5 best football movies ever, ranked

Major League Baseball may call itself “America’s pastime,” but sports fans know that NFL football overtook it in popularity decades ago. Football may be a brutal competition, but it has captured the hearts of sports fans across the country. That’s why football movies have been a part of cinema for a very long time.

When choosing the best football movies of all time, we decided to focus on films where football is a central part of the story. like movies jerry maguire, which features football as a background element, did not make the cut. And if you already like sports movies, you won’t be too surprised by our picks. These are the five best football movies of all time.

5. Friday Night Lights (2004)

The passion for football runs high in a small town Friday night Lights, Odessa, Texas does not have its own pro football team, so the city treats its high school football games with the utmost respect. Coach Gary Goins (Billy Bob Thornton) and his Permian High School Panthers face immense pressure to not only win the regular season, but to take home the state championship.

The Panthers’ championship dreams suffered a major blow early in the season when star running back James “Boobie” Miles (Derek Luke) went down with injury. Quarterback Mike Winchell (Lucas Black) and backup running back Chris Comer (Lee Thompson Young) step in to save the season. But some of the kids on this team face a real reckoning about the immense importance of football in their lives, and what they really want to do outside of the game.

rent or buy Friday night Lights On Google Play, Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV+.

4. The Longest Yard (1974)

2005 remake the longest Yard Starring Adam Sandler, but the original 1974 film is still the better of the two. Burt Reynolds plays Paul “Wrecking” Crewe, a former NFL quarterback who has fallen from grace. After being kicked out of the league for point shaving, Crewe gets himself into more trouble and serves an 18-month prison sentence. This gives Warden Rudolph Hazen (Eddie Albert) the idea to force Crewe to lead a team of prisoner players against a team of guards led by prison guard Captain Wilhelm Knauer (Ed Lauter).

Despite some initial setbacks, Crewe managed to assemble a team that included Samson (James Bond’s Jaws, Richard Kiel), Nate Scarborough (Michael Conrad), and “Granny” Granville (Harry Caesar). Crewe did not initially realize that Hazen and Knauer had no intention of playing fair with the prisoners. And they expect Crewe to throw the game away so they can win easily.

Watch the longest Yard on Paramount+.

3. Remember the Titans (2000)

denzel washington acts remember the Titans, a film based on the true story of how the TC Williams High School football team was racially integrated in 1971. The school’s previous football coach, Bill Yoast (Will Patton), was forced out in favor of a black coach, Herman Boone. Washington). Although Boone initially resists the assignment, he agrees to take it and also invites Yost to remain with the team as his defensive coordinator.

The players do not get along well, especially the captains, Julius Campbell (Wood Harris) and Gerry Bertier (Ryan Hurst). But led by both Boone and Yost, the team comes together for an epic race that earns them a place in their school’s history and immortality on the big screen.

Watch remember the Titans On Disney+.

2. Rudy (1993)

the story of Rudy Some extreme liberties may be taken with the real-life story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, but this is such a great movie that few people would care if it bent the truth toward an inspirational narrative. In the early 1970s, Rudy (Sean Astin) is shaken by the death of his best friend and realizes he will never escape his father’s life as a steel mill worker. That’s why Rudy risks everything to pursue his dream of playing football at Notre Dame.

This is all easier said than done, especially when Rudy has neither the grades nor the money to go to college. But with the help of his friend, Dennis “D-Bob” McGowan (Jon Favreau), and a sympathetic boss, Fortune (Charles S. Dutton), Rudy finds a way out and eventually joins Notre Dame’s practice squad. . From there, Rudy faces an uphill battle to get on the field before his time in college is up.

Watch Rudy On Hulu.

1. Any Given Sunday (1999)

any given Sunday Probably not my favorite NFL movie, as it shows the dark side of both the sport and the business. But it is the best football movie, and one of director Oliver Stone’s greatest films. Al Pacino plays Tony D’Amato in the film, who has been the head coach of the Miami Sharks for 30 years. However, Tony’s reign appears to be coming to an end, as team owner, Christina Pagniassi (Cameron Diaz), is actively trying to oust him.

Sharks quarterback Jack Rooney (Dennis Quaid) faces similar pressure as his playing career comes to an end. When Rooney is injured on the field, third-string quarterback Willie Beamen (Jamie Foxx) is called upon to lead the team to the playoffs. Unfortunately, Beaman’s early success goes to his head and his ego shatters the team’s unity at the very moment they need to unite.

rent or buy any given Sunday On Google Play, Prime Video, YouTube and Apple TV+.