12 Great Football Movies That Every Sports Fan Should See

There are few sports Hollywood loves more than football. The game can be told on the big screen as, you know, a traditional football story. Or it can be twisted a bit into an action movie or romantic comedy. Sports fans already know this, but there's nothing football can't do. And here are the sub-genre's best entries everyone should see.

'Brian's Song' (1971)

Sure, "Brian's Song" is *just a TV movie, but it's widely regarded as one of the best TV movies ever made. James Caan stars in this biopic as Brian Piccolo, a rising football star battling both cancer and the stigma caused when he becomes the first player to room with a black teammate (Billy Dee Williams).

'The Longest Yard' (1974)

Some football movies are about players striving for the ultimate championship win, and some are about the little victories. "The Longest Yard" is the latter, featuring Burt Reynolds as a jailed NFL star who rallies his fellow prisoners in a game against the prison guards.

'The Last Boy Scout' (1991)

"The Last Boy Scout" is definitely one of the underrated gems of the sports movie scene. This action comedy shows what's possible when you pair a director like Tony Scott with a writer like Shane Black.

'Rudy' (1993)

You know a football movie has something special when Notre Dame allows it to be filmed on its campus. "Rudy" is basically the ultimate underdog sports movie, with Sean Astin's plucky hero proving that anything is possible if you work hard enough and don't mind if victory is fleeting.

'Jerry Maguire' (1996)

While most tend to think of "Jerry Maguire" as a romantic comedy, there's also a good football movie underneath the film's heartstring-tugging surface. This film tackles the sports movie formula from a unique perspective, with Tom Cruise playing an ambitious sports agent who struggles to make it on his own.

'Any Given Sunday' (1999)

While it follows a lot of the familiar sports movie tropes, "Any Given Sunday" has a few elements working in its favor. For one, who wouldn't want to see '90s-era Al Pacino playing a hotheaded football coach. For another, this is the rare football movie that aims to explore a team's struggles from all sides, from the coaches to the players on the field to the owners making the big decisions.

'Varsity Blues' (1999)

"Varsity Blues" is definitely one of the more formulaic football movies ever made, but there's a reason everyone loves that formula so much. Throw a couple of '90s teen heartthrobs like James Van Der Beek and Paul Walker into a story about a rebellious quarterback with a heart of gold and you've got yourself a football movie.

'Remember the Titans' (2000)

If you prefer your sports movies to be of the sentimental, inspirational variety, then "Titans" is the football story for you. Denzel Washington delivered one of his more memorable performances as Herman Boone, a fiery football coach helping to bring together a racially divided team and community through the power of sport.

'Friday Night Lights' (2004)

Everyone knows that Texans love their high school football, and it some small towns it becomes an all-consuming obsession. That's the gist of this sports biopic, which traces the dramatic journey of the Permian Panthers during the 1988 season. The film is good, but the TV series is even better.

'The Blind Side' (2009)

While some may view it as being a little too sappy and sentimental for its own good, "The Blind Side" is an enjoyable feel-good movie about the power of football to bring families together. It tells the story of Michael Oher, who rose up put of poverty to become an NFL star with a lot of help from his adoptive family. Sandra Bullock's grounded, no-nonsense performance is a big reason why this one works so well.

'Undefeated' (2011)

A lot of football movies are based on real events, but they inevitably "streamline" the truth in favor of creating the most crowd-pleasing story possible. "Undefeated" side-steps that problem, as it's a documentary following the Manassas Tigers of Memphis, TN. The film follows their difficult journey over the course of one season as Coach Bill Courtney tries to bring an end to years of loss and disappointment.

'Concussion' (2015)

Some football movies abandon feel-good gridiron heroics to explore the darker side of the sport. That's where "Concussion" comes in. Will Smith is mesmerizing as Dr. Bennett Omalu, a researcher struggling to convince the NFL of the dangers posed by a degenerative brain condition called CTE.