To prime you for the start of football season, I wanted to give you the definitive list of the 5 best football movies of all time. Let’s get into it.
#5 – ‘The Waterboy‘
Ahhh yes, Adam Sandler at his best. This is probably the most quotable movie on the list:
–“Now that’s what I call high quality H2O”
–“Captain Insano shows no mercy!”
–“And I like Vicki, and she like me back! And she showed me her boobies and I like them too!”
–“Foos-ball? Buncha overgrown monsters man-handlin’ each other… ‘Member when dat man wanted you to play foosball, Bobby?”
And so on and so forth…
‘The Waterboy’ will always be recognized as one of the most ridiculous movies ever made.
Better yet, ‘The Waterboy’ will forever be known as one of the 5 best football movies of all time (according to lootsports.com).
#4 – ‘Invincible‘
Nothing like a Marky Mark heartwarming sports flick.
‘Invincible’ isn’t perfect. It’s corny and dramatized and has a stupid “playing football in the rain and getting muddy” scene, but who cares! It’s a great movie!
Mark Wahlberg plays a down-on-his-luck Philly kid (Vince Papale) with just a dollar and a dream. Well guess what kid? New Eagles head coach Dick Vermeil is holding open tryouts and you’re the one he’s looking for!
‘Invincible’ is great, don’t let anyone tell you different.
#3 – ‘The Longest Yard’ (2005)
Adam Sandler did it again! This time remaking a classic.
I’m sorry old heads, I know the original ‘Longest Yard’ from 1974 might be timeless or whatever, but this version is straight up awesome. I mean just look at this cast:
Adam Sandler, Burt Reynolds, Chris Rock, Nelly, Michael Irvin, Terry Crews, Joey Diaz, Tracy Morgan, etc, etc…
This movie mostly makes you laugh, but it also has heart! ‘The Longest Yard’ is playing on cable somewhere right now as I write this. I’m not changing the channel, you’re not changing the channel, your dad isn’t changing the channel.
“The Longest Yard’ (2005) deserves its spot as the 3rd best football movie of all time.
#2 – ‘Friday Night Lights‘
Once upon a time, lootsports.com gave you a deep dive into the book that led to this movie, so there isn’t much more to say on the movie that hasn’t already been said. Simply put, ‘Friday Night Lights’ is not only one of the best football movies of all time, it’s one of the best SPORTS movies ever.
Boobie Miles, Don Billingsly, Coach Gary Gaines. The characters in this story are fuckin’ great, but it’s the story itself that makes this the 2nd best football movie of all time.
Enough has been said. Read the book, watch the movie, dive into the show. It won’t be a waste of time, I promise you that.
#1 – ‘Remember The Titans’
Undoubtably the best football movie of all time. Argue with a wall if you think different. It’s a Disney movie, so like ‘Invincible’ (#4 on this list), ‘Remember The Titans’ has its corny moments, but let’s be real, this movie is perfect.
Denzel Washington makes any movie he’s in a must watch, but I think he was born to play a head football coach. It’s not just the story or the characters that make this movie great either, the soundtrack is immaculate. CCR’s “Up Around The Bend”, Marvin Gay’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough, and Cat Stevens’ “Peace Train.” *Chef’s Kiss*
Here’s a few other football movies that just missed the cut:
Honorable Mentions
The Replacements
Keanu at peak Keanu. Also, the actress that plays his cheerleader girlfriend is an absolute smoke show.
The Blind Side
Maybe the whole movie was a lie, but it was an entertaining lie. A heartwarming lie, even.
Any Given Sunday
A star studded cast that fell a little bit short of expectations. Remember the video game “Blitz: The League” where you could literally give your players steroids? This is basically the movie version of that.
Little Giants
“The Sandlot” of football movies. I considered putting this one on the list purely because they made the asshole rival team wear Dallas Cowboys uniforms.
Not Honorable Mention
Rudy
This might be an unpopular opinion but this is not only the most overrated football movie of all time, it’s the most overrated sports movie ever. I’m convinced the Catholic church brainwashed millions of people into thinking this movie is actually good as propaganda for Notre Dame. That’s my opinion and I’m sticking to it.
-Mustache Man
