The Latest: The 2026 NFL season has officially started, with the opening kickoff game between the New England Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. You can celebrate by checking out our list below and watching your favorite football movie!
So you want to do what some of the biggest NFL busts never did: study football films. You’ve got the drive to learn from the decisive plays, watch those game-clinching throws, and witness them beastly runs that can get a roaring stadium crowd up on their feet and register on the Richter scale.
It’s a good thing we got the best football movies right here that’ll make you a pro, and you won’t even need a sports agent or that distracting multi-million dollar contract.
First, throw away your scouting reports, QB ratings,
First, throw away your scouting reports, QB ratings, and ELOs (we’re not talking about Jeff Lynne LPs). To create our list of the best football movies, we use just one metric: the Tomatometer. We start with Certified Fresh films like Friday Night Lights, Jerry Maguire, and ultimate underdog story Rudy, all majorly approved by the critics.
Then we follow those up with Fresh movies, which include enduring favorites like the crowd-pleasing Remember the Titans, tearjerker Brian’s Song, and Academy Award-winning The Blind Side.
Then come the Rotten movies, which plenty of RT users have given the go-ahead with positive Popcornmeter Scores. (Alright, we’ll come out and say it: A majority of critics may not have played ball at the collegiate level.) They include popular picks like Any Given Sunday, We Are Marshall, The Waterboy, and Varsity Blues.
If you want to know your Xs
So if you want to know your Xs and Os from your Y.A. titles, open up the playbook to the best football movies of all time, ranked by Tomatometer. And soon you’ll get to the Hall of Fame without ever having to step foot in Canton.
Critics Consensus: It covers familiar sports documentary territory, but Undefeated proves there are still powerful stories to be told on the high school gridiron.
Synopsis: Since its founding in 1899, Manassas High School in North Memphis has never had a football team win a playoff game. In 2004, former high-school… View Full Synopsis
Directed By:Dan Lindsay, T.J. Martin, Ralph Zipper, Nigel Sinclair
Critics Consensus: Featuring Patton Oswalt’s sympathetic portrayal, Big
Critics Consensus: Featuring Patton Oswalt’s sympathetic portrayal, Big Fan humorously and effectively captures the dark and lonely world of a sports fanatic.
Synopsis: Paul Aufiero, a parking-garage employee, is a huge fan of the New York Giants. He lives at home with his mother and spends much of… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Michael Rapaport
Directed By:Robert D. Siegel, Jen Cohn
Critics Consensus:Go Tigers! is an absorbing and evenhanded documentary that takes a perceptive look at the world of high school sports and its impact on a community.
Synopsis: Go Tigers! is a rare behind-the-scenes chronicling
Synopsis: “Go Tigers!” is a rare behind-the-scenes chronicling of a remarkable season for the Massillon Tiger’s high school football team, played out in a small town… View Full Synopsis
Directed By:Kenneth A. Carlson, Todd Robinson
Critics Consensus: Anchored by dazzling performances from Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Renée Zellweger, as well as Cameron Crowe’s tender direction, Jerry Maguire meshes romance and sports with panache.
Synopsis: When slick sports agent Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) has a crisis of conscience, he pens a heartfelt company-wide memo that promptly gets him fired. Desperate… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston
Directed By:Cameron Crowe, Bridget Johnson
Friday Night Lights(2004)
82%85%
Critics Consensus: An acute survey of the football-obsessed
Critics Consensus: An acute survey of the football-obsessed heartland that succeeds as both a stirring drama and a rousing sports movie.
Synopsis: A small, turbulent town in Texas obsesses over their high school football team to an unhealthy degree. When the star tailback, Boobie Miles (Derek Luke),… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Billy Bob Thornton, Derek Luke, Jay Hernandez, Lucas Black
Directed By:Peter Berg, Brian Grazer, John Cameron, James Whitaker
Critics Consensus: A throwback to the high-gloss screwball comedies of the 1940s, Heaven Can Wait beguiles with seamless production values and great comic relief from Charles Grodin and Dianne Cannon.
