Off Season Topic; Top Sports Movies.

[CallMeBruce]

Rocky isn't about the fight. It is about the fighter. A guy who never reached his potential getting one last shot. Then facing adversity and going the distance. It is about redemption and growth. Rocky II and III were about the fight.

That is why in a two hour movie they only show a few minutes of action between Rocky and Apollo.

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree here. From my perspective, the whole movie is building towards the fight. It's boxing, so there aren't going to be a lot of other matches leading up to it, but we do spend an awful lot of time watching him train.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

I guess we'll have to agree to disagree here. From my perspective, the whole movie is building towards the fight. It's boxing, so there aren't going to be a lot of other matches leading up to it, but we do spend an awful lot of time watching him train.

And no time watching the actual fight because the fight wasn't the point. Ask Stallone next time you see him.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

That puts The Cutting Edge in both,

I think Rocky II is both.

 

[UConn990411]

Miracle and Remember the Titans have to be on any of these lists.

 

[tcf15]

If we are going to include movies about sports, I think Green Street Hooligans would fit in that category, so I'm throwing that one into the discussion.

 

[Waquoit]

While not an all-timer, Let It Ride is fun. A fixture on bus trips to Saratoga.

 

[Peacefrog]

The Natural

Thanks you D-Nice. I can't believe I had to scroll down this far before The Natural was mentioned. Hoosiers has to be right up there and Caddyshack is one of my favorite movies of all time, sports or otherwise.

 

[Peacefrog]

While not an all-timer, Let It Ride is fun. A fixture on bus trips to Saratoga.

Yes, an unsung hero in the genre.

 

[Peacefrog]

Dodgeball

Dodgeball, a new generation Caddyshack.

 

[feste]

Breaking Away. Maslin review.

The Oscar for best film went to Kramer vs. Kramer that year, and that hit me hard at the time. Some consolation that Tesich won for best screenplay and that the National Film Critics did pick it as best picture.

Paul Dooley was overlooked for his work as the erstwhile cutter before any of us had even heard of Mariano Rivera.

 

[Kitaman]

Is Southpaw any good?

 

[mauconnfan]

Is Southpaw any good?

While I am sure it will get rave reviews Jake and Rachel ain't making me run to the theatre for this one sorry.

 

[sledog]

What the hell. Revenge of the Nerds. The javelin toss was superb.

 

[Tommyboy]

Hoosiers, The Natural, Field of Dreams, Dogtown and Z-Boys, and my all-time favorite sports movie: Victory.

Just missed the cut: Bad News Bears, Diggstown, Miracle, Friday Night Lights, Lords of Dogtown, Rudy, Talladega Nights, Sandlot, Rocky, Remember the Titans, Cool Runnings, We are Marshall, Slap Shot, Bones Brigade: An Autobiography, Major League, etc.. Could probably add a bunch more to this. I am a sucker for a sports movie.

 

[raf46]

These are my top five and my reasons for picking them. I can't imagine a top ten without them though are are surely many, many other candidates.

1. Slapshot. Just a great all around movie. The insanity of minor league and the iconic Hansen Brothers headline a deep cast of crazy characters. Entertaining from the opening frame until the end. Almost as many memorable lines as the Big Lebowski.

2. Bull Durham. Funny. Bitterseet. Touching. Eccentric but believable. Great performances. The love triangle of Crash, Nuke and Annie matches any in cinema. Another deep cast.

3. Field of Dreams. Not only a great movie but this thing is beautifully shot. The interplay of the real and surreal is done to perfection. This movie always has a surprise around the next corner and a ton of heart.

4. Rocky. Much more of a formula movie than the ones ahead of it on this list. But it uses the formula perfectly. The down and out fighter with one last chance, two wounded people healing each other, the climatic fight, all brought home by an amazing score and a song that has become sports legend.

5. Hoosiers. More formula but the story telling is beautiful, as clean and sparse as the Indiana scenery. A small and intimate portrait of small town Americana driven by the coach and team that defy the odds. It is never over reaches or overplays its hand. Its modesty touches every scene in the film.

Field of dreams. Then two oldies. THE HARDER THEY FALL. BANG THE DRUM SLOWLY.

 

[mauconnfan]

Remember the Titans, Miracle, We Are Marshall, Field of Dreams, Major League, Mr Baseball, One on One, Bull Durham

 

[Gurleyman]

Is Southpaw any good?

It was ok - the boxing scenes were pretty good. The main character's inevitable personal growth transformation as he rises from rock bottom was too simplistic. They took a lot of short cuts or cut scenes or something.

 

[Scoe]

Any Given Sunday, the Program, Major League, He Got Game, Blue Chips, Above the Rim, All the right moves, Vision Quest.

 

[Palatine]

He Got Game should be mandatory on any UConn fan's list.

 

[uconndoit]

Warrior