Movie review: Glory Road
I saw this new film today, and I really enjoyed it. Of course, I love an underdog sports film! This is the story of the 1965 Texas Western basketball that beat Kentucky for the national championship - a Kentucky team that had Rupp as coach and an all-American player named Pat Riley. Coach Don Haskins put together a team of players unrecruited by other Division I teams - unrecruited because they were black. It's the great story of a team dismissed by the media and the general public, who overcame incredible odds and prejudice to triumph. Yes, a few happy tears at the end. And that Josh Lucas is definitely easy on the eyes! 8-)
It got me thinking about my favorite sports movies. Anything with a baseball theme, naturally. Major League (hey, the ballplayer falls for a librarian, after all). Bull Durham, of course. (I loved the interview with Jason Varitek last year,when he quoted verbatim Costner's discourse on love and baseball - hot!). And, I'd get crucified by most Sox fans when I list Fever Pitch - many thought it played into the worst stereotypes of Red Sox fans, but the scene of Ben's first visit to Fenway with his Uncle Carl always gets me.
I think my all-time favorite sports film, though, is Miracle, Disney's 2004 adaptation of the 1980 Gold Medal winning Olympic hockey team. The whole cast - from Kurt Russell as Coach Herb Brooks down to the individual players - was so well cast. And the story just lends itself to drama. I bawl every time I see it. I remember that victory over the Russians so well - I was actually AT a college hockey game that night, so you can imagine the reaction there. I don't think I felt such passion for a team again - until the 2004 Sox. What always strikes me about the movie is how they maintain the excitement about the climax. I mean, we all know how the story ends. Yet the writers and directors keep you on the edge of your seat. I've seen it several times, and every time I find myself thinking, "Will they win?" Now THAT'S a sports movie!
And I have to mention a couple of other films. Seabiscuit, Bend It Like Beckham, Remember the Titans. And the chick in me really dug Wimbledon - the tennis playing scenes were really well-crafted.
What's YOUR favorite?
It got me thinking about my favorite sports movies. Anything with a baseball theme, naturally. Major League (hey, the ballplayer falls for a librarian, after all). Bull Durham, of course. (I loved the interview with Jason Varitek last year,when he quoted verbatim Costner's discourse on love and baseball - hot!). And, I'd get crucified by most Sox fans when I list Fever Pitch - many thought it played into the worst stereotypes of Red Sox fans, but the scene of Ben's first visit to Fenway with his Uncle Carl always gets me.
I think my all-time favorite sports film, though, is Miracle, Disney's 2004 adaptation of the 1980 Gold Medal winning Olympic hockey team. The whole cast - from Kurt Russell as Coach Herb Brooks down to the individual players - was so well cast. And the story just lends itself to drama. I bawl every time I see it. I remember that victory over the Russians so well - I was actually AT a college hockey game that night, so you can imagine the reaction there. I don't think I felt such passion for a team again - until the 2004 Sox. What always strikes me about the movie is how they maintain the excitement about the climax. I mean, we all know how the story ends. Yet the writers and directors keep you on the edge of your seat. I've seen it several times, and every time I find myself thinking, "Will they win?" Now THAT'S a sports movie!
And I have to mention a couple of other films. Seabiscuit, Bend It Like Beckham, Remember the Titans. And the chick in me really dug Wimbledon - the tennis playing scenes were really well-crafted.
What's YOUR favorite?
posted by Beth at 7:35 PM
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