The Most Prominent Sports Drama Movies - Photo credit: vivekdavda.blogspot.com, Edition by Amber255 via Bitlanders.com
Every year, filmmakers do not cease to surprise us and create countless films on a variety of topics. One of the topics that never fails is a sport. Various films can be created on this topic. Sports films feature some kind of sport: football, baseball or just the Olympics Games. These films can be told stories about the sports event or athletes.
Sports films can be fictional, although sometimes they are based on real events. This is often a mix of drama, comedy, sometimes biographical films. The choice of films about sports is really wide. Some people like films of this kind because one or the other characters inspire and motivate them, while others choose these films because of spending a good entertainment time or for a more general understanding of one or another form of sport. Some of them have become very successful; others have left a smaller impression; however, the choice is wide.
It's often said that sport is the health. Perhaps, but certainly not when doing a professional sport. Active athletes are always in an increased risk group in terms of injuries, and after finishing their careers, they often remain with traumas.
Biographical films of sports are considered to be the most difficult and hardest cinematic genre for finding its viewers.
Nevertheless, a number of bunch inspirational dramas have been created, in which the stories make us doubt whether this is a fiction or a real-life story. Today I present some of the most interesting biographical films that even the biggest sports skeptics will like.
While reading about sports drama movies, check QUERLO CHAT:
Battle Of The Sexes, 2017
BATTLE OF THE SEXES - the movie refilmed already the fourth time. It's a realistic sports drama that moves us to the tennis courts. In 1973, on the eve of the sexual revolution and the movement for equal rights for women, a legendary tennis tournament called Battle of the Sexes took place.
It featured the world's first women's tennis racket Billie Jean King (Emma Stone) and former male tennis champion, 55-year-old sexist Bobby Riggs (Steve Carell). The Billie wanted to prove that women are equally athletes to men, and they can fight for the same amount of cash prizes.
This fight has become the most popular sports' broadcast of the TV, which watched 90 million people from around the world. With the King and Riggs tournament gaining momentum, a much more complicated struggle in their personal lives began to emerge. King not only fought for women's rights but also was lost in the searches for her own sexual identity. And Riggs, one of the first self-acting media stars, was struggling with the gambling addiction that cost him his wife and children.
Emma Stone in BATTLE OF THE SEXES - Photo credit: imdb.com
Not only the story of the movie BATTLE OF THE SEXES is impressive, but also a collection of surnames behind the scenes. The film was created by directors of Little Miss Sunshine, the Slumdog Millionaire scriptwriter, La La Land operator, and Moonlight composer. The film created by such a team was immediately condemned to become successful - the movie gained two Golden Globes!
The great performances of Emma Stone and Steve Carello make it possible to plunge into the fantastic past for several hours, which problems, unfortunately, are still extremely relevant today.
BATTLE OF THE SEXES was filmed in a classically rich manner, without a lack for the details of that era and the desire to create an authentic world of this decade. Younger generations of viewers may be overwhelmed by the behavior and speaking that was considered normal and normal at that time, and clearly see how our society has changed significantly in such a short time.
In any case, it's a great movie to enjoy. While the themes prevailing in the film are not easy or simple, the film is designed to just look very fun: the authentically created atmosphere of the 8th decade, a great soundtrack, good actors, and a beautifully filmed main tennis players duel.
BATTLE OF THE SEXES Trailer - Video credit: KinoCheck International via YouTube.com
The Fighter, 2010
David O. Russell's THE FIGHTER, 2010 is based on the true story of the '80s, with Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) in the center, nicknamed Irish.
Micky Ward has decided to pick a boxer's path inspired by his ideal - his brother and former boxer Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale) who became his coach. The day before Dicky Eklund's own glory is already a past - a former boxer uses drugs and has problems with law enforcement. The brother convinced Micky to fight with a boxer who has ten kilograms more in the weight. Irish hopelessly was defeated and determined to complete the boxing career.
But the girlfriend Charlene (Amy Adams) inspires Micky to re-enter the ring - only this time he goes to the ring without the support of his brother. And beat the rival. Soon, Charlene convinces Micky that the biggest obstacles on the way to the Boxers' Glory Olympus are beyond the ring - this is a problematic family of the fighter - a brother and coach who does not run out of the bottom, seven fierce sisters and a despot mother (Melissa Leo), which tells a 30-year-old son how to live and with whom to fight.
Mark Wahlberg in THE FIGHTER - Photo credit: imdb.com
The brother is in prison, and Micky is doing well in the fight. He wins one fight after another, but rivals are more powerful. When visiting his brother in prison, Micky receives a tip that helps to beat a strong rival and gives him the chance to fight for the title of world champion. However, before decisive action, Micky still needs family support. He again wants to see his brother in the corner of the ring.
THE FIGHTER won two Oscars. The movie fascinates not only by a special story but also by the commitment of filmmaking team members. Actor Mark Wahlberg was one of the initiators to screen Miky Ward's life story. The actor liked the film's script so much that not only he refused to take honorarium and worked for free, but he did not use the services of the dubbing, so performed himself on all the bights scenes.
