[IMG:L]We love sports, we love sports movies. Bull Durham. Hoosiers … Grab a six-pack, call the boys — done. But what about The Blind Side? Is it really about football? I mean, it was sold as a story about a woman who learns to be race-blind. (Race-blind, blind side; get it?) Then there’s Clint Eastwood’s Invictus, opening this weekend. Shirtless Matt Damon rugby action notwithstanding, the movie’s about Nelson Mandela’s efforts to heal South Africa from the wounds of apartheid. Clearly, a great sports movie doesn’t necessarily have to be about sports.
So what are some other great sports movies that aren’t about sports? Here are a few of our favorites:
The Longest Yard (1974)
Remembered by sports fans as “That movie in which Burt Reynolds didn’t have a mustache,” Golden Globe winner The Longest Yard takes the underdog theme of many sports movies to the next level: powerless inmates versus corrupt prison guards. There’s not a moment of real football in this movie, because it’s really about the epitome of that great 1970s theme: sticking it to the Man.
Kingpin (1996)
Back when the Farrelly brothers felt cutting-edge, they made this funny little bowling movie, complete with one-handed bowling guru Woody Harrelson and Amish prodigy Randy Quaid. Despite the presence of real-life professional bowlers Randy Pederson and Mark Roth, the movie tells me as much about bowling as it does about the Amish. Look for Bill Murray as the best bowling villain this side of John Tuturro’s “The Jesus.”
White Men Can’t Jump (1992)
You already know what this Woody Harrelson/Wesley Snipes vehicle is really about. Never mind that Hall of Famer Bob Lanier claimed he coached the stars up to Division III skill level — the movie’s about race. The breezy, solid con scenes and all the conflict between top-of-their-game Harrelson and Snipes play racial stereotypes like an instrument. A solid effort from director Ron Shelton.
Happy Gilmore (1996)
Before Adam Sandler fell to what can only be called laziness, he helped make two pieces of comedy perfection. The second, Happy Gilmore, showed us what we all suspected: Golf would be a lot more fun if it had a slap shots and fistfights. Sandler’s button after the epic battle with Bob Barker alone makes Gilmore a comedy classic.
Breaking Away (1979)
Until someone rocks the Lance Armstrong story, we’ll have to be satisfied with Breaking Away. Peter Yates takes the skills he gained directing Bullitt to mix stirring racing sequences in with a story about the post-grad blues. Call it The Graduate for sports fans.
When We Were Kings (1996)
When Don King held the 1974 heavyweight boxing championship in Zaire, Africa, he had no idea what he was getting into. Leon Gast’s documentary When We Were Kings expertly tells not just the story of the fight, but the way in which Ali used his electric personality and endless passion to bring politics and sports together. When We Were Kings deserved its Oscar.
Jerry Maguire (1996)
American genius Cameron Crowe blended a sports movie with a romantic comedy and got Jerry Maguire. He also doomed an entire generation of men with the notion that they can have her at “hello,” but I should probably let that go. In this crowd-pleasing comedy, Cuba Gooding Jr. offers up a truly great end-zone celebration and we learn the dirty non-secret that drives professional sports: “Show me the money.”
Hoop Dreams (1994)
The stunning documentary Hoop Dreams takes us through the high school careers of two inner-city kids, showing us what it’s like to grow up poor and talented in America. But don’t be discouraged: This movie has all the entertainment, love and fight that you might expect from a sports movie — even if it’s really about family and economics.
Caddyshack (1980)
I don’t know what Caddyshack is about, but it’s sure not about golf. Maybe it’s just about watching Bill Murray improvising the hell out of his quest for that damn gopher. Or maybe it’s just a thorough skewering of the hoity-toity world that surrounds golf — or that surrounded golf until Tiger Woods got caught playing a bad lay.
Field of Dreams (1989)
If you want to shock the guys in the bleachers, tell them that Field of Dreams isn’t about baseball. Point out that there’s about as much actual baseball playing in Field of Dreams as there is basketball in Teen Wolf. The movie’s about a search for purity in a decaying America, played out through Kevin Costner helping a bunch of lost souls find redemption. However you cut it, this perennial classic stirs up everything you love about America, family and cornfields.
