Mr. Movie: Other sports, Part 3

People sometimes ask me: “Where do you get your ideas?” Well, recently my source was my editor, Ray Criscoe. After my articles about sports other than baseball, he emailed me a whole fistful of movies I had not included. He was right! So here, thanks to Ray, is another bunch of really good sports films.

Million Dollar Baby (2004) is so good it won four Oscars: Best Movie, Best Director (Clint Eastwood), Best Actress (Hillary Swank) and Best Supporting Actor (Morgan Freeman). Eastwood portrays Frankie Dunn, a somewhat cranky and certainly older trainer of boxers, who swore he’d never train a girl. Hillary Swank is Maggie Fitzgerald, maybe a little old for the fight game, but determined to make it. Freeman is Scrap Iron Dupris, Frankie’s corner man and assistant. Swank put on 19 pounds of muscle preparing for this role. Maggie makes it into the professional ranks. She is terribly damaged in a bout. The ending sparked controversy. You’ll have to watch it. I’m not telling.
 

The Replacements (2000) are a ragtag bunch of former football players who get a second chance when the regular players go on strike. Keanu Reaves plays Falco, a beat up quarterback who lives on a houseboat. Gene Hackman is Jimmy McGinty, the grizzled coach of the replacements. Head cheerleader Annabelle Farrell has to replace the original cheerleaders who are striking in sympathy with the players. She hires strippers. The season is played out with many a laugh. The replacements surprise everyone by playing well.
 

Tin Cup (1996) stars Kevin Costner as Roy “Tin Cup” McAvoy, a failed pro golfer who owns a ragged driving range. Don Johnson plays David Simms, a top pro golfer who thinks a lot of himself. Rene Russo is Dr. Molly Griswold a psychologist who comes to Roy’s course looking for golf lessons. She has been dating Simms. She and Roy are attracted to each other and a rivalry is born. Roy has always lost by taking risky shots. He qualifies for the US Open and has a chance to win with a nearly impossible shot.
 

Creed  (2015) , as Ray said in his email, is a lot better than you thought it would be. It is, after all, yet another Rocky offspring. And Sylvester Stallone shows up in this one as a trainer. Michael B. Jordan is Adonis Creed, illegitimate son of the late, great Apollo Creed who fought Rocky years ago. Stallone was nominated for an Oscar but lost to Mark Rylance for Bridge of Spies.

Bend It Like Beckham (2002) is really more about a Sikh family dealing with ancient prejudices and a daughter wanting to break out as a soccer player. The title comes from star David Beckham’s ability to curve the ball into the goal. There’s lots of interplay with the girls an the team and their friends. The daughter turns out to be a superb player, and is offered a scholarship in the US. This is a charmer!
 

Ray also recommended Victory (2024). Alas, I cannot.
 

All of the films in this article are available to stream. All but the last two are for adults.