Movie buffs are constantly on the lookout for good movies. The most common reason why people love watching movies is for entertainment because at least for a while, people are brought into a different world where the impossible is made deceptively possible. On the other hand, some movies depict the reality of failure or a the struggle to overcome. Sport movies is a prime example of movie realism where usually the character overcomes defying odds and struggles to make a profound representation of the human spirit and achievement. These movies can be so powerful as to draw strong emotions which appeal to our moral core thus impacting our lives. Here is a list of the 10 best sports movies ever filmed:
10. Soul Surfer
Soul Surfer is an American sports film that was released in 2011. It featured the story of Bethany Hamilton, an American professional surfer who survived a shark attack, leaving her left arm bitten off. Directed by Sean McNamara, the film specifically centered on the struggles that Bethany had to go through as an athlete following the incident.
9. Finding Forrester
Written by Mike Rich and directed by Gus Van Sant, Finding Forester is a 2000 American drama film that centered on the life of a black American teenager named Jamal Wallace, who befriended William Forrester who happened to be an antisocial writer. The film received generally positive response from critics and was given a score of 73% by Rotten Tomatoes.
8. Friday Night Lights
Friday Night Lights is an American sports drama film released in 2004. It was based on an H.G. Bissinger book entitled Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team and a Dream which told the story of 1988 football team popularly known as Panthers. Directed by Peter Berg, the movie got an 81% rating from Rotten Tomatoes and ranked 37th on the list of Best High School Movies of all time.
7. Eight Men Out
A 1988 American dramatic sports film, Eight Men Out was based on a book that was published in 1963 entitled 8 Men Out. Directed and written by John Sayles, the movie was a dramatization of the legendary Black Sox Scandal of the Major League Baseball. This event in the history of baseball involved eight members of the Chicago White Sox team who collaborated with gamblers to throw the 1919 World Series. It was considered as the saddest chapter in the history of professional American sports.
6. Warrior
Starring Joel Edgerton, Nick Nolte and Tom Hardy, Warrior is an American sports drama movie that told the story of two brothers who were forced to join a mixed martial arts tournament despite their strained relationship. Released in 2011, the movie received positive reviews from critics and got an Academy Award nomination.
5. Rudy
Directed by David Anspaugh, Rudy is an American sports film that depicted the life of Daniel Ruettiger, a man who chased his dream of playing football despite several obstacles. Most of its scenes were shot inside the campus of the University of Notre Dame, while the rest were shot in Indiana and Illinois. It starred Sean Astin who played Rudy, together with Charles Dutton, Jason Miller and Ned Beatty.
4. Field of Dreams
An adaptation of the novel of W.P. Kinsella entitled Shoeless Joe, Field of Dreams is an American fantasy drama film released in 1989. It was directed and written by Phil Alden Robinson and starred Kevin Costner, Ray Liotta, Burt Lancester, Amy Madigan and James Earl Jones. The movie was generally received positively by critics, with a rating of 88% on Rotten Tomatoes and was nominated for three Academy Awards.
3. Hoop Dreams
Released in 1994, Hoop Dreams is a documentary film that was originally intended as a 30-minute production for the Public Broadcasting Service. It featured the story of African-American high school students who dreamed of becoming a professional basketball players in Chicago, USA. The movie won the Audience Award for Best Documentary during the 1994 Sundance Film Festival and grossed over $11 million worldwide.
2. The Natural
A baseball movie that was based on a 1952 novel by Bernard Malamud entitled The Natural, the movie was about the life of a baseball prodigy named Roy Hobbs whose career detoured when he suffered a certain disability after he was shot by a mysterious woman, but was able to play for the New York Knights as the “Wonder Boy” later in his life. The film was released in 1984 and was directed by Barry Levinson. It currently holds an 83% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
1. Rocky
Directed by John G. Avildsen and starring Sylvester Stallone, Rocky is a 1976 American film that told the “rags to riches” story of Rocky Balboa, an illiterate but kindhearted debt collector based in Pennsylvania. The movie was shot in just a month but was able to gross over $225 million. It became the highest grossing film of 1976, won three Oscars and received positive reviews from critics.