Worst2First: My Top Ten Football Films
Worst2First:
My Top Ten Football Films
As summer comes to an end, it's that magical time where leaves change colors, hoodies are brought out of the closet, and everything becomes pumpkin flavored. It's also the start of football season. Personally, I don't find much entertainment in the sport (or any sports for that matter), but I do appreciate films that focus on America's most popular sport.
With that spirit in mind, here are my top ten football films, Worst2First.
**There will be no spoilers.**
#10
Little Giants
It seems that one of the longest running themes in sports movies in particular is the theme of the underdog prevailing. We all love to root for the underdog, and while in films its nice to see them win, unfortunately life isn't a movie. Maybe that's why we enjoy seeing them so much, because it gives us hope in an otherwise bleak world. Here, it's dueling brothers as nice, mild-mannered Rick Moranis gets a group of ragtag young teens together to form a football team (where the biggest star is a girl!) against his much more arrogant, much more experienced coach in Ed O'Neil. It's a family-friendly comedy that gives you a viable group to root for.
#9
The Replacements
Back in 1994, the Major League Baseball players did something pretty much unheard of in sports - they went on strike. No matter what people say, it deeply affected America's favorite pastime even to this day. "The Replacements" asks the question: what would happen if football players went on strike? The answer in the movie is forming a new football team by bringing in former players and has-beens, coached by Gene Hackman and starring Keanu Reeves (who, magically, never seems to age). The film is a great comedy, and also shows that you're never too old to get a second shot at glory.
#8
All the Right Moves
Along with "Risky Business" and "The Outsiders," "All the Right Moves" is listed as one of the films that launched the career of three-time Oscar nominee Tom Cruise, who stars as an arrogant high school senior who's talented in football and academics, and sets out to get a college football scholarship. His hopes dashed after a disastrous game, he comes to blows with his coach (Craig T. Nelson), which causes the young upstart to learn some important life lessons.
#7
The Program
James Caan stars as the coach of college football team the ESU Timberwolves who has to deal with a highly fractured team. The college students face major life issues and respond to them in vastly different ways - from drugs and alcohol to studying and trying to be more academic. The film boasts a terrific cast including Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Epps, Kristy Swanson and Craig Sheffer, but what makes this movie so well-known is a tragic controversy. During one scene, the football players decide to lay down in the middle of a highway as cars zoom past them, and it was highly imitated in real life with often deadly consequences. This resulted in that section of the film being removed before it hit theaters, and subsequent home releases also doesn't include this highly controversial scene.
#6
Any Given Sunday
Oliver Stone is one of the most unique directors out there, and his film - based from a novel by famed NFL defensive end Pat Toomay - takes us behind the scenes of high-risk football, where there's more than just a game on the line. Featuring an outstanding ensemble cast including Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quaid, LL Cool J, Matthew Modine, John C. McGinley, Charlton Heston, Ann-Margaret, Lauren Holly, Bill Bellamy, Aaron Eckhart and Elizabeth Berkley, the film might be a bit long for most, but there's no denying its dramatic power.
#5
Varsity Blues
When you wonder which state is the most obsessed about football, it's pretty much a sure bet Texas is the first state that comes to mind. "Varsity Blues" focuses on a small Texas town and the high school students struggling to be the best at the sport while also dealing with coming-of-age issues and an overbearing coach (Jon Voight), who believes in winning at all costs. The ensemble cast is one of the best - James Van Der Beek (during the height of his "Dawson's Creek" popularity), Paul Walker, Amy Smart, Scott Caan, and most notably Ron Lester, who was morbidly obese during filming and went on to lose a ton of weight, only to sadly pass away from kidney failure in 2016. The most famous scene in the film comes when Ali Larter comes out in a whip cream bikini, which was later parodied by Captain America himself, Chris Evans, in "Not Another Teen Movie."
Who wore it better?
#4
Friday Night Lights
When I was in high school, I was a member of the marching band, so we attended all the football games. Even though I didn't really understand what was going on, there was no denying the intensity, energy and passion by both players and fans alike when those lights came on every Friday night. This nostalgic feeling comes full-circle with "Friday Night Lights," a film about a depressed Texas town who comes together to root for their local high school football team. The film features Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Garrett Hedlund, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez, Tim McGraw and Connie Britton, and also spawned a very successful television series that won three Primetime Emmy awards and featured then up-and-coming stars Aimee Teegarden, Taylor Kitsch, Adrianne Palicki and Michael B. Jordan.
#3
Brian's Song
#2
Rudy
As I mentioned with "Little Giants," we love to see an underdog succeed, and "Rudy" is the ultimate underdog film. The true story of Rudy (Sean Astin) centers around his strong desire to play for Notre Dame despite the many, many, many...many reservations of others around him. He never allowed the negativity to hinder his dream, and worked valiantly to make it come true.
#1
Remember the Titans
Not just my favorite football movie, but one of my favorite sports movies of all time. Denzel Washington kills it as Coach Boone, an African American brought in to coach a newly integrated high school football team in Virginia. Tackling the themes of racism and prejudice, "Remember the Titans" is the must-see film to understand how our similarities far outweigh our differences, and the importance of teamwork and understanding.
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