penguinsix

So I just saw Moneyball and it's rocketed into my list of must-see sports films, when I then thought "what are five good American sports films someone should see". Anyone have any others for the list?

Here is my list (actually it's way more than five):

Moneyball--(Baseball--true story) more about professional sports management but fascinating and well done.

The Natural--(Baseball)--Just a feel good American film

Miracle--(Ice Hockey)--Not the best film but worth seeing because of the massive importance of the 1980 US hockey team and their defeat of the Soviet Union in the Olympics.

Rudy or Knute Rockne (Football)--Both deal with Notre Dame football and the massive allegiance (or hatred) it has amongst college football fans.

Hoops Dreams--(Basketball--true story). About how inner city kids are pumped through the system with success, and failure.

Hoosiers--(Basketball--true story). High school basketball in Indiana, where it is basically a religion.

Remember the Titans -- (Football-true story). Integration and race relations in a high school football team.

Slap Shot -- (Ice Hockey). Just sort of a classic comedy. You can't bluff ice hockey without being able to talk about 'the Hansens'.

Friday Night Lights -- (Football, true story). High school football in Texas, where regularly 10,000 fans will show up for an under-18 sporting event.

Hiro11

I like Hoosiers and Hoop Dreams is probably the best movie about American sports.

Others I like:

Raging Bull a famous Scorcese-directed film about the self-hating boxer Jake LaMotta

Breaking Away about a small-town blue-collar kid who's obsessed with cycling.

Rocky a cliche at this point, but the first Rocky movie is a classic.

Dogtown and Z-Boys a very entertaining and poignant documentary about the rise of skateboarding in Southern California. The director also made a great documentary about big wave surfing called Riding Giants.

Bull Durham wise comedy about minor league baseball. Holds up well.

When We Were Kings great documentary about Ali-Foreman in Zaire. The sight of George Foreman working a heavy bag in his prime is pretty amazing.

Bad News Bears the original one with is incredibly un-PC and features a terrific Walter Matthau. Also,a time capsule of the late seventies in the US.

lisa67

I'd add Radio and The Blind Side

Guindalf

No love for We Are Marshall or The Rookie?

Guindalf

Heaven Can Wait

Brian's Song

The Longest Yard (Mean Machine was better)

The awesome Eight Men Out

The Hustler and Color Of Money

A League Of Their Own

Major League

Caddyshack

...and probably one of the best...

Pride Of The Yankees

ols-london

Surely any given sunday?? Invincible? We are Marshall?
The Express?
I love the Rookie aswell.
Does Days of Thunder count?? Man the list is endless!
Field of Dreams?? Th Replacements? Varsity Blues.
I could go on!

rallybug

For motorcycle racing, and some 70s nostalgia, the documentary "On Any Sunday".
Similar from the same producer/director (Bruce Brown) are "Endless Summer" (I and II) about surfing.

Nutmegger

North Dallas Forty -- best football movie ever!

Uncle Ebenezer

Complete tosh, except for Slapshot and Bad News Bears.

Hollywood seems unable to make a movie about "sport" (I use the word in its loosest possible sense), without a liberal sprinkling of schmaltz and the inevitable "feel good factor". Unless it's a comedy.

SultanOfSwing

Then, do Dodgeball and Baseketball count?

Uncle Ebenezer

They would, if they were comedies.

SultanOfSwing

I wasn't being that specific.

What about Happy Gilmore? It's about golf.

Uncle Ebenezer

Do you actually have a point, or are you pointless, as usual?

SultanOfSwing

I was just making suggestions.

Uncle Ebenezer

I'm on the verge of making one myself.