The merits of the actor Christian Bale are no less important. In order to convincingly embody the former boxer who was addicted to heroin, and to lose weight, the man took the exceptionally strict diet and ate only fruits and vegetables, making the film team members to seriously worry about his health status.
The fans of muscular ring fights will see especially authenticly filmed and breath-suppressing competitions.
The emotional film intrigues not only by the battles of the sport but sensually touches the foundations of the family and talks about the cornerstones of the father's relationship with the children.
The FIGHTER - a film about kicks in a ring and in life.
Poster of THE FIGHTER - Photo credit: izleorg2.org
Rush, 2013
The movie RUSH appeared in 2013, and it has become a true gift for all Formula fans. The film moves the viewers to golden Formula 1 time - the 70's.
James Hunt (Chris Hemsworth) and Niki Lauda (Daniel Brühl) are two of the most talented racers of the 1970s Formula One. J. Hunte, a British-born, is an emotional and hot-tempered man loved by women who vomited before every race of his sensitivity. Meanwhile, the Austrian N.Lauda is a cold-blooded competitor. Different as day and night, but both the most talented racers and the biggest rivals, to whom every race became a personal duel. The fastest drivers, leading representatives of the most famous teams, become the coolest competitors not only on the race track but also in real life.
This fight for the title was marked by the terrible accident in Nurburgring (Germany) where N.Lauda avoided death, and the race final in Fuji (Japan) that sunk in the rainfall. Young, popular and talented; the race track for them is more expensive than life. But what really hide under the glittering helmets of Formula 1 legends?
Daniel Brühl and Chris Hemsworth in RUSH - Photo credit: imdb.com
The director of the film, Ron Howard, has long understood that the best scenarios are real-life stories, so his latest work, movie RUSH was based on real events.
The film uncovers the torturous tension, stunning speed, distress of closest ones, rampage of victories, and bitterness behind the rival's back in the race tracks.
In the sports drama, filler with archive shots, there is no shortage of car engine thunders. Filming the movie RUSH, the teams participating in the Formula 1 race provided the filming group not only with original equipment and cars but also copies of them, while team pilots and coaches provided consulting services.
Not only the Formula 1 team helped the filmmakers - various companies that are engaged in the antique racing cars' restoration have created precisely correct replicas of the 1976 Brabham, Ferrari, BRM, Penske, and March cars, each of which cost around 80,000 pounds! At the end of the filming, part of the car was auctioned.
James Hunt: The closer you are to death, the more alive you feel. It's a wonderful way to live. It's the only way to drive. - Quote from the movie RUSH
Credit: imdb.com
The result is an incredibly accurate period of time, a great deal of tension and parallel created portraits of the main characters are developed alongside the intrigues of the track, which are also revealed through their personal behavior outside the racetrack. Still, there were certain discrepancies, and Nada Lauda himself, who, in a favorable evaluation of the film, still admitted that some moments were made with a big dose of drama by a Hollywood mode.
The sports drama RUSH is a high-quality film featuring not a banal story and two strong characters. Even if you know how the 1976 Formula 1 World Championship actually ended, and what happened to N. Lauda, the film adds and retains tension practically until the end.
RUSH Official Trailer - Video credit: FilmIsNow Movie Trailers via YouTube.com
Moneyball, 2011
The inspirational story of the MONEYBALL, 2011 presented the charismatic manager of the baseball team Billy (Brad Pitt).
Billy, who knows all subtleties of the baseball, wakes up in a terrible and merciless reality. Billy Beane, who knows subtleties of the baseball, wakes up in a terrible and merciless reality. Oakland Athletics, a particularly thoroughly and responsibly formed team, suddenly fell on the brink of extinction. The most professional team players, along with the leader, came out to the teams offering more money.
Joyless news just before the start of the season upset Billy Beane, but he does not lose his stubbornness, ambition, and passion in extreme circumstances to bring a completely new team capable of successfully take roots in the league and resist the rich leaders.
The most important and topical issue remains the same - the money. They are always missing, and the owner of Oakland Athletics no longer has the motivation to increase the season's microscopic budget.
Brad Pitt in MONEYBALL - Photo credit: imdb.com
With the help of Peter (Jonah Hill), who is great mathematician assistant, Bill decided to take the step unseen in the baseball world - he brings together new players based on mathematical calculations and probability theory. In such way, Oakland Athletics complements with players that had a reputation of losers, veterans, freaks, and guys sinking in traumas' swamp. The crazy idea appeared to be great, and the nickname of the losers team will soon be replaced by champion titles.
Interested in the story of Oakland Athletics, writer Michael Lewis devoted a year to the team success' analysis and to work with it. In 2003, he released a book detailing the subtleties of baseball basics and shocking team's trip from the losers to the top of champions.
