The Top 18 Football Films to Extend the Season | Vanity Fair

The Super Bowl is essentially a national holiday that often draws more eyes than any other event, and next Sunday’s Super Bowl LIX—between the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs—will be no exception. But the one bad thing about the big game is that it’s also the last game of the season, with a long seven-month wait until the NFL begins again.

Thankfully, there’s a wide array of classic football films out there to pass the offseason with. Want some inspiring true stories? Look no further than Remember the Titans and Rudy. Prefer wild action? Any Given Sunday and North Dallas Forty have plenty of it. Are you a sucker for movie stars delivering motivational speeches that will have you ready to suit up yourself? Gene Hackman, Denzel Washington, Al Pacino, Dwayne Johnson, and Tom Cruise have you covered.

So once the Super Bowl is over, throw on these all-time great football movies and kick off an undefeated marathon.

Director: Buzz Kulik
Genre: Drama
Notable cast: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden
MPA rating: G
Rotten Tomatoes: 85%
Metacritic: 62

Are you looking for a good cry? Brian’s Song is the right play call. The 1971 ABC Movie of the Week shares the true story of the unlikely and heartwarming friendship between Chicago Bears teammates Brian Piccolo and Gale Sayers. Future legendary actors James Caan and Billy Dee Williams star as the duo who became the first interracial roommates in NFL history. The film documents the evolution of their relationship, which ended in 1970, when Piccolo died of cancer at only 26 years old. Sports movies are famous for their rousing speeches from coaches looking to rally their teams, but Brian’s Song and Williams deliver an all-timer when Sayers accepts an award and professes his love for Piccolo. We promise, you’ll love it too.

Director: Robert Aldrich
Genre: Dramedy
Notable cast: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Mike Conrad
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 76%
Metacritic: 61

No offense to Adam Sandler’s 2005 remake, but if you’re going to watch one version of The Longest Yard, it should definitely be the original Oscar-nominated film. The 1974 prison dramedy stars Burt Reynolds—a former college standout himself—as Paul “Wrecking” Crewe, a convict who was a star NFL quarterback before being kicked out of the league for point-shaving. When Crewe lands at Citrus State Prison, home to a semi-pro team consisting of the guards, the warden pressures Crewe into putting together his own squad of inmates for a not-so-friendly matchup.

Director: Warren Beatty and Buck Henry
Genre: Dramedy
Notable cast: Warren Beatty, Buck Henry, Julie Christie, Charles Grodin, Dyan Cannon, Jack Warden
MPA rating: PG
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 72

Warren Beatty was the ultimate do-it-all player on the 1978 sports dramedy Heaven Can Wait. Serving as producer, codirector (with Buck Henry), and cowriter (with Elaine May), Beatty also starred as Los Angeles Rams quarterback Joe Pendleton—who, just ahead of the Super Bowl, is mistakenly taken to heaven by a rookie guardian angel (Henry). Upon realizing that Joe wasn’t supposed to die yet, he’s returned to Earth—but in a new body, belonging to a recently murdered millionaire. Under his new identity, Joe buys the Rams and decides that he’s the perfect person to lead the team to victory in the Super Bowl. Heaven Can Wait scored nine Oscar nominations, including four for Beatty (best picture, director, actor, and screenplay).

Director: Ted Kotcheff
Genre: Dramedy
Notable cast: Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, Charles Durning, G.D. Spradlin, Dabney Coleman
MPA rating: R
Rotten Tomatoes: 86%
Metacritic: 80

Based on the novel from former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Peter Gent, North Dallas Forty goes inside the depraved world of professional football in the 1970s. The 1979 film from First Blood director Ted Kotcheff stars Nick Nolte as Phil Elliott, an aging receiver for the North Dallas Bulls who has begun relying on painkillers—not to mention his debaucherous off-the-field activities. Facing the wrath of his coach and the organization, Elliott’s love for the game is put to the test.

