Best Motivational sports movies

by i_spidy | created - 04 Mar 2016 | updated - 04 Mar 2016 | Public

Movies to keep you going

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1. Warrior (2011)

PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Drama, Sport

71 Metascore

The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.

Director: Gavin O'Connor | Stars: Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Morrison

Votes: 498,123 | Gross: $13.66M

2. Rocky (1976)

PG | 120 min | Drama, Sport

70 Metascore

A small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.

Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers

Votes: 628,762 | Gross: $117.24M

3. Rocky Balboa (2006)

PG | 102 min | Action, Drama, Sport

63 Metascore

Thirty years after the ring of the first bell, Rocky Balboa comes out of retirement and dons his gloves for his final fight against the reigning heavyweight champ Mason 'The Line' Dixon.

Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Antonio Tarver, Milo Ventimiglia, Burt Young

Votes: 231,552 | Gross: $70.27M

4. Southpaw (2015)

R | 124 min | Action, Drama, Sport

57 Metascore

After a fatal incident sends him on a rampant path of destruction, a champion boxer fights to get custody of his daughter and revive his professional career.

Director: Antoine Fuqua | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Rachel McAdams, Oona Laurence, Forest Whitaker

Votes: 258,531 | Gross: $52.42M

5. Remember the Titans (2000)

PG | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

48 Metascore

In 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.

Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst

Votes: 232,026 | Gross: $115.65M

6. Goal! The Dream Begins (2005)

PG | 118 min | Drama, Romance, Sport

53 Metascore

The extremely talented Santiago Muñez is spotted by a Newcastle United scout and given a chance at professional football.

Director: Danny Cannon | Stars: Kuno Becker, Alessandro Nivola, Anna Friel, Leonardo Guerra

Votes: 66,010 | Gross: $4.28M

7. The Fighter (I) (2010)

R | 116 min | Action, Biography, Drama

79 Metascore

Based on the story of Micky Ward, a fledgling boxer who tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled older boxing brother and get his own shot at greatness.

Director: David O. Russell | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo

Votes: 389,043 | Gross: $93.62M

8. Undisputed 3: Redemption (2010 Video)

R | 96 min | Action, Crime, Drama

Boyka is back. This time he is fighting in the first ever inter-prison tournament with one knee.

Director: Isaac Florentine | Stars: Scott Adkins, Mykel Shannon Jenkins, Mark Ivanir, Hristo Shopov

Votes: 44,584

9. Invincible (2006)

PG | 105 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

63 Metascore

Based on the story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who overcame long odds to play for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1976.

Director: Ericson Core | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Conway

Votes: 75,369 | Gross: $57.81M

10. Creed (II) (2015)

PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Drama, Sport

82 Metascore

The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.

Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad

Votes: 310,989 | Gross: $109.77M

11. Million Dollar Baby (2004)

PG-13 | 132 min | Drama, Sport

86 Metascore

Frankie, an ill-tempered old coach, reluctantly agrees to train aspiring boxer Maggie. Impressed with her determination and talent, he helps her become the best and the two soon form a close bond.

Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Hilary Swank, Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Jay Baruchel

Votes: 722,103 | Gross: $100.49M

12. Any Given Sunday (1999)

R | 162 min | Drama, Sport

52 Metascore

A behind-the-scenes look at the life-and-death struggles of modern-day gladiators and those who lead them.

Director: Oliver Stone | Stars: Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid, Cameron Diaz, James Woods

Votes: 125,920 | Gross: $75.53M

13. Pumping Iron (1977)

PG | 86 min | Documentary, Sport

72 Metascore

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno face off in a no-holds-barred competition for the title of Mr. Olympia in this critically-acclaimed film that made Schwarzenegger a household name.

Directors: George Butler, Robert Fiore | Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno, Matty Ferrigno, Victoria Ferrigno

Votes: 24,951

14. When We Were Kings (1996)

PG | 88 min | Documentary, Sport

83 Metascore

Boxing documentary on the 1974 world heavyweight championship bout between defending champion, George Foreman, and the underdog challenger, Muhammad Ali.

Director: Leon Gast | Stars: Muhammad Ali, George Foreman, Don King, James Brown

Votes: 19,139 | Gross: $2.79M

15. The Karate Kid (1984)

PG | 126 min | Action, Drama, Family

60 Metascore

A martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager.

Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove

Votes: 244,626 | Gross: $90.82M

16. Gridiron Gang (2006)

PG-13 | 125 min | Biography, Crime, Drama

52 Metascore

Teenagers at a juvenile detention center, under the leadership of their counselor, gain self-esteem by playing football together.

Director: Phil Joanou | Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Xzibit, L. Scott Caldwell, Leon Rippy

Votes: 80,673 | Gross: $38.43M

17. Never Back Down (2008)

PG-13 | 113 min | Action, Drama, Sport

39 Metascore

A frustrated and conflicted teenager arrives at a new high school to discover an underground fight club, and meets a classmate who begins to coerce him into fighting.

Director: Jeff Wadlow | Stars: Sean Faris, Djimon Hounsou, Amber Heard, Cam Gigandet

Votes: 106,464 | Gross: $24.85M

18. Bloodsport (1988)

R | 92 min | Action, Biography, Drama

29 Metascore

"Bloodsport" follows Frank Dux, an American martial artist serving in the military, who decides to leave the army to compete in a martial arts tournament in Hong Kong where fights to the death can occur.

Director: Newt Arnold | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Donald Gibb, Leah Ayres, Norman Burton

Votes: 94,057 | Gross: $11.81M

19. Jerry Maguire (1996)

R | 139 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance

77 Metascore

When a sports agent has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to put his new philosophy to the test as an independent agent with the only athlete who stays with him and his former colleague.

Director: Cameron Crowe | Stars: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston

Votes: 287,164 | Gross: $153.95M

20. Fearless (2006)

PG-13 | 104 min | Action, Biography, Drama

70 Metascore

A biography of Chinese Martial Arts Master Huo Yuanjia, who is the founder and spiritual guru of the Jin Wu Sports Federation.

Director: Ronny Yu | Stars: Jet Li, Li Sun, Yong Dong, Yun Qu

Votes: 78,724 | Gross: $24.63M

21. The Blind Side (2009)

PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport

53 Metascore

The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.

Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Jae Head

Votes: 360,693 | Gross: $255.96M

22. The Longest Yard (2005)

PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Crime, Sport

48 Metascore

Prison inmates form a football team to challenge the prison guards.

Director: Peter Segal | Stars: Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds, Chris Rock, Nelly

Votes: 195,186 | Gross: $158.12M

23. Mean Machine (2001)

R | 99 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama

45 Metascore

A football star jailed for assault leads a group of inmates in a match against prison guards.

Director: Barry Skolnick | Stars: Vinnie Jones, David Kelly, David Hemmings, Ralph Brown

Votes: 41,829 | Gross: $0.09M



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