5 Best Football Movies

[IndianaCowboyFan]

5. "North Dallas Forty." Pete Gent meant it as a slap, and in a lot of ways it is, but it's just a darn good football movie.

How many of the characters in the movie were based on a Cowboy player?

 

[paladin]

1) Rudy - (shocked at the negative opinions, 1 of my fav flicks regardless of
genre
2) The longest yard - "I told ya I was gonna break his freakin necK"
3) Brian Song - 1st time I remember weeping at the TV
4) North Dallas Forty - "everytime I call it a business YOU call it a game"
and since noone mentioned it yet
5) All the Right Moves - Could relate to using the skills you have in order to leave a dismal town

 

[Yakuza Rich]

1. "The Longest Yard" the original. A classic. They never should have messed with it or copied it. It is gritty, irreverent, and hard nosed. I can almost imagine how badly the prisoners wanted to hit the guards.

The remake was terrible. I can't believe how many people have never seen the original and think that the original will be just like the remake. Not trying to be a homer, but Irvin was the only bright spot of the remake. I will say one thing about the remake, it made me appreciate just how good everything in the original was. From the directing, the writing to the acting. Some really underappreciated actors in the original.

2. "Brian's Song." The story of Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers. A classic. Not for the tender hearted because it's a true story and it is sad.

Yep, great movie.

3. "Rudy." Even if it is Notre Dame (not a fan) this is a great movie about determination. I'll never tire of this movie.

What amazes me about this story is he spent 4 years in a steel mill saving his money and was able to do that AND stay in shape in order to play football for the best football team in the country. That's extremely hard to do.

4. "Remember the Titans." The scene where Gary in the hospital calls Julius his brother, and then Julius says they're going to grow old and fat together is what team is all about, no walls.

I actually didn't like this film. Too hokey and too Disney influenced. From what I've been told, the movie is completely off base in that the team actually destroyed everybody they faced (that's what happens when you take two huge schools with the best football teams and combine them) and they were never in doubt of losing any game. In all, the movie was extremely unrealistic.

5. "North Dallas Forty." Pete Gent meant it as a slap, and in a lot of ways it is, but it's just a darn good football movie.

Yep, it was what "Any Given Sunday" aspired to be, but Gent understood it more.

Some others that I love:

"All the Right Moves" - brilliant cinematography with a great story mixed in. Varsity Blues tried to lift the story from it, but it paled in comparison.

"Necessary Roughness" - the "Major League" of football movies, except not quite as funny. Still makes me laugh a lot.




Honorable mention..."School Ties." Very under rated movie about a prep high school QB and the bigotry he has to face.


You don't have to agree with my list. Share yours.[/QUOTE]

 

[Bizwah]

No movie that has the Cowboys in a bad light will make my list.

Jerry Maguire sucked
Invincible will suck
The Trashcan Kicking Philly movie sucked
The Replacements sucked
Little Giants sucked

I get angry seeing the Cowboys lose in real life or fiction...or replayed...or implied....

My list:
Remember the Titans--I remember reading all the inaccuracies, but I still liked the movie. I didn't watch it for its historical content.

The Longest Yard

Rudy

Dallas Cowboys Greatest Moments 1960-2003: While this isn't "technically" a "movie", it's still better than watching some jerky Philly fan making the Eagle team.

School Ties: very good movie....I thought Brendan Frasier was very good. Early look at Matt Damon too...

 

[TruBlueCowboy]

Rudy would probably be #1 on everyone's list if it was about any school other than Notre Dame.

Here's one I haven't seen anyone mention yet... The Junction Boys.

 

[Hostile]

Hos, went out to Ratliff in '88 to check my best friend play one of the early round playoff games. We had been eliminated and so I figured I would go check out Lamar (Arlington) play in Odessa.

That was the most incredible experience as a player or fan, for me. You had to wade through Panther fans to get from the fieldhouse to the field - for warmups. When the snappers and kickers (typically the first to go out) were called out of the lockerroom 90 minutes before gametime, the stadium was already in a frenzy.

