Best Sports Movies
by zachlorber | created - 24 May 2015 | updated - 4 months ago | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. Invincible (2006)
PG | 105 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
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: 75,360 | Gross: $57.81M
2. Chariots of Fire (1981)
PG | 125 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.
Director: Hugh Hudson | Stars: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell, Nigel Havers
Votes: 65,912 | Gross: $58.97M
3. Rudy (1993)
PG | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.
Director: David Anspaugh | Stars: Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty, Greta Lind
Votes: 69,105 | Gross: $22.75M
4. Miracle (2004)
PG | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History
The true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet squad.
Director: Gavin O'Connor | Stars: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Nathan West, Noah Emmerich
Votes: 58,929 | Gross: $64.38M
5. The Express (2008)
PG | 130 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
A drama based on the life of college football hero Ernie Davis, the first African-American to win the Heisman Trophy.
Director: Gary Fleder | Stars: Rob Brown, Dennis Quaid, Clancy Brown, Darrin Dewitt Henson
Votes: 22,870 | Gross: $9.59M
6. We Are Marshall (2006)
PG | 131 min | Drama, Sport
When a plane crash claims the lives of members of the Marshall University football team and some of its fans, the team's new coach and his surviving players try to keep the football program alive.
Director: McG | Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, Anthony Mackie, David Strathairn
Votes: 64,834 | Gross: $43.55M
7. 42 (2013)
PG-13 | 128 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In 1947, Jackie Robinson becomes the first African-American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he was signed by the Brooklyn Dodgers and faces considerable racism in the process.
Director: Brian Helgeland | Stars: Chadwick Boseman, T.R. Knight, Harrison Ford, Nicole Beharie
Votes: 102,755 | Gross: $95.00M
8. Remember the Titans (2000)
PG | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
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: 232,003 | Gross: $115.65M
9. The Blind Side (2009)
PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
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: 360,647 | Gross: $255.96M
10. A League of Their Own (1992)
PG | 128 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Two sisters join the first female professional baseball league and struggle to help it succeed amid their own growing rivalry.
Director: Penny Marshall | Stars: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna
Votes: 121,109 | Gross: $107.53M
11. The Longest Yard (2005)
PG-13 | 113 min | Comedy, Crime, Sport
Prison inmates form a football team to challenge the prison guards.
Director: Peter Segal | Stars: Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds, Chris Rock, Nelly
Votes: 195,169 | Gross: $158.12M
12. The Waterboy (1998)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Sport
A waterboy for a college football team discovers he has a unique tackling ability and becomes a member of the team.
Director: Frank Coraci | Stars: Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, Fairuza Balk
Votes: 178,445 | Gross: $161.49M
13. Bull Durham (1988)
R | 108 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
A fan who has an affair with one minor-league baseball player each season meets an up-and-coming pitcher and the experienced catcher assigned to him.
Director: Ron Shelton | Stars: Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, Trey Wilson
Votes: 59,415 | Gross: $50.89M
14. Field of Dreams (1989)
PG | 107 min | Drama, Family, Fantasy
Iowa farmer Ray Kinsella is inspired by a voice he can't ignore to pursue a dream he can hardly believe. Supported by his wife, Ray begins the quest by turning his ordinary cornfield into a place where dreams can come true.
Director: Phil Alden Robinson | Stars: Kevin Costner, James Earl Jones, Ray Liotta, Amy Madigan
Votes: 128,171 | Gross: $64.43M
15. Caddyshack (1980)
R | 98 min | Comedy, Sport
An exclusive golf course has to deal with a flatulent new member and a destructive dancing gopher.
Director: Harold Ramis | Stars: Chevy Chase, Rodney Dangerfield, Bill Murray, Ted Knight
Votes: 127,214 | Gross: $39.85M
16. Breaking Away (1979)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A working-class Indiana teen obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl while searching for life goals with his friends.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley
Votes: 25,483 | Gross: $16.42M
17. Rocky IV (1985)
PG | 91 min | Drama, Sport
Rocky Balboa proudly holds the world heavyweight boxing championship, but a new challenger has stepped forward: Drago, a six-foot-four, 261-pound fighter who has the backing of the Soviet Union.
Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 226,509 | Gross: $127.87M
18. The Replacements (2000)
PG-13 | 118 min | Comedy, Sport
During a pro football strike, the owners hire substitute players.
Director: Howard Deutch | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Brooke Langton, Orlando Jones
Votes: 69,503 | Gross: $44.74M
19. Major League (1989)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Sport
The new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a purposely horrible team so they'll lose and she can move the team. But when the plot is uncovered, they start winning just to spite her.
