Undoubtedly, football is one of the most popular sports in North America. The game has become so popular, there have been several movies made about football. Here at TPS, we will look at which football movies are the best and which are the absolute worst. Definitely, check them out. Spoilers will be kept to a minimum.
Here are Five of the Best Football Movies and Five of the Worst Football Movies:
Honorable Mentions: Any Given Sunday (1999)
Any Given Sunday is a fun football movie following the fortunes and misfortunes of the Miami Sharks organization. Even though it has a 52 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes and the mixed reviews, it’s still a memorable movie with an amazing cast that includes Al Pacino, LL Cool J, Jamie Foxx, and Charleston Heston to name a few. Any Given Sunday also has great cameos from Dick Butkus, Terrell Owens, Ricky Watters, Emmitt Smith, and Johnny Unitas. If you haven’t watched it, please check it out.
The Replacements (2000)
Another great football movie despite receiving mixed reviews and having a 41 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes, it’s still a good football movie to watch with some great moments. The film stars Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Jon Favreau, and many more talented actors. It was based on the 1980s NFL players strike.
The Blind Side (2009)
The movie is based on former Baltimore Ravens’ Offensive Lineman, Michael Oher’s life and is the inspiration for the film. Even though Sandra Bullock won the Oscar for Best Actress for her portrayal of Leigh Anne Touhy, The Blind Side isn’t as loved as it once was, when it was revealed that Michael Oher admitted he didn’t like how he was portrayed in the film and later (2023) had a conservatorship he signed with the Tuohy family, terminated.
Click on ‘Follow Us’ and get notified of the most viral NFL stories via Google! Follow Us
Also Read: All 32 NFL Teams’ Biggest Draft Bust Who Will Go Down As The Worst Of All-Time
Worst: Air Bud: Golden Receiver (1998)
After the success of Air Bud, which was released in 1997, Air Bud: Golden Receiver focuses on Buddy, the dog, joining the football team. Buddy helps the team go from serial losers to having a winning streak and making the playoffs with a weird subplot of two Russian thugs wanting to kidnap Buddy for their circus. The film received very negative reviews and holds a 21 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. It’s a good movie for kids, but as a football movie, this sadly doesn’t hold up as a classic.
Best: Remember the Titans (2000)
Remember the Titans is based on the true story of how an all-black high school, T.C. Williams School, with the Alexandria High School as head coach Herman Boone, played by Denzel Washington, leads the team to victory. The film shows excellent teamwork and compassion towards one another, as the team grows strong together. The film currently has a 72 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film also stars Will Patton, Donald Faison, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, and a young Ryan Gosling. Remember the Titans, is arguably one of the best football movies to watch and if you haven’t put it on your list, please do so as soon as you can!
Worst: The Comebacks (2007)
Arguably one of the worst football movies ever made, the film tries to poke fun at clichés used in other sports movies. However, this movie’s jokes are not funny, there are a lot of references to much better sports movies such as Friday Night Lights, Dodgeball, and Miracle to name a few, and it is just plain terrible. The film holds a nine percent on Rotten Tomatoes. The film stars David Koechner, who you might remember as Todd Packer in The Office and the late Carl Weathers. The film also has cameo appearances from Dennis Rodman, Lawrence Taylor, Michael Irvin, and Eric Dickerson. Avoid this movie, at all costs, and watch something else like Remember the Titans, Dodgeball, or any other movie on this list.
Best: Rudy (1993)
Arguably one of the best football movies of all time, Rudy is the tale of a young man’s dream to play for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Rudy also battles through his dyslexia and financial adversities to get enrolled at the prestigious university, as well as battling for a spot on the Fighting Irish football team. The film stars Sean Astin, playing the title character, and also stars Jon Favreau, a young Vince Vaughn, and the real Rudy Ruettiger cameoed a fan in the stands. The film currently holds a 77 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. This is one movie that is a must-watch for all football fanatics, out there.
Worst: Johnny Be Good (1988)
Johnny Be Good is about a young man named Johnny Walker being recruited by elite colleges all over the country. His best friend, Leo Wiggins, played by Robert Downing Jr., tells him to wait for the best offer while his girlfriend, Georgia Elkins, played by Uma Thurman, wants him to go to the local state college instead. The film follows Johnny’s journey to finding the right college but falls flat due to the film’s lack of humor, a story that’s all over the place, and characters changing with no justification. The film also has cameo appearances from sports journalist Howard Cosell, Tim Rossovich, and Chicago Bears Super Bowl 20-winning quarterback, Jim McMahon. Johnny Be Good also has a zero percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Avoid this ‘80s flick, at all costs.
Best: The Longest Yard (1974)
Many of you know about the 2005 version of The Longest Yard, starring Adam Sandler. However, this review is about the 1974 version of the film, a true American classic, starring the late Burt Reynolds, who also starred in the 2005 remake. The Longest Yard is about a former star quarterback recruiting prisoners to play a game of football against the guards. The film also starred former NFL stars like Ray Nitschke, Joe Kapp, Pervis Atkins, Ernie Wheelwright, Ray Ogden, and Jim Nicholson, to name a few. It also helped that Reynolds also played college football at Florida State University as a halfback. If you haven’t seen either version of The Longest Yard, please stop what you’re doing and give them a watch.
Worst: Home Team (2022)
Home Team is a story about former New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton’s effort to reconnect with his son, Connor, by coaching his pop-warner football team as he was suspended by the NFL in 2012 for his role in Bounty Gate. The film stars Kevin James as Payton (even though he looks nothing like Payton) while also starring Taylor Lautner and Adam Sandler’s wife, Jackie Sandler, as Payton’s ex-wife. Home Team earned very poor reviews as it currently holds a 21 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes. The film could’ve been better, but lacks humor and fails to hit the right tonal drama that revolved around Payton’s one-year suspension.
Best: Varsity Blues (1999)
Varsity Blues is a powerful story about a football team dealing with the pressure of their power-hungry football coach, as well as a backup quarterback, played by James Van Der Beek, trying to carry his team to a divisional title. This is backdropped with all the adversity he faces regarding a scholarship offer to an Ivy League school. The film received mixed reviews and currently has a 45 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. Despite those mixed reviews, the film is a true football tale of adversity, as well as a true classic football film, about working together as a team.
Worst: Leatherheads (2008)
Although Leatherheads received mixed reviews and currently holds a 52 percent on Rotten Tomatoes, it was a box office bomb that only made $41.3 million back on a $58 million budget. The film is about the captain of his football team wanting to give the sport more light in the 1920s while two teammates compete for the affection of a beautiful woman while they try to save their football league from collapsing. The film stars George Clooney, John Krasinski, and Renée Zellweger. The film does have its good moments, but, the film can be long and tedious and at times, it feels like it doesn’t know what kind of film it is trying to be.
Best: Friday Night Lights (2004)
Friday Night Lights is based on the book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream written by H.G. Bissinger. Friday Night Lights is the unforgettable tale of the 1988 Permian Panthers, of a football-obsessed town in Texas, while the team deals with injuries and social problems all around them. The movie has an 82 percent on Rotten Tomatoes and is arguably considered one of the best football movies ever. The film also stars former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, Roy Williams, who portrayed a Midland Lee assistant coach. The film also starred former New England Patriots cornerback, Ty Law, who played a wide receiver for Dallas Carter High School. If you haven’t watched Friday Night Lights, please give this amazing football story, about a football team’s journey to the State Championship, despite pressure from their peers, in their home city of Odessa, TX.
Also Read: Ranking The Best And Worst NFL Combine Performances Of All-Time
