Fan Fest’s Top 10 Favorite Football Films
It’s Game Day, y’all! Happy Super Bowl Sunday! Today, the New England Patriots will take on the Atlanta Falcons in the biggest sporting event of the year. While we are looking forward to so much today, the game, the commercials, the halftime show and an amazing spread of game snacks, we can’t help but digress and think about some of the awesome films out there that have perfectly captured the awesomeness of this sport.
Let’s take a look at 10 awesome football films that we think are total touchdowns:
1. Rudy (1993): Rudy (played by Sean Astin) 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. Rudy triumphs over his own small stature, low academic scores, and his below-average athletic skills to make his dream come true. This is a classic underdog story with a lot of heart! Tell us you don’t get goosebumps when the crowd start chanting, “Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!”
2. The Blind Side (2009): This film is the true story of NFL offensive tackle Michael Oher. Oher (played by Quinton Aaron) started out as homeless and traumatized boy who became an All American football player and first round NFL draft pick with the help of Leigh Ann Tuohy (played by Sandra Bullock) and her family. This film has it all, laughs, awesome sportsmanship and touching moments to pull right on those heart strings.
3. Friday Night Lights (2004): Before it was a television series, it was a film based on H.G. Bissinger’s book, which profiled an economically depressed small town in Texas. The one thing that brings the divided and crumbling town together is Friday night and their heroic high school football team, The Permian High Panthers.
4. Any Given Sunday (1999): Tony D’Amato (played by Al Pacino) is the aging head coach of the fictional Miami Sharks. He struggles with a demanding president/co-owner (Cameron Diaz), a washed-up star quarterback (Dennis Quaid) and the rookie QB in line to replace him (Jamie Foxx) all causing him to reevaluate his time-tested values and strategies and begin to confront the fact that the game, as well as post-modern life may be passing him by.
5. Remember The Titans (2000): Based on the true story of Coach Herman Boone (played by Denzel Washington) who forced integration on his football team. The team becomes the unifying symbol for the community as the boys and the adults learn to depend on and trust each other.
6. Radio (2003): Football coach Harold Jones (played by Ed Harris) befriends Radio (Cuba Gooding Jr.), a mentally-challenged man who becomes a student at T.L. Hanna High School in Anderson, South Carolina. Their friendship extends over several decades, where Radio transforms from a shy, tormented man into an inspiration to his community.
7. We Are Marshall (2006): We Are Marshall, starring Matthew McConaughey, is the moving story of how Marshall University, its students, teachers, and members of the community were able to fight back after a horrible plane crash took the lives of their football team and supporters.
8. Varsity Blues (1999): A small-town high school football team struggles with their overbearing coach through a tumultuous season. The players must deal with the pressures of adolescence and their football-obsessed community while having their hard coach on their back constantly. In a small Texas town, football is a way of life, and losing is not an option.
9. Jerry Maguire (1996): “Show me the money!” When a sports agent Jerry Maguire (played by Tom Cruise) has a moral epiphany and is fired for expressing it, he decides to go out on his own, signing free agent Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.). At it’s core, the film is a love story with an epic fairytale football ending.
10. Invincible (2006): Based on the story of Vince Papale (played by Mark Wahlberg), a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who with a love for the game. When the Philadelphia Eagles opened up season tryouts to everybody, Papale was talked into giving it a try and the rest, as they say, is history.
Did your favorite football film make the list? Tell us your favorite pick in the comment section below.
Source: IMDB
A karaoke obsessed, craft beer enthusiast and lover of all things pop culture, Denise enjoys all facets of entertainment from Broadway to box office blockbusters. In her spare time, she enjoys photography, concerts (lots and lots of concerts), volunteering, reading and playing with her rescue kitten, Samantha (who rescued who, right?).