Synopsis: Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty), quarterback
Synopsis: Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty), quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, is killed in an auto accident. In the afterlife, Joe discovers that his guardian angel… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Jack Warden, James Mason
Directed By:Warren Beatty, Buck Henry, Hawk Koch, Charles H. Maguire
Critics Consensus: Though undeniably sentimental and predictable, Rudy succeeds with an uplifting spirit and determination.
Synopsis: Rudy Ruettiger (Sean Astin) wants to play football at the University of Notre Dame, but has neither the money for tuition nor the grades to… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Sean Astin, Ned Beatty, Charles S. Dutton, Robert Prosky
Directed By:David Anspaugh, Lee R. Mayes
Critics Consensus:American Underdog sticks to the standard inspirational
Critics Consensus:American Underdog sticks to the standard inspirational sports drama playbook — and proves once again that it can be very effective in the right hands.
Synopsis: American Underdog tells the inspirational true story of Kurt Warner (Zachary Levi), who went from a stockboy at a grocery store to a two-time NFL… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Zachary Levi, Anna Paquin, Dennis Quaid, Ser’Darius Blain
Directed By:Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin, Kurt Warner, Brenda Warner
Critics Consensus:Horse Feathers finds the Marx Brothers in fine madcap form, taking aim at an array of timely targets while serving up classic set pieces.
Synopsis: The Marx Brothers take on higher education
Synopsis: The Marx Brothers take on higher education and football in this riotous comedy. The newly minted president of Huxley University, Quincy Adams Wagstaff (Groucho Marx),… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Groucho Marx, Harpo Marx, Chico Marx, Zeppo Marx
Synopsis: Harold Lloyd’s biggest box-office hit was this silent comedy gem, featuring the befuddled everyman at his eager best as a new college student. Though he… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Harold Lloyd, Jobyna Ralston, James Anderson, Joe Harrington
Directed By:Sam Taylor, Fred Newmeyer, Suzanne Lloyd Hayes
Harvard Beats Yale 29-29(2008)
92%77%
Critics Consensus:Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 is compelling viewing even though it spoils the score of the titular college football matchup – and even if you aren’t a fan of the sport.
Synopsis: In November 1968, undefeated Ivy League football
Synopsis: In November 1968, undefeated Ivy League football teams from Harvard and Yale square off in a historic game in which Yale led 29-13 with 42… View Full Synopsis
Synopsis: Bob Costas, Christopher Nowinski and Cindy Parlow Cone are among those interviewed in a look at the issue of concussions in sports.
Directed By:Steve James, John Cronin, Frank Murane, Hank Neuberger
Synopsis: Fifth year college senior Caleb Fuller (Jake Lacy) gets his flag football team back together for one last shot at intramural football glory.
Starring:Jake Lacy, Nikki Reed, Kate McKinnon, Beck Bennett
Directed By:Andrew Disney, Spence Jackson, Tucker Moore, Jason Netter
Critics Consensus: Buoyed by standout performances from James
Critics Consensus: Buoyed by standout performances from James Caan and Billy Dee Williams, Brian’s Song is a touching tale of friendship whose central relationship transcends its standard sports movie moments.
Synopsis: Brian Piccolo (James Caan) and Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) are teammates on the mid-1960s Chicago Bears. At a time when professional football still bears… View Full Synopsis
Starring:James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden, Shelley Fabares
North Dallas Forty(1979)
85%70%
Critics Consensus: Muddled overall, but perceptive and brutally realistic, North Dallas Forty also benefits from strong performances by Nick Nolte and Charles Durning. Football fans will likely find it fascinating.
