Are you looking for the best sports movies to watch with your friends? In a sports movie, any particular sport plays a prominent role in the film’s plot or acts as its central theme. Sports fans are not necessarily the target demographic in such movies, but sports fans tend to maintain a high following and esteem for such movies. So if you are a sports lover who loves these kinds of movies, we have come up with this list of the best sports movies ever made.
Best Sports Movies Ever Made
1. Ford v Ferrari (2019)
Director: James Mangold
Genres: Action/Biography/Drama
Star Cast: Matt Damon, Christian Bale, Jon Bernthal, Caitríona Balfe
Ford v Ferrari is a 2019 American sports drama film directed by James Mangold and written by Jez Butterworth, John-Henry Butterworth, and Jason Keller.
The plot follows a determined team of American and British engineers and designers, led by automotive designer Carroll Shelby and his British driver, Ken Miles, who are dispatched by Henry Ford II and Lee Iacocca with the mission of building the Ford GT40, a new racing car with the potential to finally defeat the perennially dominant Italian racing team Scuderia Ferrari at the 1966 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France.
2. Rocky (1976)
Director: John G. Avildsen
Genres: Drama/Sport
Star Cast: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Rocky is a 1976 American drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by and starring Sylvester Stallone. It is the first installment in the Rocky franchise. In the film, Rocky Balboa, an uneducated, small-time club fighter and debt collector gets an unlikely shot at the world heavyweight championship held by Apollo Creed.
3. American Underdog (2021)
Director: Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin
Genres: Biography/Drama/Sport
Star Cast: Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, Hayden Zaller, Ser’Darius Blain
American Underdog is a 2021 American biographical sports film about National Football League (NFL) quarterback Kurt Warner. Directed by Andrew and Jon Erwin, the film follows Warner’s journey as an undrafted player who ascended to winning Super Bowl XXXIV. It stars Zachary Levi as Warner, alongside Anna Paquin as his wife Brenda and Dennis Quaid as his head coach Dick Vermeil.
4. Moneyball (2011)
Director: Bennett Miller
Genres: Biography/Drama/Sport
Star Cast: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Moneyball is a 2011 American sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller and written by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. The movie is based on the 2003 nonfiction book by Michael Lewis, an account of the Oakland Athletics baseball team’s 2002 season and their general manager Billy Beane’s attempts to assemble a competitive team.
In the movie, Beane and assistant general manager Peter Brand, faced with the franchise’s limited budget for players, build a team of undervalued talent by taking a sophisticated sabermetric approach to scouting and analyzing players.
5. Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby (2006)
Director: Adam McKay
Genres: Comedy/Sport
Star Cast: Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly, Sacha Baron Cohen, Gary Cole
Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby is a 2006 American sports comedy film directed by Adam McKay and starring Will Ferrell, written by both McKay and Ferrell.
NASCAR drivers Jamie McMurray and Dale Earnhardt Jr. have cameos, as do broadcasting teams from NASCAR on Fox (Mike Joy, Larry McReynolds and Darrell Waltrip) and NASCAR on NBC (Bill Weber, Wally Dallenbach Jr. and Benny Parsons).
Number one NASCAR driver Ricky Bobby stays atop the heap thanks to a pact with his best friend and teammate, Cal Naughton, Jr. But when a French Formula One driver, makes his way up the ladder, Ricky Bobby’s talent and devotion are put to the test.
6. The Fighter (I) (2010)
Director: David O. Russell
Genres: Action/Biography/Drama
Star Cast: Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, Melissa Leo
The Fighter is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell, and starring Mark Wahlberg, Christian Bale, Amy Adams, and Melissa Leo. The film centers on the lives of professional boxer Micky Ward and his older half-brother Dicky Eklund.
Adams plays Micky’s girlfriend Charlene Fleming, and Leo portrays Micky and Dicky’s mother, Alice Eklund-Ward. The film was inspired by the 1995 documentary that features the Eklund-Ward family, titled High on Crack Street: Lost Lives in Lowell.
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7. A League of Their Own (1992)
Director: Penny Marshall
Genres: Comedy/Drama/Sport
Star Cast: Tom Hanks, Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Madonna
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American sports comedy-drama film directed by Penny Marshall that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League (AAGPBL).
The film shows two sisters joining the first female professional baseball league and struggling to help it succeed amid their own growing rivalry.
8. The Karate Kid (1984)
Director: John G. Avildsen
Genres: Action/Drama/Family
Star Cast: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove
The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts drama film written by Robert Mark Kamen and directed by John G. Avildsen. It is the first installment in the Karate Kid franchise, and stars Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue and William Zabka.
The Karate Kid follows Daniel LaRusso, a teenager taught karate by Mr. Miyagi to help defend himself and compete in a tournament against his bullies, one of whom is Johnny Lawrence, the ex-boyfriend of his love interest Ali Mills.
9. Hustle (2022)
Director: Jeremiah Zagar
Genres: Comedy/Drama/Sport
Star Cast: Adam Sandler, Queen Latifah, Juancho Hernangomez, Ben Foster
Hustle is a 2022 American drama film directed by Jeremiah Zagar, from a screenplay by Taylor Materne and Will Fetters. The film stars Adam Sandler as an NBA scout who discovers a raw but talented basketball player in Spain and tries to prepare him for the NBA draft.
10. Hoosiers (1986)
Director: David Anspaugh
Genres: Sport/Drama
Star Cast: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper
Hoosiers is a 1986 American sports drama film written by Angelo Pizzo and directed by David Anspaugh in his feature directorial debut. It tells the story of a small-town Indiana high school basketball team that enters the state championship. It is inspired in part by the Milan High School team who won the 1954 state championship.