Get into the game with our definitive list of the best sports movies, from inspirational dramas to rude comedies
Sports are the apex of genuine human drama. Sure, for non-fans, professional athletics can seem like frivolous games, and in the broad view, that’s perhaps what they are. But sports are also a framework to tell great stories – of winners and losers, triumph and tragedy, conquering behemoths and inspiring underdogs.
No wonder, then, that filmmakers frequently draw upon sports for inspiration. Yes, sports movies can be filled with clichés, but there are many that manage to either subvert them or deliver them with so much emotion it’s like experiencing them for the first time. In this ranking of the 50 greatest sports movies, we’ve stuck to traditional athletic competition – apologies to The Color of Money and Searching for Bobby Fischer.
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Old-school pro-wrestling fans are familiar with the Von Erichs, a clan of grapplers who became rock stars of the ring in their native Texas in the pre-WWE ’70s and ’80s. If you’re unfamiliar, then you’re likely unprepared for the emotional wallop of Sean Durkin’s biopic – when Zac Efron, in an early voiceover, refers to his family as ‘cursed’, by the end, you have no choice but to agree. Efron stuns as Kevin Von Erich, effectively the family’s lone survivor, not just in his physical transformation but the gravity he brings to the role. The wrestling scenes are stunners as well, capturing the grit of the sport before it became a live-action cartoon show.—Matthew Singer
Everybody’s goin’ surfin’—including Jan-Michael Vincent, Gary Busey and William “The Greatest American Hero” Katt —in this borderline-ridiculous comedy from director John Milius, who’s better known for his right-wing war epics (Red Dawn, etc.). Never mind the acting and go for the totally tubular set pieces, some of the best wave-riding footage ever captured.—Joshua Rothkopf
Grown men have been known to weep like babies at the finale of this paean to baseball, apple pie and father issues. “If you build it, they will come.” Okay, fine, we’ll build it already! Kevin Costner, a natural in sports movies, is better shown off in Bull Durham (it’s coming up on this list), but he acquits himself nicely here as a baseball-obsessed DIY-er who turns his backyard into a diamond.—Joshua Rothkopf
Penny Marshall, the artist formerly known as Laverne, hits a solid line drive in this pop-feminist period piece about a WWII-era women’s baseball team. Tom Hanks has one classic line (“They’re no crying in baseball!”), while cringeworthy performances from Rosie O’Donnell and Madonna are offset by Lori Petty and the always-reliable Geena Davis.—Joshua Rothkopf
When white-trash dreamer Hilary Swank wanders into wise old trainer Clint Eastwood’s backstreet gym, another Rocky fairytale looms, yet this modern fable takes us into darker territory—the perilous lure of success and the impassable road to redemption. As a performer, Eastwood himself digs deep; as a director, he holds his nerve, to chastening, memorable effect.—Trevor Johnston
Before shooting Raging Bull, Martin Scorsese gave this influential movie a spin or two. Robert Ryan is an over-the-hill boxer who must either throw his last fight or risk a cement-shoe trip to Palookaville. This is the kind of resourceful, no-budget noir craft that still prompts film lovers to bow down to RKO, despite all the crap the studio gave Orson Welles, etc.—Joshua Rothkopf
Pat O’Brien may have played the titular character in this ode to the legendary Notre Dame football figurehead, but it’s Ronald Reagan’s gridiron all-star, George Gipp, who inspired football’s most famous inspirational motto: “Let’s win one for the Gipper!” So many coaches have quoted the movie’s line that Reagan’s estate should be paid annual royalties.—David Fear
Hollywood legend Errol Flynn shines as real-life boxer Jim Corbett: scrappy, arrogant, proud and capable. Director Raoul Walsh serves the material with a minimum of showiness; it was reportedly the star’s favorite role and the acting is definitely the high-point here, not the fight scenes.—Joshua Rothkopf