Synopsis: A brutal satire of American professional football
Synopsis: A brutal satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher’s individuality and refusal to become part of the team family is bitterly resented… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, Charles Durning, Dayle Haddon
Directed By:Ted Kotcheff, Jack B. Bernstein
Synopsis: Billy Clyde Puckett (Burt Reynolds) and Marvin “Shake” Tiller (Kris Kristofferson) are professional football players who share a lush Miami apartment with Barbara Jane Bookman… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh, Robert Preston
Synopsis: Following government-mandated desegregation in 1973, Tony Nathan joins fellow African-American students at Woodlawn High School in Birmingham, Ala. As violence and anger erupt in the… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Sean Astin, Nicholas Bishop, Caleb Castille, Sherri Shepherd
Directed By:Andrew Erwin, Jon Erwin, Jon Erwin, Andrew Erwin
Knute Rockne, All American(1940)
78%61%
Synopsis: Young Norwegian immigrant Knute Rockne (Pat O’Brien)
Synopsis: Young Norwegian immigrant Knute Rockne (Pat O’Brien) enrolls at Notre Dame University and becomes the first star of its hitherto undistinguished football team, inventing the… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Pat O’Brien, Ronald Reagan, Gale Page, Donald Crisp
The Slaughter Rule(2002)
77%42%
Critics Consensus: A bleak but original indie, The Slaughter Rule benefits from outstanding performances by Ryan Gosling and David Morse.
Synopsis: Roy (Ryan Gosling) gets cut from his high school football team just days after his estranged father dies. For him, football is more than a… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Ryan Gosling, David Morse, David Cale, Eddie Spears
Directed By:Alex Smith, Andrew J. Smith, David O. Russell
Synopsis: Lucas (Corey Haim) is an unusually bright
Synopsis: Lucas (Corey Haim) is an unusually bright teenager whose nerdy looks and meek demeanor make him a favorite target for bullies. His life at school… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Corey Haim, Kerri Green, Charlie Sheen, Courtney Thorne-Smith
Synopsis: Told he wasn’t good enough to play Division I football, Brandon Burlsworth took a risk and walked on in 1994, and he became the most… View Full Synopsis
Directed By:David Hunt, Neal McDonough, Brian Reindl
Critics Consensus: Equal parts tough and funny, and led by a perfectly cast Burt Reynolds, The Longest Yard has an interesting political subtext and an excellent climax — even if it takes too long to get there.
Synopsis: An ex-football star doing time is forced
Synopsis: An ex-football star doing time is forced by the warden to organize a team of inmates to play against his own line-up of guards. The… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Michael Conrad
Remember the Titans(2000)
72%93%
Critics Consensus: An inspirational crowd-pleaser with a healthy dose of social commentary, Remember the Titans may be predictable, but it’s also well-crafted and features terrific performances.
Synopsis: In Virginia, high school football is a way of life, an institution revered, each game celebrated more lavishly than Christmas, each playoff distinguished more grandly… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Donald Faison, Wood Harris
Directed By:Boaz Yakin, Mike Stenson, Michael Flynn
Critics Consensus: As simple and authentic
Critics Consensus: As simple and authentic as the gritty South Philly invirons in which it’s set in, Invincible sends a uplifting and heartfelt message packed with an athletic enthusiasm that shouldn’t be missed.
Synopsis: Lifelong football fan Vince Papale sees his wildest dreams come true when he becomes a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. While teaching at his high-school… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Conway
Directed By:Ericson Core, Victor H. Constantino, Nicole Reed, Ezra Swerdlow
Critics Consensus:Paterno, elevated by deft direction from Barry Levinson and a strong Al Pacino performance, presents a hard-hitting dramatization of a gut-wrenching real-life story.
Synopsis: Penn State football coach Joe Paterno becomes embroiled in a sexual abuse scandal.
Starring:Al Pacino, Riley Keough, Tess Frazer, Annie Parisse
Directed By:Barry Levinson, Jason Sosnoff, Lindsay Sloane, Edward R. Pressman
Monday Night Mayhem(2002)
67%76%
Synopsis: Howard Cosell (John Turturro), Frank Gifford (Kevin
Synopsis: Howard Cosell (John Turturro), Frank Gifford (Kevin Anderson) and Don Meredith provide play-by-play football commentary in the 1970s.
