Top 40 Sports Movies Part 3
20. Girlfight
Sport: Boxing
Story: A troubled teen takes up boxing to work out her aggression and find a new focus to her tumultuous life. She is challenged by the male-dominated sport and an abusive father who has no faith in her.
MVP: Michelle Rodriguez in a powerhouse performance in a breakout debut performance
19. Major League
Sport: Baseball
Story: When a baseball team owner wants to sabotage her organization in order to move the team to warmer climates, she brings together the worst players in the league.
MVP: Former ball player and current announcer Bob Uecker plays Harry Doyle, the Cleveland Indians’ announcer. He is hysterical and had me laughing the whole movie.
18. Caddyshack
Sport: Golf
Story: A group of caddies get into trouble while the rich club members make giant bets with each other.
MVP: Whenever Bill Murray is involved, it is hard to overshadow him. As the groundskeeper, Carl Spackler, he offers the best non-sequitor laughs throughout the movie.
17. Win Win
Sport: Wrestling
Story: This was a little known and seen movie from last year. A struggling lawyer and highschool wrestling coach brings in the grandson of one of his client’s. The teen turned out to be a wrestling prodigy that helps turn around the failing highschool team.
MVP: Paul Giamatti plays the coach. It was easily one of the best performances of last year and possibly of Giamatti’s career. It is also one in a long line of recent performances that have been based on subtlety and sincerity instead of scene chewing grand standing.
16. The Boxer
Sport: Boxing
Story: A former Provo-IRA volunteer tries to go straight after his release from prison. This serves as a backdrop for depicting splinters in the IRA.
MVP: Daniel Day-Lewis is a hard man to overshadow. He is always 110% devoted to every role, and this one is no exception. He has been especially lauded for his rigorous athletic training fighting like a real boxer instead of someone being theatrical in the ring.
15. Field of Dreams
Sport: Baseball
Story: Ray, a local farmer hears a voice telling him to build a baseball field. He sacrifices a number of his crops to his family’s dismay to create the field. They are then visited by the ghosts of former baseball players looking for the next game.
MVP: James Earl Jones plays Terrence Man, an author turned activist, who helps guide Ray in his endeavors.
14. The Fighter
Sport: Boxing
Story: The junkie brother of an up and coming boxer tries to train his brother to do what he couldn’t.
MVP: Christian Bale gives an outstanding performance as the junkie brother. He might seem like he is chewing a lot of scenery, but when you see the documentary footage of the real life person he was playing, you see Bale hit the nail right on the head.
13. Goon
Sport: Hockey
Story: An incredibly nice guy who can throw one hell of a right hook is hired as a goon for a minor league hockey team, where he finds his calling.
MVP: Seann William Scott plays the titular goon. After practically disappearing after American Pie series, Scott comes back with a vengeance with a role that is both tough and nice, almost overwhelmingly charming.
12. The Wrestler
Sport: Pro-wrestling
Story: A way over the hill pro-wrestler is forced into retirement by a heart attack. He begins to try and fill the void wrestling left by rekindling his relationship with his daughter and trying to date a good-hearted stripper.
MVP: Mickey Rourke gives a true powerhouse performance and was passed over for the Oscar that year when he lost to Sean Penn. He is instantly likable but ultimately heartbreaking.
11. A League of Their Own
Sport: Baseball
Story: With most of the male population overseas fighting WWII, a candy bar company sponsors an all-female baseball league.
MVP: Geena Davis as the all-star player who could probably challenge a lot of the male baseball players. Her rivalry with her kid sister is the heart of the story, and she brings a sense of maturity to a juvenile cast of teammates.
