Sports And Movies Can Co-Exist

Let’s admit it shall we? Sports and movies just couldn’t get on the same pace. And usually, writers who write stories about sports for the big screen usually end up depending on their stars to make their movies a hit.

However, there are exemptions. Some movies can actually make it big despite being all about sports. I’m about to name some of the few. May I remind you though that these are my favorites and if you’re not down with that…

Basketball

Well, there are so many movies that had been made about basketball. And who could blame them? Too bad not every story about b-ball actually sell (remember Like Mike by Lil Bow Wow?)

I almost lost faith in the genre until Coach Carter came out. Samuel Jackson was just perfect for the role. And this is one of his few films that I could tolerate all the screaming he makes. Really, does all his films have to feature Samuel screaming (i.e. “Enough is enough! I have had it with these motherfucking snakes on this motherfucking plane!”from Snakes On A Plane).

But this time around, instead of kicking ass, he’s making sure his team gets the education that they deserve and that’s a nice touch. We see a “gentler” side. A side we rarely see.

And another nice b-bvall flick, Space Jam. Seriously, who didn’t get entertained by Michael Jordan and Bugs Bunny? It’s nice seeing the new tandem. It was, at the time, a fresh idea. Out of the box. It was funny, it was amusing, and that last slam dunk from the half-court cannot be seen anywhere else.

Football

Any Given Sunday is probably my favorite. Why? Two words – Al Pacino. He’s one of my favorite actors and that movie had him together with the then upcoming star Jamie Foxx. The movie was just pure intensity.

You also have Remeber The Titans by another one of my favorites, Denzel Washington. I guess this movie proves that racism and sports always go hand in hand. But he made it work. And it’s even better knowing that this was actually based on a true story.

But comedy-wise, I just love The Replacements starring Keanu Reeves. Remember how they danced while singing I Will Survive when they got arrested? I loved that! Really funny shit right there.

Baseball

Ahh yes, America’s favorite past time. There are a ton of movies about this game. But my favorite would be For The Love Of The Game starring Kevin Costner. Nevermind the fact that his fish antics didn’t work for Waterworld. He brought his A-Game in this flick. Well, his best movie as far as I’m concerned would be The Bodyguard but that’s another story.

Those who haven’t seen For The Love Of The Game should seriously consider watching it.

Soccer

My favorite (and perhaps my only option) would be Victory. Doesn’t ring a bell? That wouldn’t surprise me because this movie was made way back in 1981. But Sylvester Stallone starred in it. And he did fine in that movie.

Boxing

Hands down – Rocky Balboa. ‘Nuff said.

But Ali and Cinderella Man are goos too as I was told. I haven’t been able to watch these movies just yet (I did see the opening scene for Cinderella Man though and it does look pretty good).

But only guys tend to watch these movies. So writers came up with movies that botrh sexes could enjoy. Like the movie For The Love Of The Game which I metioned earlier. They were able to combine a love story and baseball together.

But if we’re gonna talk about sports and love stories being put together, we really couldn’t talk about the grand-daddy of them all – Jerry Maguire. You got the good looks of Tom Cruise and the cheesy lines like “You Complete Me” for the ladies. Then you got the football action for all the guys.

Whoever wrote the script for that movie must be a real genius.