[IMG:L]Break out the chips, the dips and hot wings. Amass large quantities of beer. Gather your friends around a big-screen TV. It’s Superbowl time! We ranked 10 of our favorite big-screen football films, ranging from high school to college to the pros, in honor of the big day.
10. The Waterboy (1998)
Not a classic football movie by any stretch of the imagination, but there is something about Adam Sandler‘s comedy about a lowly water boy for his college’s football team, who soon discovers he can be driven into a lean, mean fighting machine that hits the spot. It’s just a hilarious “unlikely hero” movies about the gridiron.
KEEP READING: See No. 9 …
[PAGEBREAK]
9. Jerry Maguire (1996)
Movies about sports agents count, right? Especially one Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise), whose only client, wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Oscar-winning Cuba Gooding Jr.), learns a little give and take — on and off the field — with his uber agent. The, er, money shot? When Tidwell does his little show on the field after being knocked unconscious. If only real football players showed such enthusiasm.
KEEP READING: See No. 8 …
[PAGEBREAK]
8. North Dallas Forty (1979)
Nick Nolte and Mac Davis whoop it up as veteran good-old-boy, pro football players who love the game but are getting tired of all the behind-the-scene bullsh*t. Loosely based on the Dallas Cowboys of the ’70s, it’s one of the first movies to give us an insider’s view of the NFL.
KEEP READING: See No. 7 …
[PAGEBREAK]
7. Varsity Blues (1999)
This sleeper hit takes a hard look at a small-town high-school football team, where being on the team means everything. But the star quarterback (James Van Der Beek) doesn’t care about all the hype and just wants to play the game for fun. Heaven forbid.
KEEP READING: See No. 6 …
[PAGEBREAK]
6. The Longest Yard (1974)
This 1974 film tells the story of a group of prisoners, led by football player-turned-convict Paul Crewe (Burt Reynolds), who are forced into a game against the prison guards, a game they are not suppose to win. But boy you really want them to beat the pants off those nasty guards, led by the sadistic warden (Eddie Albert). One of the better underdog-wins-all gridiron flicks.
KEEP READING: See No. 5 …
[PAGEBREAK]
5. Any Given Sunday (1999)
Oliver Stone‘s ode to the NFL showcases some of the best football sequences ever filmed, as he tells the story of a pro team’s struggle between the game and the money. Stand-out performances from Al Pacino as a jaded coach.
KEEP READING: See No. 4 …
[PAGEBREAK]
4. Rudy (1993)
This is the story of Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin), who overcomes several obstacles — both physical and mental — on a lifelong mission to play for the legendary Notre Dame college football team. Its just one of the best football heart-tuggers all time — besides maybe Brian’s Song (see below).
KEEP READING: See No. 3 …
[PAGEBREAK]
3. Remember the Titans (2000)
Based on a true story, African-American football coach Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) was hired to guide an integrated but racially polarized high school team–the T.C. Williams Titans. Let’s just say he made them Remember the Titans.
KEEP READING: See No. 2 …
[PAGEBREAK]
2. Friday Night Lights (2004)
This film takes an even harder, grittier look at a small-town football team in Odessa, Texas, where playing football IS everything, not only for the players and coach (Billy Bob Thornton), but the whole town, who depend on it. It also spawned one of the better TV shows about the game,
KEEP READING: See No. 1 …
[PAGEBREAK]
1. Invincible (2006)
This is every sports fan’s wildest, craziest fantasy–the chance to play ball with the football heroes they idolize. But for Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg), it happened for real when he tried out and made his beloved Philadelphia Eagles team.
Special Honorable Mention: Yes, this is a list of big-screen favorites, but we’d feel remiss in not pointing out the TV movie Brian’s Song, the true story about Chicago Bear players Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) and best friend Brian Piccolo (James Caan) rise in the ranks, culminating in Piccolo’s untimely death at the age of 26 of cancer. Not a dry eye in the joint when Sayers delivers that speech.