Starring:John Turturro, John Heard, Kevin Anderson, Nicholas Turturro
Directed By:Ernest R. Dickerson, Leslie Greif
Critics Consensus: It might strike some viewers as a little too pat, but The Blind Side has the benefit of strong
Synopsis: Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a homeless black teen, has drifted in and out of the school system for years. Then Leigh Anne Tuohy (Sandra Bullock)… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Quinton Aaron, Jae Head
Directed By:John Lee Hancock, Molly Smith, Erwin Stoff, Timothy M. Bourne
Critics Consensus: While it remains a reasonably inspiring
Critics Consensus: While it remains a reasonably inspiring drama, Brian Banks might have presented a more complex or fully realized version of the real-life story it dramatizes.
Synopsis: The inspirational true story of Brian Banks, an all-American high school football star who finds his life upended when he’s wrongly convicted of a crime… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Aldis Hodge, Greg Kinnear, Sherri Shepherd, Melanie Liburd
Directed By:Tom Shadyac, Derrick Tseng, Brian Banks, Justin Brooks
Critics Consensus:The Express crosses the goal line as an inspirational sports drama, although fans of the genre will recognize many — if not most — of its clichés.
Synopsis: Born into poverty, Ernie Davis (Rob Brown)
Synopsis: Born into poverty, Ernie Davis (Rob Brown) overcomes many obstacles to get into Syracuse University’s football program. Under the guidance of Coach Ben Schwartzwalder (Dennis… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Dennis Quaid, Rob Brown, Clancy Brown, Omar Miller
Directed By:Gary Fleder, Derek Dauchy, Arne Schmidt
All the Right Moves(1983)
61%40%
Critics Consensus:All the Right Moves is an uncommonly grim coming-of-age drama that overcomes numerous clichés with its realistic approach to its characters and setting.
Synopsis: Stefan Djordjevic (Tom Cruise), the star player of his high school football team, is desperately hoping that his football talents will earn him a scholarship… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Tom Cruise, Craig T. Nelson, Lea Thompson, Charles Cioffi
Directed By:Michael Chapman, Gary Morton
Critics Consensus: It’s perfectly pleasant for sports buffs
Critics Consensus: It’s perfectly pleasant for sports buffs and Costner fans, but overall, Draft Day lives down to its title by relying too heavily on the sort of by-the-numbers storytelling that only a statistician could love.
Synopsis: Sonny Weaver Jr. is the general manager of the Cleveland Browns. One of pro football’s most important days, NFL draft day, is drawing near, but… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Denis Leary, Chadwick Boseman
Directed By:Ivan Reitman, Tom Pollock, Michael Beugg, Gigi Pritzker
Critics Consensus: The titular QB may have been tough to beat on the gridiron, but on the big screen, it’s 80 for Brady‘s veteran leading ladies who make this lightweight comedy a fitfully winsome watch.
Synopsis: 80 FOR BRADY is inspired
Synopsis: 80 FOR BRADY is inspired by the true story of four best friends living life to the fullest when they take a wild trip to… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Rita Moreno, Sally Field
Directed By:Kyle Marvin, Jeffrey Stott, Michael Angelo Covino, Kyle Marvin
Critics Consensus:Concussion lands a solid, well-acted hit on its impressively timely subject matter, even if its traditional sports drama structure is a little too safe to deserve a full-on dance in the end zone.
Synopsis: While conducting an autopsy on former NFL football player Mike Webster (David Morse), forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith) discovers neurological deterioration that is… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Arliss Howard
Directed By:Peter Landesman, Michael Schaefer, David Crockett, Ben Waisbren
Critics Consensus: Despite a good premise and strong
Critics Consensus: Despite a good premise and strong cast, this pro football romcom is half screwball and half fumble.
Synopsis: Dodge Connolly (George Clooney), captain of a 1920s football team, wants to give the sagging sport a boost and capture the country’s attention. He recruits… View Full Synopsis
Starring:George Clooney, Renée Zellweger, John Krasinski, Jonathan Pryce
Directed By:George Clooney, Barbara Hall, Jeffrey Silver, Bobby Newmyer
Critics Consensus: Sometimes entertaining, but overall Any Given Sunday is a disappointment coming from Oliver Stone.