Director: David S. Ward | Stars: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Margaret Whitton
Votes: 76,476 | Gross: $49.80M
20. White Men Can't Jump (1992)
R | 115 min | Comedy, Sport
Black and white basketball hustlers join forces to double their chances of winning money on the street courts and in a basketball tournament.
Director: Ron Shelton | Stars: Wesley Snipes, Woody Harrelson, Rosie Perez, Tyra Ferrell
Votes: 98,340 | Gross: $76.25M
21. McFarland, USA (2015)
PG | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach, and at his new school he turns seven disappointing students into one of the best cross-country teams in the region.
Director: Niki Caro | Stars: Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Ramiro Rodriguez, Carlos Pratts
Votes: 42,263 | Gross: $44.47M
22. When the Game Stands Tall (2014)
PG | 115 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The journey of legendary football coach Bob Ladouceur, who took the De La Salle High School Spartans from obscurity to a 151-game winning streak that shattered all records for any American sport.
Director: Thomas Carter | Stars: Jim Caviezel, Alexander Ludwig, Michael Chiklis, Laura Dern
Votes: 16,919 | Gross: $30.13M
23. The Natural (1984)
PG | 138 min | Drama, Sport
A middle-aged unknown comes seemingly out of nowhere to become a legendary baseball player with almost supernatural talent.
Director: Barry Levinson | Stars: Robert Redford, Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Kim Basinger
Votes: 52,482 | Gross: $47.95M
24. Slap Shot (1977)
R | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A failing ice hockey team finds success with outrageously violent hockey goonery.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean, Strother Martin, Jennifer Warren
Votes: 41,254 | Gross: $28.00M
25. Raging Bull (1980)
R | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The life of boxer Jake LaMotta, whose violence and temper that led him to the top in the ring destroyed his life outside of it.
Director: Martin Scorsese | Stars: Robert De Niro, Cathy Moriarty, Joe Pesci, Frank Vincent
Votes: 380,385 | Gross: $23.38M
26. The Sandlot (1993)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
In the summer of 1962, a new kid in town is taken under the wing of a young baseball prodigy and his rowdy team, resulting in many adventures.
Director: David Mickey Evans | Stars: Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Art LaFleur, Patrick Renna
Votes: 102,432 | Gross: $32.42M
27. Forever Strong (2008)
PG-13 | 112 min | Drama, Sport
A rugby player is put up in a juvenile detention center, where he plays for the Highland Rugby team and ultimately plays against his father in the National Championships.
Director: Ryan Little | Stars: Sean Faris, Penn Badgley, Gary Cole, Sean Astin
Votes: 11,158 | Gross: $0.63M
28. Invictus (2009)
PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
Nelson Mandela, in his first term as President of South Africa, initiates a unique venture to unite the Apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge, Patrick Mofokeng
Votes: 167,923 | Gross: $37.49M
29. Happy Gilmore (1996)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Sport
After his grandmothers house is repossessed by the IRS, bad tempered hockey player takes his talents to golf to earn the big bucks and get his grandmothers house back.
Director: Dennis Dugan | Stars: Adam Sandler, Christopher McDonald, Julie Bowen, Frances Bay
Votes: 248,699 | Gross: $38.62M
30. Cool Runnings (1993)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
When a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican Bobsled Team.
Director: Jon Turteltaub | Stars: John Candy, Leon, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis
Votes: 113,800 | Gross: $68.86M
31. Rookie of the Year (1993)
PG | 103 min | Comedy, Family, Fantasy
When an accident miraculously gives a boy an incredibly powerful pitching arm, he becomes a major league pitcher for the Chicago Cubs.
Director: Daniel Stern | Stars: Thomas Ian Nicholas, Gary Busey, Albert Hall, Amy Morton
Votes: 30,974 | Gross: $53.58M
32. 23 Blast (2014)
PG-13 | 98 min | Drama, Sport
When a high-school football star is suddenly stricken with irreversible, total blindness, he must decide whether to accept his new reality or attempt a return to the game he still loves.
Director: Dylan Baker | Stars: Mark Hapka, Bram Hoover, Stephen Lang, Max Adler
Votes: 2,195 | Gross: $0.49M
33. The Mighty Ducks (1992)
PG | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A self-centered Minnesota lawyer is sentenced to community service coaching a rag tag youth hockey team.
Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Emilio Estevez, Joss Ackland, Lane Smith, Heidi Kling
Votes: 71,843 | Gross: $50.75M
34. The Longest Yard (1974)
R | 121 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A sadistic warden asks a former pro quarterback, now serving time in his prison, to put together a team of inmates to take on (and get pummeled by) the guards.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Michael Conrad
Votes: 21,434 | Gross: $7.13M
35. Annapolis (2006)
PG-13 | 108 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
Set against the backdrop of boxing at the Naval Academy, centers on a young man from the wrong side of the tracks whose dream of attending Annapolis becomes a reality.
