GRIDIRON GREATS
With the Super Bowl here, let’s take time out to remember these classic football films
Talk about a lose-lose situation.
Sunday’s Super Bowl will either see the insufferable Tom Brady and his New England Patriots win for the third time in four years — ugh — or the Philadelphia Eagles pull off an underdog victory, causing their notoriously awful fans to burn down the entire state of Pennsylvania in celebration.
With most of the Super Bowl commercials appearing on YouTube before the game even begins, and a Justin Timberlake halftime show that sounds about as exciting as watching cheese ripen, it’s hard to get too stoked about this year’s tilt.
So if Super Bowl Ell-Eye-Eye turns out to be boring or infuriating — or both — there’s no shortage of amazing football movies to stream or digitally rent. Here are some flicks I’ll have queued up and ready to go in case the big game turns into a big bust.
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (2004)
Based on true events, this is an eyeopening look at how seriously high school football is taken in parts of theUnitedStates. MostCFLteams would love to get the attendance these high school matchups draw.
Find it on: iTunes, Google Play, Cineplex Store, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store
JERRY MAGUIRE (1996)
Before Cuba Gooding Jr.’s career collapsed like a linebacker with a torn ACL, he won an Oscar for demanding that Tom Cruise“Show me the money!” in this Cameron Crowe-directed tale of a sports agent and his most valuable client.
Find it on: Amazon Video, iTunes, Google Play, Cineplex Store, Microsoft Store
RUDY ( 1 9 9 3 )
The Eagles might not be favoured to win the Super Bowl, but when it comes to football underdogs, there’s none bigger — figuratively speaking — than Rudy. This is essential annual viewing for sports fans of any stripe.
Find it on: iTunes, Google Play, Cineplex Store, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store
VARSITY BLUES (1999)
Football players aren’t always known for their smart sand sensitivity, but we totally buy James Van Der Beek as an academically gifted high school player butting heads with an abusive coach( JonVoig ht ).
Find it on: Netflix, iTunes, Google Play, Cineplex Store, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store
ANY GIVEN SUNDAY (1999)
Oliver Stone’s look at the uglier side of pro football — even if the team in the movie is fictional — is gripping stuff. Al Pacino is as intense as always, and former high school football star Jamie Foxx’s moves on the field are authentic.
Find it on: iTunes, Google Play, Cineplex Store, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store
THE LONGEST YARD (2005)
Yeah, the 1974 original starring Burt Reynolds is far better. But I’m so excited to see a movie starring Adam Sandler that doesn’t suck, I’m willing to give this remake — about a group of prison inmates taking on a team of guards—a pass.
Find it on: Netflix, Amazon Video, Google Play, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store
REMEMBER THE TITANS (2000)
Denzel Washington shines as the coach of a high school’s first racially diverse football team, facing all the daunting obstacles you’d expect from unenlightened early ’70s Virginia. A fantastic flick all around.
Find it on: iTunes, Google Play, Cineplex Store, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store
BRIAN’ S SONG (1971)
Long before he was Lando Calrissian, Billy Dee Williams starred opposite James Caan in this heartstring-tugging true story about the enduring friendship between NFLers Gale Sayers and cancerstricken Brian Piccolo. Find it on: iTunes, Google Play, Cineplex Store, PlayStation Store
THE BLIND SIDE (2009)
Sandra Bullock won an Oscar portraying Leigh Anne Tuohy, a real Tennessee mother who stared down all opposition and adopted a young Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), future NFL first-round draft pick.
Find it on: iTunes, Google Play, Cineplex Store, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store
INVINCIBLE (2006)
Philly fans might get a well-deserved bad rap, but we can’t help but root for Mark Wahlberg as Vince Papale, an everyday Eagles booster who tried out for the team.
Find it on: iTunes, Google Play, Cineplex Store, PlayStation Store, Microsoft Store