Long before he sang about MacArthur Park and leaving that cake out in the rain, Richard Harris made a name for himself with this angry-young-man drama in which a English North Country miner becomes a local rugby star. It’s British class warfare and disillusionment at its finest, crafted by an inspired filmmaker in his prime, Lindsay Anderson (If…).—Joshua Rothkopf
Fueled by a scrappy, improvisatory energy, this prison-set boxing drama pits a recently incarcerated heavyweight champ (Ving Rhames) against a yard favorite (Wesley Snipes). Apart from the imminent clash of fists and egos, there’s a fascinating side plot concerning promotion, masterminded by elderly con Peter Falk in one of his craftiest turns.—Joshua Rothkopf
This box-office blockbuster gave us Tom Cruise as a redemption-seeking sports agent and spawned the oft-quoted catchphrase “Show me the money!” Writer-director Cameron Crowe was only on the ascent at this point in his career, balancing revelatory performances (especially from Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renée Zellweger) with sharp comic moments and uplift.—Joshua Rothkopf
Katharine Hepburn and Spencer Tracy play a golf pro and her shady but lovable manager in this likable example of the duo’s relaxed chemistry. That’s really Hepburn on the course, a natural athlete with a beautiful swing. Hepburn and Tracy, a real-life couple offscreen, make a totally captivating pair, even as the story gets complicated.—Joshua Rothkopf
With the Rocky franchise down for the count, a spin-off involving the illegitimate son of Apollo Creed hardly seemed like a surefire way of lifting the IP off the mat. But Ryan Coogler’s reboot is easily the best instalment since the original. It hits many of the same beats – troubled kid gets knocked down, gets back up again, earns the respect of his city – but Michael B Jordan brings a star-making tenacity to the role of Adonis Creed, while Sylvester Stallone finds new life in Rocky Balboa, his initially reluctant trainer.—Matthew Singer
Here’s proof that if you’ve seen one surf doc, you haven’t quite seen them all. Bruce Brown’s look at two wavehounds—longboarders Mike Hynson and Robert August—on a mutual quest for the perfect ride is easily the best work about surfing ever made, as well as a perfect cultural time capsule. Hang ten, dudes.—Joshua Rothkopf
A racehorse takes center stage here, as a taciturn but sensitive trainer (Chris Cooper) and a gifted jockey (Tobey Maguire) come along for the ride. If you know the outcomes of these contests, there’s not much suspense here. Still, Gary Ross’s screenplay has sociopolitical resonance, foregrounding the Depression-era dreamers that turned this wobbly bay colt into a symbol of resilience.—Joshua Rothkopf
Wax on, wax off and practice your crane before you see this classic bit of ’80s uplift. Make Mr. Miyagi proud. But don’t be surprised if you secretly wipe away a tear or two: Hollywood really knew how to construct a coming-of-age movie in the Reagan era. Ralph Macchio is excellent (“the best around,” you might say) and this movie delivers a roundhouse of an emotional kick.—Joshua Rothkopf
Tom Courtenay (so fine with Charlotte Rampling in the current 45 Years) gives a classic angry-young-man performance as a borstal boy who starts training for a race while in the juvie clink. You’ll consider his final act either heroic or downright foolish and nihilistic; we’re still undecided, which only adds to the film’s greatness.—Joshua Rothkopf
Several Iranian female soccer fans are detained at the stadium gates (women aren’t allowed to attend such taboo “male” events) and engage in a dialogue with the guards about the ridiculousness of it all. Never one to shy away from pressing issues, censored director Jafar Panahi debates the topic of his society’s sanctioned sexism with a more whimsical (and more winning) tone than usual.—Joshua Rothkopf
Even if all you remember is that shot of Olympians running on the beach to Vangelis’s pounding synth score, it’s fine. Sometimes a great sports movie only needs sweat and exhilaration. Return to the story, though, and you’ll be beguiled by a real-life tale of British resolve, imperial hauteur and religious tolerance.—Joshua Rothkopf
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