With the Paris Olympics just around the corner, we’ve rounded up sports films and inspiring documentaries worthy of gold.
You don’t need to love sports to enjoy sports movies and documentaries. Celebrating human triumph will always be universal. And the impact of a film about athletes, when done well, can often leave a lasting vision of what it takes to be the best.
It not always about winning. The beauty of a sports movie is it takes viewers beyond the arena and explores the humanity that makes an athlete exceptional. Portraying the competitors’ spirit and their tenacity to push beyond the limits is more than enough to give viewers hope and leave them feeling inspired for their own future goals.
With the Paris Olympics just around the corner, here are some of the finest, funniest, and most intriguing movies that are truly gold-worthy, in no particular order.
1. Cool Runnings (1993)
First on the list is loosely inspired by the true events of the first Jamaican bobsled team to compete in the 1988 Winter Olympics. The movie’s self-awareness about a seemingly puzzling concept of athletes from a tropical country to compete in -25 degrees, onto an ice-covered twisting track inside a heavy metal sled that can go over a 100 kilometers per hour was unprecedented.
With a charming ensemble cast that includes the late comedian John Candy (Uncle Beck, 1989; Home Alone, 1990) the unlikely story of a Jamaican sprinter’s (Leon Robinson) bid for the Winter Games after failing to qualify for the Summer Olympics is a playful and heartwarming take on the genre.
Although more often whimsical in its narrative, the snippets of Cold War imagery in the film also serve as a time capsule with an overall feel good message of pride, teamwork, and racial harmony.
The closest thing perhaps to a sequel is when the real-life Jamaican national bobsled team in 2014 channeled the Cool Runnings spirit when a fan started a crowdsourcing campaign to support their run at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.
That being said, this film is an ideal date or family viewing that will leave you saying, “Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up! It’s bobsled time!”
2. Munich (2005)
Toning down the delightful energy of the free-spirited Jamaican national team is another film based on real-world events. Munich delves into political complexities of the covert operation to assassinate the alleged individuals behind the massacre of Israeli athletes competing in the 1972 Olympics in Munich.
Within half an hour into the movie, a character foreshadows the intent of the film that deals with the struggle of attaining peace from a conflict as deeply rooted between the Palestinians and the Israelis. Here, they denote the moral ambiguity of right and wrong, evoking Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel’s concept of right, which should not be assigned with a “moral category.” The argument rests on the innate concept of free will, which inevitably causes wrongdoing.
Developing a nuance in tackling these themes felt right with director Steven Spielberg at the helm, who also directed Schindler’s List (1993). Although initially taken from the perspective of the Israeli government and their hired undercover agents led by Eric Bana (Black Hawk Down, 2001) it never fully devotes the narrative to choosing sides.
The act of “shutting down terrorists” doesn’t fall into the trope of being reduced into running amok without uttering a comprehensible line before being gunned down. All of them are depicted as actual humans— a writer, financiers, and even diplomats. It presents the moral conundrum that the team of Bana’s character, Avner, had to deal with each step of their journey across the world.
Munich is way beyond a revenge movie but a multilayered exploration of the philosophy of morality against a backdrop of historical atrocities committed on both sides.
It isn’t the typical feel-good movie, rather it presents a different side of humanity’s spirit—one that dares to justify survivability and the fragility of righteousness in a conflict about land, self-determination, and identity.
3. Blades of Glory (2007)
Will Ferrell stars opposite Jon Heder (The Benchwarmers, 2006) in this fictionalized cutthroat representation of the men’s figure skating filled with comedic beats and narcissistic rivals sporting skintight costumes and pompadour hairdos.
Chazz Michael Michales (Ferrell) is the fiery, non-apologetic, and uber-macho figure skater who boasts a decorated Olympic career, along with a successful adult film presence. Jimmy MacElroy (Heder) plays the overly dramatic athlete with performances that rival the elegance of a peacock, whose form-fitting blue spandex surprisingly spawns a live dove at the end of each routine.
Following their impressive performances for the men’s single skating at the 2002 Winter Olympics, both share the podium as co-gold medalists. The proud rivals get into a fight, with neither giving way to share the spotlight. All hell breaks loose as they start throwing fists at each other, eventually knocking down a torch that sets the competition’s mascot on fire. As a result, both are penalized with a lifetime ban.
The unlikely duo finds a loophole to still compete in the Olympics by setting their differences aside and competing as teammates in the sports’ partner-skating category. Its arguably ridiculous premise is backed by a powerhouse supporting cast with Amy Poehler and Will Arnett as the dodgy brother-sister tandem that stands in the way of the protagonists’ comeback in the sport.
Watching Blades of Glory almost two decades since its release surprisingly holds up. What was initially an absurd premise contained within the vortex of 2000s comedies now posts questions on inclusion and the discussion for same-sex pair in the skating world. (Kind of?)
4. Coach Carter (2005)
“Richwhat? Richmond!” is what you’re going to cheer right after seeing this sports drama based on the true story of Richmond High School Basketball coach, Ken Carter starring Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction, 1994 and Django Unchained, 2012).