Director: Robert Mandel
Genre: Drama
Notable cast: Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Chris O’Donnell, Cole Hauser, Ben Affleck
MPA rating: PG-13
Rotten Tomatoes: 61%
Metacritic: 65

Good Will Hunting might get all the hype, but 1992’s School Ties was actually the first onscreen pairing of BFFs Matt Damon and Ben Affleck (after appearing as extras in Field of Dreams). Given Damon and Affleck’s presence, it’s no surprise that the Dick Wolf–scripted film takes place in Massachusetts. The story follows Brendan Fraser’s David Greene, a talented football player and young Jewish man who, in 1955, begins attending a distinguished prep school. Immediately recognizing the troublesome culture amongst his new friend group (including Damon, Affleck, Cole Hauser, and Chris O’Donnell), David chooses to hide his background before his secret is revealed, drawing the ire of his classmates.

Director: David AnspaughGenre: DramaNotable cast: Sean Astin, Charles S. Dutton, Ned Beatty, Jon FavreauMPA rating: PGRotten Tomatoes: 78%Metacritic: 71

After collaborating to make one of the best basketball movies ever, Hoosiers writer Angelo Pizzo and director David Anspaugh reunited to tell the story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger. The 1993 biographical sports drama follows Rudy (Sean Astin) as he works to defy the odds and fulfill his dream of playing football at Notre Dame. Working his way up from stadium groundskeeper, Rudy eventually makes the team as a walk-on. He doesn’t get to officially suit up until his last career game—recording a sack on the final play and being carried off the field by his teammates. While many of the film’s specifics have been called into question by the actual Rudy’s former coaches and teammates, Rudy remains a seminal football movie that has inspired generations.

Director: Duwayne DurhamGenre: ComedyNotable cast: Rick Moranis, Ed O’Neill, Shawna Waldron, Devon Sawa, John MaddenMPA rating: PGRotten Tomatoes: 50%

Kids deserve their own football movies too! The 1994 family comedy Little Giants finds Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neill facing off as brothers and rival pee-wee football coaches. Danny O’Shea (Moranis) has always lived in the shadow of his brother, Kevin, a former Heisman Trophy winner. But things get personal when Kevin cuts Danny’s talented young daughter, Becky (Shawna Waldron)—a.k.a. Icebox—from his team just because she’s a girl. Danny decides to start his own team, the Little Giants, made up of Kevin’s castoffs, eventually setting up a showdown to see which squad gets to represent the town.

Director: Cameron CroweGenre: Romance, comedyNotable cast: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Regina King, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan LipnickiMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 85%Metacritic: 77

No football movie list would be complete without Jerry Maguire. Cameron Crowe wrote and directed the 1996 film starring Tom Cruise as a powerful sports agent who is forced out of his firm following an epiphany that the business should be focusing less on money and more on personal relationships. He puts this new mission statement to the test when he goes out on his own, armed only with his assistant turned girlfriend, Dorothy (Renée Zellweger), and his last remaining client, disgruntled wide receiver Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.) who just wants to be shown the money. Jerry Maguire earned five Oscar nominations, including an exuberant best-supporting-actor win for Gooding.

Director: Frank CoraciGenre: ComedyNotable cast: Adam Sandler, Kathy Bates, Henry WInkler, Fairuza Balk, Rob SchneiderMPA rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 34%Metacritic: 41

You can’t make a sports movie list without Adam Sandler. The Sandman has constantly worked athletics into his films, whether it be basketball, hockey, or golf. And while he returned to football with his 2005 remake of The Longest Yard, it was 1998’s The Waterboy that truly quenched our thirst for a hilarious pigskin comedy. Hailing from Sandler’s frequent collaborators, cowriter Tim Herlihy and director Frank Coraci, The Waterboy stars the actor as one of his most famous creations: the slow-witted, awkward, mama-loving Bobby Boucher. When Bobby lands a new gig as the waterboy for the worst team in college football, its sad-sack head coach (Henry Winkler) realizes the 31-year-old’s talents might include more than just keeping the squad hydrated.