Synopsis: Four years ago, D’Amato’s Miami Sharks
Synopsis: Four years ago, D’Amato’s Miami Sharks were at the top. Now, his team is struggling with three consecutive losses, sliding attendance, and aging heroes, particularly… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, James Woods
Directed By:Oliver Stone, Richard Donner, Oliver Stone
Synopsis: Jon Abbate helps lead Wake Forest to its most-successful season in school history, in memory of his younger brother, Luke.
Starring:Aidan Quinn, Andie MacDowell, Ryan Merriman, Anessa Ramsey
Directed By:Rick Bieber, Alan Cohen, Robert McCreary
Synopsis: Ever since childhood, nerdy Danny O’Shea (Rick Moranis) has felt inferior to his brother, Kevin (Ed O’Neill), a former college football star. Danny runs a… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Rick Moranis, Ed O’Neill, Shawna Waldron, Mary Ellen Trainor
Directed By:Duwayne Dunham, Gerald R. Molen, Walter F. Parkes
Critics Consensus: Matthew McConaughey almost runs We
Critics Consensus: Matthew McConaughey almost runs We Are Marshall to the end zone, but can’t stop it from taking the easy, feel-good route in memorializing this historic event in American sports.
Synopsis: In 1970, Marshall University and the small town of Huntington, W.Va., reel when a plane crash claims the lives of 75 of the school’s football… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Matthew McConaughey, Matthew Fox, Ian McShane, Anthony Mackie
Directed By:McG, William Fay, Jeanne Allgood, Scott Mednick
The Last Boy Scout(1991)
48%68%
Critics Consensus:The Last Boy Scout is as explosive, silly, and fun as it does represent the decline of the buddy-cop genre.
Synopsis: Once a first-rate Secret Service agent, Joe
Synopsis: Once a first-rate Secret Service agent, Joe Hallenbeck (Bruce Willis) is now a gruff private investigator whose latest gig is protecting a pole dancer (Halle… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Bruce Willis, Damon Wayans, Chelsea Field, Noble Willingham
Directed By:Tony Scott, Shane Black
Critics Consensus: This is a predictable football movie that lacks intensity.
Synopsis: In West Canaan, Texas, high school football reigns supreme. When starting quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) turns up injured, the Coyotes’ ruthless coach, Bud Kilmer… View Full Synopsis
Starring:James Van Der Beek, Jon Voight, Paul Walker, Ron Lester
Directed By:Brian Robbins, David Gale, Van Toffler
Everybody’s All-American(1988)
45%46%
Synopsis: Life goes downhill for a 1950s Sugar Bowl star (Dennis Quaid) and his Magnolia Queen wife (Jessica Lange).
Starring:Jessica Lange, Dennis Quaid, Timothy Hutton, John Goodman
Directed By:Taylor Hackford, Stuart Benjamin
Critics Consensus: The role of probation officer Sean
Critics Consensus: The role of probation officer Sean Porter fits Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson like a glove; however, the execution is so cliched, the youths’ stories (based on real events), fail to inspire.
Synopsis: A counselor (The Rock) at a juvenile detention facility decides to turn the young inmates in his charge into a football team to give them… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Dwayne Johnson, Xzibit, Jade Yorker, Vanessa Ferlito
Directed By:Phil Joanou, Shane Stanley, Michael I. Rachmil, Ryan Kavanaugh
Synopsis: A college football coach (James Caan) forfeits all but winning to get his troubled team to the big game.
Starring:James Caan, Halle Berry, Omar Epps, Craig Sheffer
Synopsis: A man (Brian Presley) seeks counsel
Synopsis: A man (Brian Presley) seeks counsel from his longtime mentor (Kurt Russell) when he gets a unique opportunity to revisit his youth and the injury… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Brian Presley, Kurt Russell, Melanie Lynskey, Marc Blucas
Directed By:Don Handfield, George Furla, Randall Emmett, Shannon Gardner
#45The Replacements(2000)
41%66%
Critics Consensus: The cliched characters and obvious outcome make all the fun and excitement amount to nothing.
Synopsis: It’s late in the season; the playoffs are fast approaching; and the Washington Sentinels have just gone on strike. Scrambling for a solution, the Sentinels’… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Orlando Jones, Jon Favreau
Directed By:Howard Deutch, Jeffrey Chernov, Steven Reuther, Erwin Stoff
Critics Consensus:The Longshots means well, but it’s
Critics Consensus:The Longshots means well, but it’s a largely formulaic affair, rarely de
Synopsis: Curtis Plummer (Ice Cube), a down-on-his-luck former football player, becomes the new coach of the Minden, Illinois, Pop Warner football team. With his niece Jasmine… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Ice Cube, Keke Palmer, Tasha Smith, Jill Marie Jones
Directed By:Fred Durst, Bob Weinstein, Harvey Weinstein
Synopsis: A football halfback (Victor Mature) has a heart condition, a nagging wife (Lizabeth Scott) and a team secretary (Lucille Ball) who loves him.
Starring:Victor Mature, Lucille Ball, Lizabeth Scott, Sonny Tufts
Critics Consensus: The real life story that inspired
Critics Consensus: The real life story that inspired 23 Blast is undeniably heartwarming — but the movie itself is too predictable and amateurish to recommend.
Synopsis: As a typical teenager, Travis Freeman is a local hero both on and off the high-school football field in his small Kentucky town, but in… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Stephen Lang, Alexa PenaVega, Mark Hapka, Max Adler
Directed By:Dylan Baker, Dan Snyder, Misook Doolittle, Brent Ryan Green
#49Necessary Roughness(1991)
35%47%
Critics Consensus: This likeable, goofy football comedy has its moments, but it ultimately adheres too closely to the sports movie playbook to overcome the cliches in the script.
Synopsis: Tasked with overhauling a university football team
Synopsis: Tasked with overhauling a university football team that was dismantled for breaking collegiate rules, coaches Wally Riggendorf (Robert Loggia) and Ed Gennero (Héctor Elizondo) pick… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Scott Bakula, Héctor Elizondo, Robert Loggia, Harley Jane Kozak
Directed By:Stan Dragoti, Hawk Koch
Critics Consensus: The story is heavy on syrupy uplift and turns Radio into a saint/cuddly pet.
Synopsis: In a racially divided town, coach Jones (Ed Harris) spots a mentally disabled African-American student named Radio (Cuba Gooding Jr.) near his practice field and… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Cuba Gooding Jr., Ed Harris, Alfre Woodard, S. Epatha Merkerson
Directed By:Michael Tollin, Todd Garner, Caitlin Scanlon
Critics Consensus: This is an insult
Critics Consensus: This is an insult to its genre with low humor and cheap gags.
Synopsis: Raised by his overprotective mother, Helen, Bobby Boucher Jr. is the water boy for a successful college football team coached by Red Beaulieu. When Beaulieu… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, Fairuza Balk
Directed By:Frank Coraci, Adam Sandler
Critics Consensus: This Yard has some laughs, but missing from this remake is the edginess of the original.
Synopsis: Disgraced pro football quarterback Paul Crewe (Adam
Synopsis: Disgraced pro football quarterback Paul Crewe (Adam Sandler) lands in jail, where manipulative Warden Hazen (James Cromwell) recruits him to advise the institution’s team. This… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Adam Sandler, Chris Rock, Burt Reynolds, Nelly
Directed By:Peter Segal, Barry Bernardi, Michael Ewing, David Gale
Critics Consensus: Fumbling the ball well before the red zone, HIM has style to spare but botches its promising conceit with rookie execution.
Synopsis: HIM centers on a promising young football player (Tyriq Withers), invited to train at the isolated compound of a dynasty team’s aging QB1. The legendary… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Marlon Wayans, Tyriq Withers, Julia Fox, Tim Heidecker
Directed By:Justin Tipping, David Kern, Kate Oh, Skip Bronkie
Critics Consensus:My All American has a genuinely moving
Critics Consensus:My All American has a genuinely moving real-life story to tell, but writer-director Angelo Pizzo fumbles it into manipulative, melodramatic tearjerker territory.
