I especially enjoy sports and coaching movies because they often provide a great metaphor for business life. Here's a list of the ones I've enjoyed:
Attending predominantly white Roosevelt High because her mother thinks she'll have better opportunities under the school's successful coach, gifted black hoopster Darnellia Russell puts herself -- and her coach -- through the wringer. Shot in a suburban Seattle high school over a seven-year period, director Ward Serrill's stirring documentary explores the complicated relationship between gender, race and organized sports.
Glory Road tells the true story of Don Haskins (Josh Lucas), a high school basketball coach who, in 1962, took the reins of the Texas Western Miners, an underdog NCAA Division One team. Haskins's insistence on recruiting the best players available to him, regardless of the color of their skin, revolutionized the sport ... and changed the course of history. Director James Gartner's inspiring drama triumphs both on and off the court.
Ralph (Adam Butcher) is a typical teenager with atypical questions, the largest of which concerns his mother. She's fallen into a coma, and the 14-year-old has set his sights on winning the 1954 Boston Marathon in a makeshift barter with God to make his mother well. His teacher, Father Hibbert (Campbell Scott), wants to encourage his dream, but in doing so, he goes up against the reserved, ever-realistic Father Fitzpatrick (Gordon Pinsent).
Samuel L. Jackson plays the titular, controversial coach, a hardliner who firmly believes that scholarship and a sense of ethics go hand in hand with excellence on the basketball court. A man of his convictions, Coach Carter benches his undefeated team of high schoolers when they turn in poor academic grades (much to the chagrin of the players' parents and many of his fellow teachers). Co-stars Ashanti. Thomas Carter directs.
For as long as Santiago Munez (Kuno Becker) can remember, he's had a passion for playing soccer, a pastime his father wishes he'd give up. But when British scout Glen Foy (Stephen Dillane) spies Santiago playing in an amateur match, Foy persuades him to come to England -- and the world soon takes notice. Some of the hottest stars from the world of football, including David Beckham and Zinédine Zidane, make cameos in this action-packed romp.
Average Joe and devoted Philadelphia Eagles fan Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) manages to land a spot on his favorite NFL team in open tryouts. He's just lost his wife and his job as a substitute teacher, but by impressing the coach and winning a place on the field, Papale turns a terrible year into a winner in this inspiring film (based on a true story) from the producers of the similar, baseball-themed The Rookie.
Relive the miracle on ice all over again as coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) takes a ragtag band of college hockey players and molds them into an unstoppable juggernaut (Team USA) that did the impossible -- beat the Soviet Union and won Olympic gold at Lake Placid. Do you believe in miracles? You will after you watch this inspiring movie.
When Frank (Peter Mullan) loses his job at the docks, he quickly realizes that, at age 55, he's too old to start a new career but too young to simply stop working. Despondent about his life and past mistakes, he decides to take on the ultimate challenge -- to swim the English Channel. With the support of friends and family, he thinks he can rise to the occasion and bear the physical pain, but is he ready to come to terms with his emotional pain?
With a pint-sized caddie (Joshua Flitter) at his side, amateur golfer Francis Ouimet (Shia LaBeouf) shocked the world at the 1913 U.S. Open when he outplayed defending British champ Harry Vardon (Stephen Dillane). But Ouimet's rise to the top wasn't easy, with a hard-nosed father (Elias Koteas) and a hard-knock life to overcome. Actor Bill Paxton (in his third time out as a director) helms this inspiring true-life story based on actual events.
Based on a true story, this drama follows 67-year-old grandfather and New Zealander Burt Munro (Anthony Hopkins) as he flies across Utah's Bonneville Salt Flats and blazes into the record books at 183.586 mph on his customized Indian Scout motorcycle. Set in 1967, this film is the second pairing for Hopkins and writer-director Roger Donaldson (Cocktail, Thirteen Days), who also worked together on The Bounty (1984).
A small-town high school football coach (Ed Harris) befriends an illiterate, developmentally disabled man (Cuba Gooding Jr.) nicknamed "Radio," who has always been the target of jokes and teasing. Although their friendship raises eyebrows at first, Radio's growth under the coach's guidance ultimately inspires the local townsfolk. Based on the true story of the life of James Robert Kennedy.
What are your favorites?
Delicious
Digg
StumbleUpon
Reddit
Newsvine
Facebook
Google
Yahoo
Post new comment