down to Astin’s performance, bringing an innocent determination to his starring role. “Rudy” doesn’t reinvent the aspirational sports movie wheel, though it admittedly doesn’t try to, instead opting to highlight the ultimate underdog story.
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While public schools began federal desegregation in the United States in the ’50s, tensions still remained, especially in the Southern states, as the desegregation process unfolded. This is explored in the 2000 sports movie “Remember the Titans,” specifically, the desegregation of a public high school in Northern Virginia, including its football team. Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) is named the school’s head coach, working with his predecessor Bill Yoast (Will Patton), to lead the desegregated team in working together. As the team convalesces, it not only helps them build an impressive winning record, but inspires the entire community around them.
Based on a true story, “Remember the Titans” features an absolutely stacked ensemble cast led by a magnetic Washington. Including standout performances from Patton, Wood Harris and Ryan Hurst, with the latter two playing the team’s star players, the movie features early roles for Ryan Gosling and Hayden Panettiere. Though the movie does take some creative liberties with the historical account, it remains a triumphant sports story. Familiarly told but no less stirring and effective, “Remember the Titans” is a high school football movie staple.
Warner Bros.
Though filmmaker Oliver Stone might be best known for making stylish thrillers, he also directed and co-wrote the 1999 sports movie “Any Given Sunday.” The movie features a fictional professional football league, with its own teams, including the Miami Sharks, led by veteran head coach Tony D’Amato (Al Pacino). As D’Amato faces pressure to retire from the team’s new owner and the team struggles to make the playoffs, he contends with rebellious young quarterback Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx). This comes to a head in a pivotal playoff game, with D’Amato standing up to the owners and inspiring his team to play the best that they can.
To date, “Any Given Sunday” is one of the most intense football movies ever made, with Stone presenting some truly hard-hitting plays with unflinching detail. The movie certainly exudes an unapologetically confident style while boasting a robust ensemble cast, which reportedly led to some violent fights behind-the-scenes, not unlike those featuring its characters. But holding the whole thing together is Pacino, veering from world-weary to inspirationally volatile on a dime as he commands his divided team. In-your-face with its blistering action and an enduring look at its sport, “Any Given Sunday” remains Stone’s best movie in years.
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Working with filmmakers like Paul Thomas Anderson and Cameron Crowe gave Tom Cruise some of the greatest dramatic roles of his career. The pinnacle of Cruise’s collaborations with Crowe was the 1996 dramedy “Jerry Maguire,” with the actor playing the eponymous sports agent protagonist. After having a breakdown over the manipulative nature of his work, Maguire is fired by his agency, retaining only professional football player Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding, Jr.). As Maguire strikes up a personal relationship with Tidwell, improving both their careers, he romances single mother Dorothy Boyd (Renée Zellweger).
“Jerry Maguire” was the perfect antidote to all of its cynicism-laced contemporaries, something articulated clearly by Maguire’s mission statement. Cruise effortlessly proves himself at delivering Crowe’s dialogue, bringing real heart to something that could’ve come off as cloyingly sentimental. And in a world full of movies focused on football athletes, the film offers a rare perspective of the sport from one of its agents. Boasting strong performances all around, especially from Cruise, “Jerry Maguire” finds genuine emotion in an industry of slick double-talk.
The Weinstein Company
If “Go Tigers!” captured a darker side of high school football, the 2011 documentary “Undefeated” depicts its more inspirational potential. The movie explores the sport through a team in Memphis, led by new volunteer head coach Bill Courtney. Courtney’s gruff demeanor conceals a genuine heartfelt leadership quality as he helps the team reverse their declining performance on the field. Courtney’s dedication inspires his team beyond football, prompting them to double down on their academics to elevate themselves from their inner-city surroundings.
There is a cinema verité quality to “Undefeated,” with the movie content to sit back and let its story and message play out naturally. Football just happens to be the thing that brings these individuals together, with Courtney offering enduring life lessons beyond the game. Through this, the team learns to overcome all manner of adversity, including sidelining injury, as the season progresses. An emotional triumph, “Undefeated” is one of the best sports documentaries ever made, inspirational for even those uninterested in football.
Universal Pictures
While “Friday Night Lights” may be more commonly associated these days with the television spin-off it received in 2006, the 2004 movie that preceded it remains an all-timer. Set in Odessa, Texas during the ’80s, the movie has high school football coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton) facing immense pressure to win the state championship. This extends to the team itself, with the players ignoring severe injuries and facing abuse from their parents to perform well on the field. The team’s hopes culminate in a grueling showdown against an all-star team from Dallas, pushing Gaines and his squad past their limits to pull off a victory.
Obviously, given the format, “Friday Night Lights” offers a much more focused story than its television counterpart but still manages to distill everything great about the overarching premise. The interpersonal drama off the field is just as intense as the action on it, really highlighting the stakes for the main characters. And Thornton leads a strong young cast, each giving some of the best performances of their respective careers. Unflinching in its depiction of the sport without losing sight of the fully dimensional people behind it, “Friday Night Lights” is a modern classic.