So far I haven’t found anyone who doesn’t like the movie Moneyball. It has baseball and Brad Pitt – do movies need anything else? The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (aka the people who give out Oscars) agrees, nominating the film for six awards including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor.
In the 83 years that the Oscars have been awarded, only 3 sports movies have taken home the gold so the odds are against this biopic about a man who had the odds against him – kind of poetic if you think about it.
There have been a few sports films that have taken home awards for editing, performing and direction. If you haven’t seen Moneyball, stop reading and go watch it. If you have, check out these other award-winning movies.
Rocky (1976)
Best Picture, Best Film Editing, Best Director (John G. Avildsen)
Here’s a film that has one of the most recognizable soundtracks out there. Rocky Balboa is an uneducated but determined boxer in Philadelphia who competes in the World Heavyweight Championship. After watching this movie, the song “Eye of the Tiger” will be stuck in your head for days and the Rocky theme song will play every time you run up a big flight of stairs – but then of course you can pump your fists and celebrate á la the Italian Stallion himself.
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Best Picture, Original Score, Original Screenplay, Costume Design.
You might not have seen this movie, but you have undoubtedly heard the soundtrack. Chariots of Fire is the story of two athletes who compete in the 1924 Olympics. Running and religion as the central themes come together in an inspirational look at anti-Semitism in Europe pre-WWII.
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Best Supporting Actor (Cuba Gooding Jr.)
Technically this is a sports movie, but it’s really a love story. Check out pre-Katie Holmes Tom Cruise as Jerry, a sports agent who goes rogue and tries to start his own agency along with his love interest, Renee Zellweger. If you have ever heard the taglines “Show me the Money” and “You complete me” this is where they came from.
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Best Picture, Best Director (Clint Eastwood) Best Actress (Hilary Swank) Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman)
Who doesn’t love an underdog story? Hilary Swank stars as an amateur boxer trained by Clint Eastwood. If the amount of awards this movie won doesn’t persuade you to watch it, then how about Morgan Freeman narrates it so….you know it’s good.
The Blind Side (2009)
Best Actress (Sandra Bullock)
This was one of the most popular movies of 2009 and there is a good chance you have already seen this movie; that doesn’t mean it doesn’t earn another viewing. This semi-biographical film tells the story of Michael Oher and the Tuohy family. The Southern family takes Oher into their home and he becomes a football sensation. It’ll make you laugh, it’ll make you cry and you can have fun spotting well-known college football coaches playing themselves trying to recruit Oher.