I have been in some pretty rowdy places in high school and college, and seen NFL games not only in Dallas, but in KC, Philly, Chicago, and New York. My two Ratliff experiences were easily the most memorable because of their passion for Mojo. It is outright insanity if you ask me. The book got into that aspect somewhat, but the movie never touched it. And yeah, that's disappointing.

The game I spoke of occurred during that season depicted in the FNL. Permian actually lost to Carter in the state semis - a rather sloppy game played on a cold, rainy day at Memorial Stadium down in Austin. Not in the title game. But dramatic effect certainly must be accounted for.

The movie and the book did get Odessa's obsession with Mojo. Talk about a place absolutely shutting down for games. At kickoff, it has all the earmarks of a ghost town.

...

As for my favorite football movies, I'll roll with:

ND40
The Longest Yard

You know, I never read the book. I'm glad someone besides me was amazed at the phenomenon though.

There's a girl who works where I do that is from that HS. I mentioned being intimidated by the Mojo and she hit her husband and said "see?" Unless you've experienced that sensation you can't imagine how passionate those folks are. A movie could show that passion. They goofed up not showing it.

IMO.

 

[dwmyers]

1. "The Longest Yard" the original. A classic. They never should have messed with it or copied it. It is gritty, irreverent, and hard nosed. I can almost imagine how badly the prisoners wanted to hit the guards.

2. "Brian's Song." The story of Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers. A classic. Not for the tender hearted because it's a true story and it is sad.

3. "Rudy." Even if it is Notre Dame (not a fan) this is a great movie about determination. I'll never tire of this movie.

4. "Remember the Titans." The scene where Gary in the hospital calls Julius his brother, and then Julius says they're going to grow old and fat together is what team is all about, no walls.

5. "North Dallas Forty." Pete Gent meant it as a slap, and in a lot of ways it is, but it's just a darn good football movie.


Honorable mention..."School Ties." Very under rated movie about a prep high school QB and the bigotry he has to face.


You don't have to agree with my list. Share yours.

In terms of a movie about pro football with real football players, there was one in the 1960s I liked: "Paper Lion", where Alan Alda played George Plimpton.

 

[Hostile]

In terms of a movie about pro football with real football players, there was one in the 1960s I liked: "Paper Lion", where Alan Alda played George Plimpton.

I never saw that one. I should rent it.

 

[Tio]

Let them come through an East Texas region and see how many titles they'd have.

uhm, don't they have to beat the best the east has got to get those championships?

 

[Pokes28]

The reason that most football movies suck is because it is difficult to find actors that actually look like they could play football. That is why the best ones tend to be high school or college and damn few are pro. Any guy off the street could look like a baseball player, so baseball movies are much easier to cast.

Anybody that thinks Any Given Sunday is good really has a messed up ratings system.

For me it is simple:

1) Brian's Song - the only movies that a man is allowed to cry during is this and the Dirty Dozen.
2) The Longest Yard - Original - gotta love it.
3) Remember the Titans - great casting. Amazing to see how many good actors got their big break on this one.
4) Friday Night Lights - The book was amazing and the movie was a let down in comparison, but they did a pretty darn good job of it all in all. Overly dramatic football action (honestly, you don't see more than one hit in a standard high school season like they showed with regularity during the movie)
5) All the Right Moves - Before Scientology made Tom Cruise insane. He was great in this movie.

David Harrell - Pokes
dwh

 

[fansince1979]

ok, top 5 football movies......

Any Given Sunday.....yeah, it's kinda messy & hard to follow, but so are alot of Oliver Stone movies.
Remember the Titans....a feel good movie with some tragedy & social importance...a must have for football fans.
The Replacements.....kinda campy, but fun. barring the Matrix trilogy, might be Keanu Reeves best role IMO
Varsity Blues.....has one of my favorite movie quotes..."***** ***** *****, ****** ****** ******"
And one for my kids.....Little Giants!

