The Best Sports Films Made, Ranked By Their Sport
Submitted by BuckGS71 on Wed, 06/27/2001 - 04:12
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- BASEBALL - "Bull Durham": The essence of what baseball really is, a religion and not a sport. It's also a comical look into the individuals and their individuality that makes baseball our national pastime. Runner-up: "Pride of the Yankees": Gary Cooper brings so much dignity to the role of the great Lou Gehrig, a ballplayer tragically known more today for the disease named after him than the superheroic feats that made him a legend.
- BASKETBALL: "Hoosiers": It's inspiring and feel-good without being corny or cliched. Gene Hackman delivers one of his best roles. The ballplaying filmed is authentic and believable. Runner-up: "Hoop Dreams": A documentary, really, but the story of two players who pursue their dreams of playing pro ball despite the fact their pursuit is all in vain is both hopeful and cautionary.
- BOXING: "Body and Soul": A harsh, accurate look at what makes boxers tick. When you witness the lead protagonists rise and fall, you'll think about the hundreds of boxers who have followed the same path, many with tragic results. Runner-up: "Raging Bull": One of the best films ever made, but not the best made about boxing. It's more about the life of a third-rate boxer haunted by the demons of a life he thought he should have had, having to admit later own his own failures. The fight scenes are not for the squeamish.
- FOOTBALL: "North Dallas Forty": This one exposes football as a violent, greedy sport, but it does it with a tremendous sense of humor. Runner-up: "Brian's Song": Less about the sport than the relationship between two ballplayers, one who has terminal cancer, and their undying friendship despite the inevitable. I dare you not to cry.
- GOLF: "Caddyshack": Yes, it's low-brow humor at it's finest, but for those of us who play golf, we've met both Judge Smails and Al Czervik on the golf course. It works because it accurately depicts what a ridiculous sport golf is, and the fact that the men and women who play it know it's ridiculous and still play it nonetheless. Runner-up: "Tin Cup": Kevin Costner plays the role of the obsessive golfer perfectly. Anyone who's ever played golf can identify with his character.
- HOCKEY: "Slap Shot": Of all the sports to film, hockey is the most difficult because of the level of difficulty players must master. Paul Newman and his co-stars do a good job of portraying hockey players on the ice, but it's their raunchy, off-ice hi-jinks that make this film laugh-out loud. The Hanson brothers are the soul of this film. Runner-up: None. And don't even think of mentioning any of those awful "Mighty Ducks" movies.
Author Comments:
Sports films fail if the actors involved look like they've never played that sport before; have you seen Russell Crowe's "hockey playing" in the awful "Mystery, Alaska?" You'll see what I mean.
Cool list--I guess I'm too sappy and sophmoric but I think the best baseball movie I have seen is another Kevin Costner production: Field of Dreams. Although extremely far-fetched, it does grant a resonance with the spirit of America and the spirit of baseball.
No, you're not at all sappy in saying Field of Dreams is the best baseball film; it's actually third on my list of best baseball films. In case you were wondering, Major League (the first one w/Charlie Sheen) is my fourth favorite, and the Natural is the fifth, although I think it's sappier than Field of Dreams, and the ending is SOOOOOOO Hollywood, and not at all like the way it ended in Bernard Malamud's novel.
Excellent list. For a hockey runner-up, I have to admit, I vaguely remember liking (I think) that Rob Lowe (I think) hockey (I think) movie from the 80s (I think). Cynthia Gibb was in it too? Youngblood? Or maybe I'm mixing it up with Vision Quest? No, I'm pretty sure that was wrestling. What can I say, my teen years are a blur.
Yes, the movie in question is "Youngblood", and all I can say is...um, no. It's one of those films that are just too embarrasing to sit through. Should have included "Vision Quest" in this list, though. Thanks for the suggestion.
:-) What can I say? I figure anything I remember liking from 19 years old and younger is highly suspect (obviously).