Jackson’s portrayal of the titular role sees him offered the basketball coaching job at his high school alma mater, the Richmond Oilers in Northern California. Although he reluctantly agrees at first, he realizes the opportunity to take a team of diamond-in-the-rough individuals with a straight-laced approach—asking them to sign a contract to honor a strong academic standing in school and strict adherence to his code of conduct.
Basketball and non-basketball fans alike would appreciate the motivational nature of the film’s message of how there’s more to an individual’s potential beyond the game of basketball. When guided, the younger generation will not feel the need to shape their lives by a predetermined mold that those before them have followed.
The real-life Ken Carter became well-known during his stint as the head coach for the Richmond Oilers from 1997-2002 with all of his student-athletes graduating in all those years. In recognition of his contributions to advocating a well-rounded life for athletes, Carter went on to become the carrier of the torch for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, Utah.
5. The Redeem Team (2022)
With three minutes left on the clock, the USA Basketball Men’s Olympic team, the powerhouse of the basketball world, was in a close game against Spain for the gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
The Spanish team led by the formidable duo and brothers Pau and Marc Gasol is roaring back with an amazing run late in the fourth quarter. With the crowd in a frenzy, the Spaniards’ bench was on their feet feeding off the momentum of their team’s surge.
It was the late Laker legend, Kobe Bryant who took the team on his shoulders in executing his trademark assassin-like Mamba mentality to clinch any basketball game in his terms. Off the rebound, Team USA sprinted down the court as play-by-play commentator Mike Breen delivered one of his iconic callouts: “To Wade, on the penetration—kicks it back out to Bryant. Bryant puts up the three—it’s GOOD! Kobe Bryant from downtown and a foul!”
The documentary The Redeem Team takes viewers on the gripping journey of the USA Men’s Basketball team as they strive for redemption at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. It explores the trials and the sacrifices made by the players and the coaching staff to reclaim the United States’ dominance in the sport, featuring behind-the-scenes interviews from Kobe Bryant, Dwayne Wade, and LeBron James, among others.
The Redeem Team is a play on the 1992 US Olympic “Dream Team” after the disappointing bronze medal finishes by the US teams at the 2002 FIBA World Championships and 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
Director Jon Weinbach, who also worked on the feature-length documentary The Last Dance (2020), depicts a story that also touches on the personal arcs of players both past and present. Doug Collins, for example, was a member of the 1972 USA Team in Munich that suffered a controversial loss against the former Soviet Union team. To this day, the result of that game is disputed because of how the last three seconds of the game were repeated three times, eventually resulting in a game-winning layup for the Russian Aleksander Belov to clinch the gold medal in the Soviets’ favor.
6. Miracle (2004)
Miracles are often subjective with an air of the supernatural, which seemingly breaks the laws of science altogether. This Miracle is anything but a manifestation of a greater power, but rather the result of good old-fashioned hard work and perseverance that led to one of the most outstanding achievements in American sports history.
Unlike the other sports movies on this list where the central characters of the story are the players, Miracle focuses on a true story of American ice hockey coach Herbert Paul “Herb” Brooks. The film chronicles his attempt to dislodge the mighty national ice hockey team of the Soviet Union who are the defending four-time gold medalist entering the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, New York.
Brooks, played by Kurt Russell, is portrayed with depth, showcasing his complexities as a person and his philosophies as a coach. His unorthodox teaching methods, such as handing out psychological exams to his players, are front and center. Right from the opening faceoff, Brooks’ team faced insurmountable odds.
Here’s how good the Soviets were: during the 1979 NHL All-Star Game, they were invited to a three-game series called the Challenge Cup. The Soviets decimated the NHL stars 6-0 in the deciding game.
Without spoiling the story beats, The Great One, Canadian ice hockey legend Wayne Gretzky recalls what took place during the Miracle On Ice in his book 99 Stories of the Game (2015): “In the United States, the goal was to build a team that, while not having much chance of winning, would at least not embarrass the country. Herb Brooks was hired as coach. If there was one guy in the program who wasn’t playing to avoid embarrassment, it was Brooks.”
Honorable mentions
7. I, Tonya (2017)
You may know Tonya Harding as the first-ever female figure skater to land a triple axel in a competition. This movie is a dark, comedic biopic that explores the life of figure skater Harding and the infamous 1994 attack on her rival, Nancy Kerrigan. The film delves into the complexities of Harding’s life, showcasing Margot Robbie’s (Barbie 2023, The Suicide Squad 2021) stellar performance.
8. I Am Bolt (2016)
Although Usain Bolt wasn’t the first to run the 100-meter dash in under 10 seconds (American Jim Hines clocked in at 9.9 seconds in 1968), the journey of the world’s fastest man from his humble beginnings in Jamaica is the subject of this compelling documentary.
Everybody knows his name. As of this writing, the fastest man that ever lived currently holds the world records in the 100m, 200m and 4x100m with times of 9.58, 19.19, and 36.84 seconds, respectively.
Albeit subjective, this list shows the diverse impacts of sports triumph and how it permanently affects the collective psyche of people all over the world. There are many more movies out there that capture stories of people overcoming the odds in their pursuit of excellence. What’s your favorite sports movie?