Touchdown Travel: Best football movies

Article by: Robert Reid, September 2007

BEST FOOTBALL MOVIES

For many Americans, there are two types of movies: movies and football movies. Football fans only watch the former when the latter are unavailable (and they often are). Some, um, aren't as special are others, but these five are great:

THE LONGEST YARD (1974), with Burt Reynolds. Playing a drunken quarterback, Burt – who played real ball at Florida State in the late '60s – is arrested and stars in a game he's supposed to lose to the prison guards. The football action you see is all real hits, with Burt getting smashed by retired NFL greats who have roles on both teams.

RUDY (1993), with Sean Astin. That's right, before Sam helped Frodo in Lord of the Rings, he was here, in South Bend, trying – with his wee build – to play a little for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish. Based on a true story. Grown men weep openly at this.

BRIAN'S SONG (1971), with James Caan. Another true-story tear-jerker for barrel-chested guys. This one recounts a Chicago Bear's fight against cancer.

NORTH DALLAS FORTY (1979), with Nick Nolte. Written by a former Dallas Cowboy, it uncovers the ugly drug-taking, womanizing, no-mercy side of the locker rooms, with aging vets trying to keep up with rookie new-bloods.

FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS (2004), with Billy Bob Thornton. Based on the brilliant book of the same name, this film recounts an intense high-school season in a place where pigskin is closer to Jesus than politics in importance: Texas. It's based on a real team, and led to an excellent TV series (all the first season's episodes can be watched online at NBC).