2024 saw a wide range of inspiring and intriguing sports movies. Many of these films gained heightened popularity on social media, such as Challengers, while others featured athlete-producers like LeBron James in Rez Ball. As 2024 comes to a close, let’s reflect on the top five movies with high audience ratings on Rotten Tomatoes, IMDb, and Letterboxd.
The Underdoggs
With mixed reviews, The Underdoggs lands at the bottom of the list. The film recounts the story of Jaycen Jennings (Snoop Dogg), an ex-professional football player who, after being involved in a car accident, is sentenced to community service. He begins coaching a children’s football team, viewing it as an opportunity to turn his life and career around.
Fans of the films praised it as a well-crafted modern story and an enjoyable light-hearted comedy. Critics on Rotten Tomatoes highlight Snoop Dogg’s charisma, placing some entertainment value on the film, though some also mention it’s a comedy not suited for everyone. While some viewers felt that obscene language was expected in a Snoop Dogg movie, many others felt that the frequent cursing, alcohol, and drug abuse from both the children and the adults in the film undermined the story and promoted inappropriate behaviour.
-
The Beautiful Game
Inspired by the Homeless World Cup — an international street football tournament played by people experiencing homelessness to give them a sense of community — The Beautiful Game follows the story of an English soccer team competing in the Cup after their manager, Mal (Bill Nighy), adds a new member, Vinny (Michael Ward), a talented striker. While most sports films focus on winners and their challenges in becoming champions, this film highlights promising athletes who didn’t reach the top but found success in another way. The Beautiful Game explores emotions and values in sports that are often overlooked: humility, empathy, and forgiveness.
Although the storyline was refreshing to most viewers, some noted that the writing didn’t do the film justice. The beginning felt rushed, there was minimal opportunity for character development, and some scenes failed to capture the emotional progression of certain parts of the story. The movie was almost beautiful.
-
Unstoppable
Unstoppable is the true story of Anthony Robles (Jharrel Jerome): a wrestler who, despite being born with one leg, defied norms by winning a national championship for Arizona State University. The film also delves into the wrestler’s familial and financial challenges, providing depth and showcasing Robles’ determination in the face of adversity.
Most audiences admired the incredible performances of Jharrel Jerome and Jennifer Lopez, who played Judy Robles, Anthony’s mother. Despite the inspiring story, some criticized the storyline as overly generic and predictable, resembling many other films about perseverance and overcoming challenges.
The runner-up on this list is Rez Ball: the story of an American Navajo basketball team that prevails despite the recent loss of their teammate, bringing together themes of perseverance, teamwork, and leadership. An essential and unique aspect of this film is the incorporation of US Navajo traditions and realities, along with its subtle yet powerful portrayal of women’s strength and abilities in sports.
The film boasts above-average cinematography, decent acting, and for most viewers, an empowering and authentic narrative tied to Diné bizaad — the language of the Navajo Nation, or Diné, meaning ‘the people’. The pacing and dialogue effectively highlight the progression of the characters’ emotions and the authenticity of their stories.
Though the film is not based on a true story, it is inspired by certain aspects of Navajo communities in the US. As some viewers have pointed out, this fact diminishes the story’s intrigue, making it feel highly predictable and similar to other underdog sports films. The storyline of a small-town or minority sports team facing internal challenges, such as violence, drugs, and the loss of a teammate, but managing to persevere through the season to become champions is a repeated plot in many other sports movies (e.g., McFarland, USA and The Miracle Season).
At the top of the list is Challengers, with the highest ratings of the list on Letterboxd and IMDb. This story blends romance and sport, using tennis as a metaphor within a love triangle. Tashi Duncan (Zendaya) is a former talented and famous tennis player who, after an injury ends her career, begins coaching her husband, Art Donaldson (Mike Faist). Their relationship intensifies when Art must face Tashi’s ex-boyfriend and his former best friend, Patrick Zweig (Josh O’Connor).
The film showcases incredible acting from the lead actors, and most audience reviews praised the storyline as captivating. Unfortunately, the frequent timeline changes were confusing at times, making it difficult to follow the story’s progression. Although I found Tashi’s obsession with tennis made her manipulative in her relationships, making them toxic and unappealing, the creativity of using tennis as a metaphor was unique and intriguing.
No comments to display.