In 2011, the writer's bestseller turned into a movie, and MONEYBALL was called the best ever-time film about baseball - the film was welcomed by viewers and film critics, convincing that it was one of the best roles in actor Brad Pitt's career. The baseball victories and defeats are shown a bit differently than we can see in the stadium and on television broadcasts.
The film is about how we value things. How we value each other; how we value ourselves; and how we decide who’s a winner based on those values. The film questions the very idea of how to define success. It places great value on this quiet, personal victory, the victory that’s not splashed across the headlines or necessarily results in trophies, but that, for Beane, became a kind of personal Everest. At the end of the day, we all hope that what we’re doing will be of some value, that it will mean something and I think that is this character’s quest. - Brad Pitt about MONWBALL.
Credit: emanuellevy.com
Everything that was related to the baseball was to me as a real mysticism. I openly admit that baseball is a sport that I do not understand. But this movie is not about a baseball, though I believe that it has been the theme that has increased its profits in the United States - the country that is crazy about this sport.
It is a film about purpose, faith, system, and consistent pursuit towards the vision. The film is about that only believing in our power we can make practically everything possible.
It is a proof that everyone can become a person who can change everything - we just need an idea, a belief in it, and, as stated in the film, "you need to ask yourself the right questions."
Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill in MONEYBALL - Photo credit: imdb.com
Cinderella Man, 2005
The real-life biographical sports drama CINDERELLA MAN (2005), directed by Ron Howard, moves the story of American boxer Jim Braddock to the cinema screens.
Jim Bredok (Russel Crowe) was a promising boxer, but after a lot of disappointments, he had to give up his athlete's career. When Americans survive the horror of economic depression, Jim is doing the hardest and darkest work that his wife and children do not die of famine. With the black desperation around, the former boxer never gave up his dream to come back to the ring and achieve victories again.
And the fortune smiled to Jim: accidentally, Braddock is given the opportunity to fight for a heavier world champion. It seems that the outcome of this fight is predetermined, but, to the greatest surprise, Jim Braddock defeated in the third round.
Russell Crowe in CINDERELLA MAN - Photo credit: theaceblackblog.com
Fight after the fight. Blood, sweat, pain, and finally victories! Having come back to the ring, this ordinary man embodied the hopes and dreams of thousands of like-minded people. But the decisive struggle of Jim Bredok is still at the forefront. The hero is waiting for the most serious opponent - Max Baer (Craig Bierko), a heavyweight champion, a non-compromising fighter who kills two of his opponents. Will a strong hero have enough power and spiritual strength to defeat?
It was fifteen rounds that America will never forget.
In 2005, CINDERELLA MAN, acclaimed as best sports drama by critics, featured not only genuine boxers but also the daughter of Jim Braddock's granddaughter.
Russell Crowe who performed the main role asserted that preparation for the role and filming were far more difficult than his most sophisticated role in Gladiator. The man taught the boxing subtleties the whole year, so filming did not use dubbing help, and six months before the start of the film, every day he spent time for jogging, flying, boxing, working in the gym, and practicing yoga.
CINDERELLA MAN is a drama full of vibrant and beautiful moments that remind the audience of humanity and family strength, and James Braddock's success story should inspire everyone.
Russell Crowe in CINDERELLA MAN - Photo credit:imdb.com
On The Final Note
There are quite a lot of movies about sports. I wrote just five sports drama's reviews that have received good ratings from critics. And there also is a bunch of films about basketball, football, baseball, and other sports. It is possible to learn something from these films, and you can better understand the subtleties of a certain sport, get into the role of athletes, and experience all the sufferings of the characters in the film.
Movies about sports are a rather risky thing - it's very easy to get lost in unnecessary pathos, and their plot is often quite predictable. Still, some film directors have proven that they are able to create great movies on this theme.
Often, such films are like a source of inspiration and motivation, and after watching them, the desire not to give up and work hard for the goals strongly inundate us.
Nothing hardens the strength of the spirit and the will to win like sports. It is there that serious passions and powerful conflicts reign, so from the very beginning of the appearance of sports films, they have not slowed down its popularity.
Movie RUSH (2013) - Photo credit:imdb.com
What could be more interesting than watching online for the ups and downs of the heroes, with them experience devastating setbacks and climb to unattainable heights?
Sports movies are a message that can live in a person’s soul for a very long time. Such films prove that if a person has a real dream, then all doors are open to him and nothing can stop him. After all, the greatest athletes have the faith and inner strength's core.
Watching online films about athletes means getting a piece of this powerful energy and the belief that nothing is impossible.
I want to make movies that pierce people's hearts and touch them in some way, even if it's just for the night while they're in the cinema; in that moment, I want to bring actual tears to their eyes and goosebumps to their skin. That's what motivates me, and it may sound strange but if you're not focused on the audience, why are you bothering to make a movie? - Director Ron Howard
Credit: telegraph.co.uk
HAVE FUN WATCHING!
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