Sports films can be terribly predictable. The player, or team, has talent but starts out at the bottom rung, then by applying hard work and determination he/she/they rise to the top and eventually win in the final moments. Recently the final part about winning at the end has fallen away since filmmakers think it makes for a more realistic climax if the hero fails but learns an important lesson along the way. There are plenty of stupid, pedestrian sports movies out there. Here are three that I consider worth checking out.



This is my favorite sports film. Kurt Russell stars as Herb Brooks who coached the 1980 U. S. Olympic Hockey Team to an incredible victory over the behemoth that was the Russian hockey team.

The script by Eric Guggenheim smartly focuses on Brooks to drive the story. Given a well developed character and good dialog, Russell gives the most impressive performance of his career. In a genre littered with stock stories and paint-by-numbers narratives, this true story is a refreshing alternative.




Not an Oscar-level film, actually in many ways it's essentially one of the predictable I complain about at the top of the post. Many critics have slammed this as being a puffed up disappointment and to divorced from the real story. This underdog story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) a supposed "average guy" who manages to find a place on the 1976 Philadelphia Eagles has its flaws, the secondary characters are a little thin and the lead is a little too polished.

This is a solid piece of comfort cinema that delivers a pleasing story (provided you can ignore the disconnect from reality).





Not so much about sports as a sleepy character piece about small town folk. The local hockey team in Mystery, Alaska gets a chance to play a televised game against the New York Rangers. Charismatic performances by Russell Crowe, Mary McCormick (who's perfectly cast), and Hank Azaria make this a likable and engaging movie.

Labels: movie recommendations