Love of the Game
Here are some sports films that you could pick up to watch together for Valentine’s Day. Don’t worry though, these have got plenty of romance in them as well.
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Sports
The Fighter
- Title: The Fighter
- IMDB: link
Far more about family than boxing, The Fighter stars Mark Wahlberg as Mickey Ward, a middling junior welterweight professional boxer from Lowell, Massachusetts, who grew up with several sisters and an older half-brother, Dicky Eklund (Christian Bale), a once talented boxer who wasted his career away on crack and tomfoolery.
Everyone is well-cast and the performances, especially that of Bale, are top notch. The film includes clips of the real Mickey and Dicky during the closing credits and Bale is spot-on in his portrayal. The biggest surprise for me, however, was Amy Adams putting out a strong performance far outside her comfort zone by playing against type.
The script has been kicked around Hollywood for the better part of the decade with several names attached to direct (Martin Scorsese, Darren Aronofsky) and star (Brad Pitt, Matt Damon). Eventually David O. Russell was given the chance to direct Wahlberg and Bale. Maybe they should have waited a little longer.
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Invictus
- Title: Invictus
- IMDB: link
Invictus is a project Morgan Freeman has been trying to get off the ground for more than a decade. Although I think it’s a quality film, and the story is definitely worth telling, I can certainly see why it took this long for the film to get made. It feels at least one more rewrite away (the script was adapted from John Carlin‘s book by Anthony Peckham) from cashing in on its full potential.
Invictus centers around an event, the 1995 Rugby World Cup. The focus is split between that of the newly elected President Nelson Mandela (Freeman) and the captain (Matt Damon) of the South African Rugby team, the Springbok.
The film certainly captures the importance of the event and what it meant to a new South Africa coming out of the days of apartheid. It also succeeds in demonstrating the change in attitude of the South African people to the team, and effectively spotlights how sports can truly unify people in a very unique way.
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Whip It
- Title: Whip It
- IMDB: link
Drew Barrymore might have found a new career as a director of offbeat films. (Better that than starring in more forgettable romcoms or Charlie’s Angels 3).
Although Whip It is rough, which you would expect from a first-time director, Barrymore provides an engaging and unexpectedly good sports movie.
Ellen Page stars as Bliss Cavendar, a 17 year-old small town girl who becomes instantly fascinated by the world of roller derby. Stuck in the beauty contest world of her controlling mother, Bliss finds solace, and the opportunity to find herself, in something new.
Lying about her age, Bliss is selected to be part of the team of misfits known as the Hurl Scouts who are just as happy to come in second place, perhaps even more so, than actually win a contest.
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The best male cheerleader recruitment film, like, ever
- Title: Fired Up!
- IMDB: link
I come neither to praise nor bash Fired Up! Here’s the type of movie, in the right mood, I might be perfectly fine finding at 1:00am on Comedy Central. If you’re a fan of the straight-to-DVD American Pie films (like this one) you should feel right at home.
The basic set-up for this male cheerleader recruitment film involves two high school ladies men (played by 28-year-old Nicholas D’Agosto and 31-year-old Eric Christian Olsen) who skip out on football practice for a chance to join the squad and go to cheer camp with the hopes of scoring with as many cheerleaders as possible.
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The best male cheerleader recruitment film, like, everRead More »
The best male cheerleader recruitment film, like, ever Read More »