movie is human relationships, but football obviously plays a key role. Sports agent Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) gets fired from his firm and does everything he can to keep his clients. He only succeeds in keeping one: Arizona Cardinals wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). Tidwell is unhappy with his current contract with the Cardinals and trusts Jerry to fix it for him (“Show me the money!” crickets Sorry. Couldn’t help it.).
Throughout the season, Jerry and Rod don’t hesitate to share their opinions with each other – Jerry could be a better agent, and Rod could be a better teammate. After a memorable game in which Rod makes the game-winning catch, he gains the respect of his fans and teammates. And after a relationship that’s been all business, Jerry and Rod become friends. This is a heartwarming movie, both on and off the football field.
The Waterboy (1998)
Here is a classic comedy, one that never gets old. It’s a “quoter,” for sure (yes, I’m making up words again), and easily one of Adam Sandler’s best. Sandler plays Bobby Boucher, a socially-inept, stuttering waterboy who makes it his life mission to make “high-quality H2O.” After being let go by University of Louisiana’s head coach, Bobby decides to offer his water services elsewhere. He is hired by Coach Klein (Henry Winkler), who is the head coach for the far-less-prestigious South Central Louisiana State University football team (that’s a mouthful right there).
One day during practice, Bobby nearly rendered the team’s quarterback unconscious after being taunted by him. Coach Klein immediately offers Bobby a spot on the football team. Bobby doesn’t know a thing about football, but all Klein tells him to do is “visualize and attack.” Bobby does just that and becomes a feared linebacker. It just goes to show that after so many years of bullying and repressed feelings from being sheltered by his mother (Kathy Bates), Bobby can get the juices flowing to play good football. Besides, the team was on a 40-game losing streak – what did they have to lose?
Varsity Blues (1999)
This movie came out when I was in high school (there I go dating myself again), and that was when I started following football more closely. I attended more games at school during my junior and senior year. I couldn’t see myself playing the sport, but I remember being told by a couple of my classmates who played that they could see me being a quarterback. They apparently weren’t aware that I never quite perfected the art of throwing a football. My lack of talent notwithstanding, I can still say with confidence that Varsity Blues was a great look into high school football.
Jonathan “Mox” Moxon (James Van Der Beek) is a second-string quarterback who gets a chance to start after the star player (Paul Walker) gets injured. Things are tough when head coach Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight) is a controlling authoritarian who only cares about winning the game. Kilmer reluctantly lets Mox start the game, and the two are constantly at odds. Nevertheless, this is a fun-filled movie that presents a good life lesson. I can’t really recommend this to everyone, though, since it is rated R.
Remember the Titans (2000)
This is not only a good football movie (my wife is telling me to change that to “a great movie” – she’s a little obsessed), but it is also a good true story (and she’s poking me again). In 1971, African-American football coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is hired to coach an all-white high school football team. This move was made to desegregate the school and its athletic programs. Before the season begins, African-American students are given the chance to try out for the team. Many are accepted, but still endure racism from the white players.
Boone suffers his fair share of resentment from Bill Yoast (Will Patton), the former head coach who reluctantly stepped down to make room for Boone. But as the season progresses, they bond over their mutual love of the game. And the players and staff eventually learn to put aside their differences. There are a lot of great moments in this movie, from the memorable Titans wins, to the biracial friendships that form. Racism is a thoroughly despicable trait, and this movie helps prove that.
Friday Night Lights (2004)
Like Remember the Titans, this film is based on a true story. Unlike most of the movies on this list, though, Friday Night Lights isn’t really about the game itself. We don’t see a community come to support an underdog team (Hello, it’s high school football. In Texas.), and the story doesn’t revolve around the action on the field.
This film is more of a “behind-the-scenes” take on developing a team. It’s about teamwork and community and building respect among the players. Coach Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) is shown eating dinner with his players’ families. It’s nice to see how a team can bond not only with each other, but with their support systems as well. Most sports films overlook that aspect.
Facing the Giants (2006)
This is one of the most inspirational movies I’ve ever seen. It was made by Alex Kendrick, who also wrote and directed Fireproof (2008) and Courageous (2011): two other engaging Christian dramas. Kendrick plays Grant Taylor, the local high school football coach who doesn’t yet have a winning season under his belt. His constant losing record causes some of the players’ parents to call for his dismissal. This adds to the list of issues in Taylor’s life: a home that’s falling apart, his car that can barely get him to work, and just finding out that he and his wife can’t start a family on their own.
Taylor decides to bring God into his coaching practices, since he has been turning to Him for his other problems. This philosophy pays off, since his Eagles start winning games – they even secure a spot in the state playoffs. The Eagles are put to the test when they have to play the defending champion Richland Giants. This game is one of the key elements of a great football movie. There is also an unforgettable practice scene where Taylor encourages his players that nothing can keep them from winning. Don’t let the 13% score on Rotten Tomatoes fool you – this is definitely a must-see.
The Blind Side (2009)
I read that Sandra Bullock went into this movie thinking it would be the worst performance of her career. And yet she ended up with an Oscar for Best Actress! Her performance is one of the things that make the film. She plays Leigh Anne Tuohy, a strong-minded interior designer who doesn’t let anyone mess with her or her family. I promise it’s a football movie, though – Leigh Anne is the adoptive mother of Michael Oher, who would become a first-round draft pick in 2009 by the Baltimore Ravens.
Oher had a tragic upbringing, from his father’s substance abuse to numerous escapes from future foster parents. At school, he befriends Leigh Anne’s son Sean Jr. Leigh Anne sees Michael’s potential and kind demeanor, and she decides to adopt him. Michael is on the school’s football team, but his spot is in jeopardy when his grades fall below the minimum requirement. With Leigh Anne’s guidance and encouragement, Michael eventually overcomes his fears and obstacles. Not just a good football film, The Blind Side is also a good family film.
Silver Linings Playbook (2012)
Again, this is not as much a football movie, but it concerns a football-obsessed family…and let’s be honest, the fans are really the heart of the game. Bradley Cooper plays Pat, who was just released from the psychiatric hospital where he was treated after beating up his wife’s lover. Pat was also diagnosed with bipolar disorder, but is released under the care and supervision of his parents. Robert De Niro plays Pat’s father (Pat, Sr.), who is madly obsessed with the Philadelphia Eagles and is constantly betting on their games. Pat, Sr. is forced to watch all their games from home, since he is forever banned from Lincoln Financial Field for taking part in a brawl years ago.
While this film is mainly about Pat’s relationship with Tiffany (Jennifer Lawrence), the story always finds its way back to football. The title even hints that the film is sports-related. Tiffany initially gives off the impression that she’s not into football but eventually convinces Pat’s family that she is a good-luck charm, since the Eagles do better when she and Pat are together. This is just one of the many hilarious moments that make up this funny and heartfelt movie.
Well, there you have it. These are my picks for the best football movies. I’m sure I missed a few, so I’d love to hear your picks in the comments below.
Here’s to a good Super Bowl.
Happy watching! (For both the Super Bowl and the movies)
