50 greatest sports movies, part II

There are a lot of movies still left to cover, but not a lot of space, so let’s get to it.
19. “Chariots of Fire,” (Olympics/track, 1981). The movie shows two British Olympic track runners running for very different reasons while respecting each other and their competition (a trait very rare in athletes now).
18. “Pride of The Yankees,” (baseball, 1943). Gary Cooper’s unforgettable portrayal of Lou Gehrig is deeply moving, even if you’re not a fan of baseball. The emulation of “the Iron Horse’s” speech at the end is still one of the most moving movie moments ever.
17. “Cool Runnings,” (the Olympics/bobsledding, 1993). “Feel the rhythm, feel the ride, get up Jamaica it’s bobsled time.”
16. “61*,” (baseball, 2001). Great re-telling of the miraculous 1961 season and the bond between Roger Maris and Mickey Mantle.
15. “The Hurricane,” (boxing, 2000). The dreaded words “based on a true story” did not take away the drama that this movie created. In an extraordinary acting career, this is definitely Denzel Washington’s best.
14. “The Sandlot,” (baseball, 1993). Great baseball movie for all ages.
13. “Jerry Maguire,” (sports agent, 1996). More of a love movie than a sports movie.
12. “The Mighty Ducks,” (hockey, 1992). This movie was my sleeper. I thought it might even break the top ten. It even inspired an NHL franchise (The Anaheim Mighty Ducks, who played for the Stanley Cup last year).
11. “Hoosiers,” (basketball, 1986). Heart and mirrored psychology set “Hoosiers” apart from many other feel good movies. Every character is identifiable, and the story is beautifully written and flows.
10. “Major League,” (baseball, 1989). The first of five baseball movies to grace
the top ten. One of the funniest movies ever. Why is it funny? The characters are all losers, in baseball and in life. However, given the right opportunity and motivation, even they can catch a break or two.
9. “The Natural,” (baseball, 1984). One of my all-time favorites. Great book, and seldom do movies do books justice, but this is an exception. Robert Redford paved the way for Kevin Costner as a great actor in sports movies.
8. “Raging Bull,” (boxing, 1980). Robert De Niro plays Jake La Motta in this gritty black and white Martin Scorsese film. Excellent acting by De Niro and Joe Pesci. The boxing sequences rival “Rocky” in the way that they’re edited.
7. “Remember the Titans,” (football, 2000). Denzel Washington once again proves why he’s one of the most coveted actors in the world. Racism in sports is a main theme, especially for black authority figures. Also, it’s a good movie about a group of players acting like a team.
6. “A League of Their Own,” (baseball, 1992). Its humor is more than enough to keep your attention, but compared to a lot of other sports movies, it had a lot of sports scenes and games.
5. “Rudy,” (football, 1993). I would be lying to you if I said I didn’t and don’t still get chills whenever Rudy takes the field in the final scene to a thunderous crowd chanting his name. I can’t watch “Lord of The Rings” without chanting ‘Rudy, Rudy’ whenever the fat hobbit Sam (Sean Astin) comes on.
4. “Caddyshack,” (golf, 1980). Funny, I’m so glad that this movie made the top five. I’ve seen it snubbed in so many top 20 lists.
3. “Field of Dreams,” (baseball, 1989). “If you make this movie … people will watch.” I really don’t know what to say about this movie. Other than “Jerry Maguire,” it shows the least amount of sports action, but it tells a great story centered around baseball.
2. “Rocky,” (boxing, 1976). Just how influential is “Rocky?” There is a statue in Philadelphia of Rocky that is worshipped. A statue about a movie character … that’s a powerful message.
1. “Bull Durham,” (baseball, 1988). For this movie, I’ll let the associate professor of mass communications, Ginger Carter, sum up her’s and over half of the surveyed people’s number one pick.
“It’s the perfect film for a sports fan, male or female,” said Carter. “There’s enough eye candy for a non-sports fan, male or female. Also, ‘candlesticks make a perfect gift.’”

Posted by Colonnade Archives on Mar 26 2004. Filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry