With football season under way in both the collegiate and professional leagues I figured it was high time I ran down my top 5 football movies. Some of my choices my surprise you, or they may not. That’s generally how a list goes.
5. LITTLE GIANTS 
One time. 99 times out of a 100 this movie probably would’ve sucked. That left one time. The young ensemble is terrific from Devon Sawa (Junior), Shawna Waldron (Icebox), Sam Horrigan (Spike), Todd Bosley (Jake –pictured above) and all the way up to Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neill playing dueling brothers.
Rick Moranis’ daughter Becky “Icebox” didn’t make the local pee wee football team (coached by his brother Ed O’Neill), as did a bunch of other misfit kids. So what does any good father do? He assembles his own rag tag football team to battle for supremacy in the town of Urbania, Ohio.
Is it predictable? Yes. Do Emmitt Smith and John Madden show up to provide a lesson to the kids? Yes. Is The Annexation of Puerto Rico the greatest play in the history of football? Yes. This movie stuck with me when I was a kid and I still enjoy it today.
4. HEAVEN CAN WAIT 
This one sometimes gets lost in the fold on football films, and it shouldn’t. Warren Beatty plays a Rams quarterback who is unfairly taken to Heaven before it is actually his time to die. To repay that mistake he is put into the body of a recently murdered millionaire. To the rest of the world he looks like the millionaire, but we see him as the quarterback.
He then decides to finish the life he had by buying the team and becoming it’s quarterback. Jack Warden delivers a fantastic performance as the trainer and Julie Christie and Warren Beatty share undeniable chemistry (as was the case in real life).
The final act of the film is great as it delivers on multiple levels. I found myself emotionally invested in the characters and the sporting event as well.
3. RUDY 
Few names echo through stadium halls like ‘Rudy’.I’m sure you could start a ‘Rudy’ chant anywhere and it would probably catch on.
‘Rudy’ is synonymous with the underdog and achieving that which was thought to be unattainable. Sean Astin is the emotional core of the film. We ache when he is broken down and nearly defeated and our hearts soar as he finally reaches his goal.
According to some, this is a guy-cry kind of film, and it is. Rudy is the guy everyone wants to do well and for all of the right reasons.
2. THE REPLACEMENTS 
I almost put this one at number one. That’s how much I love this film. I view this as one of the most underrated comedies out there.
Keanu Reeves is playing a former Ohio St QB for the second time in his film career. (The 1st? ‘Point Break’) Only this time he’s actually playing football and not surfing with Swayze. As the title suggests they are replacement players, because the professionals are on strike. Gene Hackman is brought in to coach this newly assembled team of a police officer, a convict, a priest, a soccer player, a Sumo wrestler, a deaf man, a disgraced college QB, two body guards, and a grocery store worker (not named Kurt Warner). Throw in a little Gloria Gaynor’s “I Will Survive” and you’ve got a great, entertaining film.
What strikes me about this film is that it’s not conventional. Some might say that it is, but it’s not. Gene Hackman lays it all out in the end with a voice over that perfectly fits the tone of the film. He isn’t sappy, he’s reflective and realistic which makes this more than just a comedy. Let’s make it clear that this is a comedy and it is funny. The football action here is great with John Madden and Pat Summerall providing entertaining commentary by playing themselves, but having a bit more fun.
Every time I find this on TV, whether it has commercials or not, I tune in and watch.
1. FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS 
This is the best football film. Period.
It’s emotionally draining and uplifting. It’s dramatic, dynamic, engaging, exciting and the fact that it (for the most part) happened. Another great young ensemble featuring Lucas Black, Jay Hernandez, Garrett Hedlund, Derek Luke, Lee Thompson Young, and Lee Jackson. Billy Bob Thornton delivers what is probably the best half time speech when he describes being ‘Perfect’ and it hits every single player in the locker room.
But the real find here is Tim McGraw. Yes, Mr. Faith Hill. He gives a very dramatic and nuanced performance as a former state champion/father of a current player. He is a man who lives and breathes high school football and puts the world’s expectations on his son’s shoulders because he wants him to be a champion. That’s hard to live up to.
This is a film that transcends sport. It’s just a great piece of filmmaking and storytelling.