Synopsis: Awarded a scholarship to the University of Texas at Austin, small but scrappy Freddie Steinmark gets a chance to play football for coach Darrell Royal… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Aaron Eckhart, Finn Wittrock, Robin Tunney, Sarah Bolger
Directed By:Angelo Pizzo, Ben Brigham, Rusty Walter, Paula Walter
Synopsis: Molly McGrath is following her dreams when she quits her cushy girls track coaching position at Prescott High to become the boys’ football coach at… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Goldie Hawn, Nipsey Russell, Swoosie Kurtz, Robyn Lively
Directed By:Michael Ritchie, Goldie Hawn
The Best of Times(1986)
29%44%
Synopsis: Married banker Jack Dundee (Robin Williams) has
Synopsis: Married banker Jack Dundee (Robin Williams) has lived his life regretting a botched play he made in a high school football game. His friend Reno… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Robin Williams, Kurt Russell, Pamela Reed, Holly Palance
Directed By:Roger Spottiswoode
Critics Consensus: Despite The Rock’s abundant charisma, The Game Plan is just another run-of-the-mill Disney comedy.
Synopsis: Bachelor football star Joe Kingman (Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson) seems to have it all. He is wealthy and carefree, and his team is on the… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Dwayne Johnson, Madison Pettis, Kyra Sedgwick, Roselyn Sanchez
Directed By:Andy Fickman, Richard Luke Rothschild
Two for the Money(2005)
22%47%
Critics Consensus: Despite its sportsmanlike swagger, Two
Critics Consensus: Despite its sportsmanlike swagger, Two for the Money’s aimless plot isn’t worth betting on.
Synopsis: A former college athlete (Matthew McConaughey) joins forces with a sports consultant (Al Pacino) to handicap football games for high-rolling gamblers.
Starring:Al Pacino, Matthew McConaughey, Rene Russo, Armand Assante
When the Game Stands Tall(2014)
21%72%
Critics Consensus: An uneasy blend of solid game sequences and threadbare inspirational sports drama clichés, When the Game Stands Tall is overshadowed by better players in a crowded field.
Synopsis: In 2003, high-school football coach Bob Ladouceur
Synopsis: In 2003, high-school football coach Bob Ladouceur and his De La Salle Spartans had just completed an incredible 151 consecutive victories and 12-straight state championships…. View Full Synopsis
Starring:Jim Caviezel, Michael Chiklis, Alexander Ludwig, Clancy Brown
Directed By:Thomas Carter, Cathy Schulman, David Tice, Thomas Carter
Air Bud: Golden Receiver(1998)
21%38%
Synopsis: Teenager Josh (Kevin Zegers) just became the legal owner of his basketball-playing dog, Buddy. But now Buddy is playing football, too, thanks to veterinarian Patrick… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Kevin Zegers, Cynthia Stevenson, Gregory Harrison, Nora Dunn
Directed By:Richard Martin, Michael Strange, Anne Vince, William Vince
Facing the Giants(2006)
17%85%
Critics Consensus: The tropes of both football and evangelical movies are gracelessly on parade in this banal, insipid drama.
Synopsis: Grant Taylor, a Christian high-school football coach
Synopsis: Grant Taylor, a Christian high-school football coach (Alex Kendrick), gets some very bad news. Besides his and his wife’s (Shannen Fields) infertility problems, he faces… View Full Synopsis
Starring:Alex Kendrick, Shannen Fields, Steve Williams, Bailey Cave
Directed By:Alex Kendrick, Michael Catt, Terry Hemmings, Jim McBride
Critics Consensus: Full of groin-centric humor and tired sports clichés, The Comebacks is poor even by parody movie standards.
Synopsis: Lambeau Fields, the worst coach in the history of college football, gets a final chance to redeem himself at Heartland State University. Scouring the campus… View Full Synopsis
Starring:David Koechner, Carl Weathers, Melora Hardin, Matthew Lawrence
Directed By:Tom Brady, Adam F. Goldberg