Director: Brian RobbinsGenre: DramedyNotable cast: James Van Der Beek, Paul Walker, Ali Larter, Scott Caan, Jon VoightMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 45%Metacritic: 50

Just as James Van Der Beek was beginning his run as aspiring filmmaker Dawson Leery on Dawson’s Creek, he tapped into a very different high school culture in Varsity Blues. Set in a small Texas town where football is king, the 1999 dramedy focuses on Van Der Beek’s Jonathan “Mox” Moxon, the backup quarterback for the local high school, who is counting the days until he can flee his home and enroll at Brown. But he’s suddenly thrust into the spotlight when the Coyotes’ star quarterback Lance Harbor (Paul Walker) is taken down by an injury. Mox must navigate pressure, newfound admirers (think Ali Larter and whipped cream), and a draconian head coach (Jon Voight).

Director: Oliver StoneGenre: DramaNotable cast: Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz, Dennis Quaid, James Wood, LL Cool J, Jim Brown, Lawrence TaylorMPA rating: RRotten Tomatoes: 52%Metacritic: 52

There was no world in which Wall Street and JFK filmmaker Oliver Stone made a traditional football film, and 1999’s Any Given Sunday is so controversial that the NFL reportedly wanted nothing to do with it. Co-written by Stone and Gladiator writer John Logan, Any Given Sunday treats its players like gladiators and showcases the hard hits, drugs, and sex in which they indulge. Al Pacino stars as Tony D’Amato, veteran coach of the Miami Sharks, whose toughest opponents might be his new owner (Cameron Diaz) and new quarterback (Jamie Foxx). The loaded cast also features Dennis Quaid, James Woods, Aaron Eckhart, LL Cool J, Ann-Margaret, and Hall of Fame players Jim Brown and Lawrence Taylor.

Director: Howard DeutchGenre: ComedyNotable cast: Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Jon Favreau, Rhys Ifans, Orlando Jones, Brooke LangtonMPA rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 41%Metacritic: 30

If there is a sports movie hall of fame, then Keanu Reeves surely belongs in it. Primarily known for his action exploits, the John Wick star has memorably played an athlete or coach many times, including in Youngblood, Hardball, and Point Break. But with The Replacements, Reeves may have become the most beloved sports movie quarterback of all time. The 2000 comedy begins with the players in a fictional professional football league going on strike in the middle of the season, prompting the owners to recruit replacement players—including Reeves’s Shane Falco, a legendary college QB whose career fell apart following a disastrous loss in his last amateur game. Pulled off of his tiny houseboat by new Washington Sentinels coach Jimmy McGinty (Gene Hackman), Falco leads an improbable run for the ragtag team that features a mini-mart stock boy, a sumo wrestler, a prisoner, and bodyguards for a famous rapper.

Director: Boaz YakinGenre: DramaNotable cast: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Hayden Panettiere, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst, Donald Faison, Ryan GoslinMPA rating: PGRotten Tomatoes: 71%Metacritic: 48

Denzel Washington got into the game with 2000’s Remember the Titans, based on the true story of Coach Herman Boone (Washington) and his mission in 1971 to integrate the T.C. Williams High School football team. Boone originally arrives to a primarily white squad, only to team up with former head coach Bill Yoast (Will Patton) to battle through adversity and politics and rally together a diverse team and community. Among the standout performers are future TV stars Wood Harris (The Wire), Ryan Hurst (Sons of Anarchy), Donald Faison (Scrubs), and Hayden Panettiere (Heroes), as well as a young Ryan Gosling. You’ll forever remember the night that you watched Remember the Titans.

