It’s time to hit the courts. In honor of this month’s NCAA College Basketball Tournament, aka “March Madness,” we decided to countdown 10 basketball movies that have either made us laugh–or touched our hearts.
10. Semi-Pro
The Fast Break: In 1976, the maverick ABA is a fast-paced, wild and crazy basketball league that rivals the NBA. One-hit wonder Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell), owner of the Flint Michigan Tropics, unfortunately drags his ABA team down to last place. But when the league announces its plans to merge with the NBA, Jackie and the Tropics must now do the seemingly impossible to survive–win.
The Swish Factor: Outrageous just to be outrageous? We are talking Will Ferrell here. Still, Semi-Pro has its classic underdog basketball moments.[PAGEBREAK]
9. Rebound
The Fast Break: Martin Lawrence stars as a volatile college basketball coach who gets a little too big for his britches and is nearly banned from the sport forever. Given one more chance to redeem himself, he ends up coaching a pathetic junior high school team, whipping them–and himself–into shape.
The Swish Factor: Even before Lawrence’s latest G-rated movie, College Road Trip, he shows he can do the whole family entertainment thing. [PAGEBREAK]
The Fast Break: This intense autobiographical account of poet and rock musician Jim Carroll (Leonardo DiCaprio) highlights his delinquent high school years, in which he excels at playing basketball for a boy’s club team, while also hustling to support his growing heroin addiction.
The Swish Factor: The Basketball Diaries revolves around the game but isn’t necessarily about the game. Basketball is used as a backdrop to the personal stories of the character–and is one of DiCaprio‘s better performances. [PAGEBREAK]
7. Glory Road
The Fast Break: In 1966, Don Haskins (Josh Lucas)–trying to make an indelible mark in his first job as a collegiate basketball coach–takes his underdog team to an incredible victory that would transcend sport and change not only his life and the lives of his players, but the country itself: He played an all-black opening lineup at the NCAA championships against the all-white juggernaut of the University of Kentucky Wildcats.
The Swish Factor: Based on a true story, Don Haskins did the seemingly impossible at that time–to play an all-black starting lineup. He did it to win. We watched and cheered him on. [PAGEBREAK]
6. Finding Forrester
The Fast Break: An inspiring tale of a basketball player from South Bronx, Jamal, (Rob Brown) who also happens to be an excellent writer. Through a chance encounter, Jamal has a meeting of the minds with William Forrester (Sean Connery), a reclusive writer who attempts to change Jamal’s life by helping him realize his potential.
The Swish Factor: OK, technically not a true-blue basketball movie, Finding Forrester still lovingly details the game through the eyes of a talented player, who happens to also have a wicked talent for writing. It tells the story of two people, separated by cultural and generational gaps, who try to help each other overcome personal obstacles by listening to their hearts. [PAGEBREAK]
The Fast Break: In this battle of the sexes on the basketball court, Quincy (Omar Epps) doesn’t know what to make of Monica (Sanaa Lathan), a girl who can outplay any of the guys. Best friends all throughout their school years, the pressure for each to be recruited by college basketball coaches brings them closer together. Their love blooms beyond friendship, as well as their desire to fulfill their hoop dreams.
The Swish Factor: The film appeals not only to the basketball lover but the romantic as well. The love story keeps the women interested, while the court action keeps the men swishin’ for more basketball moments. [PAGEBREAK]
4. Coach Carter
The Fast Break: Based on a true story, the film focuses on Ken Carter (Samuel L. Jackson), a high school basketball coach who gained national attention by benching his undefeated team for poor grades. After accepting the job of helming his alma mater’s high school basketball team, he is taken aback by the team’s laissez-fare attitudes about their school work. So, he puts into motion certain steps to ensure the team does well both on–and off the courts.
The Swish Factor: So many such stories go unnoticed and untold, so it is nice for one such as this to get its day on the court, especially with a leading man at the forefront to give it credibility. [PAGEBREAK]
The Fast Break: Sidney (Wesley Snipes) and Billy (Woody Harrelson) are two of the more successful basketball hustlers in Los Angeles, or so they think. The only thing holding them back from greatness, however, is each other.
The Swish Factor: Jump takes the sport to the tough streets of L.A., but it’s the competitiveness between Snipes and Harrelson that makes the film hilariously delightful. [PAGEBREAK]
The Fast Break: This documentary follows the Roosevelt Roughriders girls’ basketball team for six tumultuous seasons, capturing the passion and energy of a high school girls’ competitive sport.
The Swish Factor: Heart of the Game is for anyone who has ever had a dream to play basketball–no matter what gender you are. [PAGEBREAK]
1. Hoosiers
The Fast Break: Based on the true story of a small-town Indiana team that made the state finals in 1954, this movie chronicles the attempts of a coach (Gene Hackman), with a spotty past–along with the town’s basketball-loving drunk (Dennis Hopper)–to lead their high school team to a championship.
The Swish Factor: This is THE quintessential basketball movie, for anyone with a deep love for the sport–or for anyone hailing from Indiana.