Director: Justin Lin | Stars: James Franco, Jordana Brewster, Tyrese Gibson, Donnie Wahlberg
Votes: 21,910 | Gross: $17.13M
36. Rocky (1976)
PG | 120 min | Drama, Sport
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: 628,690 | Gross: $117.24M
37. Rocky II (1979)
PG | 119 min | Drama, Sport
Rocky struggles in family life after his bout with Apollo Creed, while the embarrassed champ insistently goads him to accept a challenge for a rematch.
Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 231,327
38. Rocky III (1982)
PG | 99 min | Drama, Sport
Rocky faces the ultimate challenge from a powerful new contender, and must turn to a former rival to help regain his throne as the undisputed fighting champion.
Director: Sylvester Stallone | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 211,297 | Gross: $125.05M
39. Bloodsport (1988)
R | 92 min | Action, Biography, Drama
"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: 94,049 | Gross: $11.81M
40. Kickboxer (1989)
R | 97 min | Action, Sport, Thriller
Kurt Sloane must learn the ancient kick boxing art of Muay Thai in order to avenge his brother.
Directors: Mark DiSalle, David Worth | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Alexio, Dennis Chan, Michel Qissi
Votes: 60,896 | Gross: $14.70M
41. Wildcats (1986)
R | 106 min | Comedy, Sport
A rookie high school football coach has a harder time than she expected trying to whip her tough inner city team into shape.
Director: Michael Ritchie | Stars: Goldie Hawn, Swoosie Kurtz, Robyn Lively, Brandy Gold
Votes: 14,615 | Gross: $26.29M
42. Glory Road (2006)
PG | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.
Director: James Gartner | Stars: Josh Lucas, Derek Luke, Austin Nichols, Jon Voight
Votes: 48,839 | Gross: $42.64M
43. Southpaw (2015)
R | 124 min | Action, Drama, Sport
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: 258,483 | Gross: $52.42M
44. Creed (II) (2015)
PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Drama, Sport
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: 310,961 | Gross: $109.77M
45. My All-American (2015)
PG | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Freddie Steinmark, an underdog on the gridiron, faces the toughest challenge of his life after leading his team to a championship season.
Director: Angelo Pizzo | Stars: Aaron Eckhart, Finn Wittrock, Robin Tunney, Sarah Bolger
Votes: 7,842 | Gross: $2.25M
46. Cars (2006)
G | 116 min | Animation, Adventure, Comedy
On the way to the biggest race of his life, a hotshot rookie race car gets stranded in a rundown town and learns that winning isn't everything in life.
Directors: John Lasseter, Joe Ranft | Stars: Owen Wilson, Bonnie Hunt, Paul Newman, Larry the Cable Guy
Votes: 470,330 | Gross: $244.08M
47. Any Given Sunday (1999)
R | 162 min | Drama, Sport
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: 125,914 | Gross: $75.53M
48. Race (I) (2016)
PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Jesse Owens' quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy.
Director: Stephen Hopkins | Stars: Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Eli Goree, Shanice Banton
Votes: 40,955 | Gross: $19.10M
49. Ted Lasso (2020–2023)
TV-MA | 30 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
American college football coach Ted Lasso heads to London to manage AFC Richmond, a struggling English Premier League soccer team.
Stars: Jason Sudeikis, Hannah Waddingham, Jeremy Swift, Phil Dunster
Votes: 348,797
50. Creed II (2018)
PG-13 | 130 min | Action, Drama, Sport
Under the tutelage of Rocky Balboa, newly crowned heavyweight champion Adonis Creed faces off against Viktor Drago, the son of Ivan Drago.
Director: Steven Caple Jr. | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad
Votes: 155,587 | Gross: $115.72M
51. Rise (II) (2022)
PG | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Based on the real life story about the family that produced the first trio of brothers to become NBA champions in the history of the league.
Director: Akin Omotoso | Stars: Dayo Okeniyi, Yetide Badaki, Uche Agada, Ral Agada
Votes: 8,197
52. Necessary Roughness (1991)
PG-13 | 108 min | Comedy, Sport
Due to NCAA sanctions, the Texas State University Fightin' Armadillos must form a football team from their actual student body, with no scholarships to help, to play their football schedule.
Director: Stan Dragoti | Stars: Scott Bakula, Hector Elizondo, Robert Loggia, Harley Jane Kozak
Votes: 13,120 | Gross: $26.26M
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