By Staff Writer: Morganne Guhl
Sports films have always been a part of Cinema, but what are the must-see? We will go over five sports movies you should watch.
Our starting film is Rocky from 1976. Written by Sylvester Stallone, who also starred in the film, the story is about a no-name boxer named Rocky in the city of Philadelphia. He has the opportunity of a professional boxing match against the current heavyweight champion Apollo Creed, played by Carl Weathers. The film was a hit with audiences and critics, financially successful, and launched a franchise that continues to this day. It’s the first sports movie to win the Oscar for Best Picture, along with two other Oscars. It’s regarded by many as the most significant sports film ever made.
Our next film is Chariots of Fire. The movie was released in 1981; this biographical film covers two British track athletes, Eric Liddell and Harold Abrahams, who competed in the 1924 Olympics. The film highlights the personal and professional trials the men faced along with their faiths. Liddell’s devotion to Christianity almost cost him an Olympic race, and Abraham’s Jewish heritage caused him to face social persecution. Like Rocky, the film would win multiple Oscars, including Best Picture. While lesser known than Rocky, you are almost guaranteed to have heard the theme song, whether you know it or not.
For a more modern sports film, we turn our attention to Moneyball. Starring Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, the 2011 movie examined the baseball team the Oakland Athletics during the 2002 session and the analytics that they used to assemble their record-breaking squad on a limited budget. The film reflects the situation occurring in all sports, the struggle of teams that can no longer keep up with the budgets of super teams. The film was nominated for six Oscars, and while a quieter sports movie, Moneyball should be seen at least once.
We will recommend I, Tonya, from 2017 for our fourth film. The film was shot as a mockumentary covering the life and career of the figure skater Tonya Harding and the attack on her rival Nancy Kerrigan, which would lead to Harding being banned from the sport entirely. The film successfully reflects Tonya’s successes and many failures with fourth-wall-breaking humor. It allows the audience to form their own opinions on a figure skater whose exact involvement in the attack on Kerrigan will always have questions surrounding it. The film would win one Oscar and be nominated for two more.
Our final pick is Happy Gilmore, a golfing comedy starring Adam Sandler. This sports comedy has slowly gained a cult following since its release in 1996. The film enjoys poking fun at the many sports film troupes, with Adam Sandler’s character becoming a golfer to save his grandmother’s home and his rich and evil rival attempting to sabotage him, played by Christopher McDonald. The most well-known scene, the Bob Baker fight, is worth seeing the film for that alone.