Director: Peter BergGenre: DramaNotable cast: Billy Bob Thornton, Lucas Black, Derek Luke, Garrett Hedlund, Jay HernandezMPA rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 82%Metacritic: 70

With the Friday Night Lights series starring Kyle Chandler and Connie Britton becoming one of the most celebrated dramas of the 2000s, the film that preceded it is often overlooked—which should be cause for a 15-yard penalty. Based on H.G. Bissinger’s 1990 nonfiction book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, Peter Berg’s 2004 adaptation is an underrated gem that sets the stage for the TV show (also developed by Berg). While the series creates a fictional school and coach, the film follows the true story from the book of the 1988 Permian High Panthers and Coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thornton). Thornton delivers one of the most soulful performances of his career, but it’s the young cast of Lucas Black, Jay Hernandez, Garrett Hedlund, and Derek Luke who really run away with the film. Fun fact: Before starring as Coach Taylor’s wife Tami on the FNL series, Britton starred as Coach Gaines’s wife, Sharon.

Director: Phil JoanouGenre: DramaNotable cast: Dwayne Johnson, Xzibit, Kevin Dunn, Leon RippyMPA rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 44%Metacritic: 52

Before he became the face of professional wrestling, Dwayne Johnson played college football at the University of Miami, winning a national championship in 1991. Fifteen years later, Johnson returned to the field with the 2006 crowd-pleasing film Gridiron Gang. Johnson leads the way as Sean Porter, who works at a juvenile detention center in Los Angeles. Looking to help those troubled teens stay away from gangs and dealing drugs, Porter creates a football team for them—even the ones who are resistant to the idea.

Director: Ivan ReitmanGenre: DramaNotable cast: Kevin Costner, Jennifer Garner, Frank Langella, Denis Leary, Ellen Burstyn, Chadwick BosemanMPA rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 60%Metacritic: 54

After a career of iconic comedies like Stripes and Ghostbusters, legendary director Ivan Reitman’s final film went inside what many consider the biggest day of the NFL season: draft day. The 2014 football drama focuses on Sonny Weaver Jr. (Kevin Costner), the general manager of the Cleveland Browns, who is determined to use the upcoming draft to turn around his team. Still reeling from the death of his father and the news that he’s about to have a child himself, Sonny goes rogue and pulls off a series of wild trades that could get him fired—or save the franchise. Costner is the big winner in Draft Day, but Jennifer Garner, Dennis Leary, Frank Langella, Ellen Burstyn, and the late Chadwick Boseman all score some points as well.

Director: Peter LandesmanGenre: DramaNotable cast: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Paul Reiser, Luke WilsonMPA rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 58%Metacritic: 55

Will Smith earned a Golden Globe nomination for his powerful turn in 2015’s Concussion, which aimed to highlight the risks associated with playing football. Based on the true story, Smith stars as Bennet Omalu, a forensic pathologist who, after conducting the autopsy of a former NFL star, begins investigating the long-term effects of repeated blows to the head, becoming the first medical professional to report on CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Concussion finds Omalu struggling to convince the old-school football community to recognize that deadly condition. Starring alongside Smith are Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Paul Reiser, Luke Wilson, and Albert Brooks.

Director: Kyle MarvinGenre: ComedyNotable cast: Lily Tomlin, Jane Fonda, Sally Field, Rita Moreno, Tom BradyMPA rating: PG-13Rotten Tomatoes: 58%Metacritic: 52

Football is for fans of all ages, as demonstrated by the incredibly charming 2023 comedy 80 for Brady. Inspired by a true story, the film follows four lifelong friends who worship at the altar of New England Patriots legend Tom Brady. No, this isn’t a bunch of Ben Affleck types: These fans just happen to be played by the iconic quartet of Rita Moreno, Lily Tomlin, Sally Field, and Jane Fonda. Once Brady and the Patriots advance to the 2017 Super Bowl, the ladies decide that this might be their last chance to support their hero and embark on a hijinks-filled mission to attend the big game. The super eclectic cast also features Billy Porter, Harry Hamlin, Guy Fieri, Rob Gronkowski, Marshawn Lynch, and Brady himself.

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