 

[Nomad]

"The Replacements" always bothered me because it is virtually the same exact movie as "Necessary Roughness" but in the NFL instead of college. It might have been that not that many people saw Necessary Roughness or I was the only one who liked it, and its not like NR is greatness or something but it actually bothered me that they could do that.

Either the team gets shut down because of cheating scandal or a strike, and they find a QB who used to be great but quit for some reason and talk him into coming back, throw in a fat Somoan or Sumo wrestler and a soccer playing girl or foreigner for a kicker, and some other random "not thought of as football player" type characters. I guess it was based on reality of the football strike, and its not the only time a movies been a ripoff, but I couldn't see why people liked it so much.

The good stuff has already been mentioned, Brians Song, I liked Rudy and Any Given Sunday, Friday Night Lights, The Right Moves, Necessary Roughness.

The Program was pretty good and remember they had to take a part out where the players layed in the middle of the street because some kids tried it in real life and I think one or two got killed.

 

[PullMyFinger]

have to put "Heaven can wait" in there.

 

[MossBurner]

1. Rudy



2. Friday Night Lights
3. Jerry McGuire
4. Any Given Sunday

 

[Doomsday101]

Friday Night Lights
Remember the Titans
The Junction Boys
Rudy
The Program

 

[Yakuza Rich]

Rudy would probably be #1 on everyone's list if it was about any school other than Notre Dame.

Here's one I haven't seen anyone mention yet... The Junction Boys.

Rudy may have worked for Alabama or Texas. Although I think there's something about Rudy having to work in a steel mill for 4 years and then his friend dying in the mill accident that really helps build the story. Most steel mills are located in the north and midwest in that time frame, so it wouldn't make a lot of sense for a kid from chicago to want to go to Alabama or Texas.

Junction Boys had one of my favorite exchanges.

Bryant: Jesus Gearhart, who taught you to split a double team like that. Yo mamma?

Gearhart: My mamma's dead, coach.

Bryant: Well, SO IS YOUR FOOTBALL, ****ANT!


Rich................

 

[Doomsday101]

Rudy may have worked for Alabama or Texas. Although I think there's something about Rudy having to work in a steel mill for 4 years and then his friend dying in the mill accident that really helps build the story. Most steel mills are located in the north and midwest in that time frame, so it wouldn't make a lot of sense for a kid from chicago to want to go to Alabama or Texas.

Junction Boys had one of my favorite exchanges.

Bryant: Jesus Gearhart, who taught you to split a double team like that. Yo mamma?

Gearhart: My mamma's dead, coach.

Bryant: Well, SO IS YOUR FOOTBALL, ****ANT!


Rich................

Old Bear Bryant beat the heck out of those boys. Our own Gene Stallings was a member of that team

 

[BlueWave]

Rudy would probably be #1 on everyone's list if it was about any school other than Notre Dame.

Here's one I haven't seen anyone mention yet... The Junction Boys.

And if Rudy was a movie about the Cowboys, that same reaction would take place by certain people across the nation.

It's simply jealousy. The Irish probably beat their team at some point or another.

Notre Dame is college footballs' version of the Dallas Cowboys. You love them or hate them, but they are College Football's Americas Team.

 

[Chief]

Friday Night Lights: The book was great and the movie was pretty good too. The kid who played the solemn quarterback did a great job. He was exactly like the kid in the book.

All the Right Moves: Not a Tom Cruise fan, but this was pretty good.

Radio: I like true stories. I thought Ed Harris was great.

 

[FolsomCowboy]

for my money, it's 'remember the titans'.

and even though i don't like notre dame, i love 'rudy'.


and even though i HATE HATE HATE the ea-girls, there is a movie coming out this fall called "invincible" about a guy in the late 70's who was a walk on for the ea-girls. i have several friends who were extras for the film! i'm looking forward to seeing it. it's got a pretty good buzz about it. they even filmed in texas stadium.

I think the movie you are talking about is about a guy my wife works with, he works for Sallie Mae now, is it a Disney film?