MOVIES | SPORTS | LISTS

20 Best Sports Movies of All Time (According to Rotten Tomatoes)

Here is another controversial list from Rotten Tomatoes

cactus cowboy, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

A popular online movie review site, Rotten Tomatoes rates movies based on a Rotten Tomatoes’ score called a Tomatometer.

They became particularly known for their Razzies. A “razzy” is a nickname for the Golden Raspberry Awards given to the worst acting performances and films of the year.

I should preface this article with saying that it is probably going to frustrate many of you who care about sports movies.

I published a similar article about Rotten Tomatoes’ opinion about the top Westerns of all time and it was clear that they missed the mark with many of you.

Top 10 Westerns of All Time (According to Rotten Tomatoes)

On their site, they have a list of the 150 Best Sports Movies of All Time. They claim to update it periodically and base their rankings on their own formula which considers the movie score on their Adjusted Tomatometer, fan reviews, and the context and time in which the movie was released.

They do not put anything anything on their list that their Tomatometer rates as rotten, even if it is a fan favorite in reviews. They also only rate big screen releases. In other words, no television movies are on their list.

Again, I will warn you in advance, there are some noticeable exclusions from the top 10 and many of the rankings are certainly suspect. I actually listed the top 20 instead of the top 10 just to get to a few of the movies that I think should have been in the top 10.

Here are the first 20 movies on Rotten Tomatoes’ list of 150 Best Sports Movies. I specifically included their rationale from their website (they call it the Critics Consensus) so we could get a glimpse into their ranking criteria.

20. When We Were Kings (1996)

This is a documentary about the 1974 “Rumble in the Jungle,” heavyweight championship boxing match between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “An engrossing documentary that’s as much about a time and a place as it is about a fight.”

19. Changing the Game (2019)

Changing the Game is another sports documentary on the list. It follows three transgender high school athletes as they navigate the challenges in both their personal lives and their sports they play.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Urgent and empathetic, Changing the Game takes an affecting and admirably nuanced look at young transgender athletes.”

18. The Fighter (2010)

This sports drama based on a true story stars Mark Wahlberg and Christian Bale.

Wahlberg plays professional boxer “Irish” Micky Ward trained by his troubled half-brother and former boxer Dicky Eklund played by Bale.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “The Fighter is a solidly entertaining, albeit predictable, entry in the boxing drama genre.”

17. Horse Feathers (1932)

Goucho Marx plays the new president of Huxley University who is pressured by his son played by fellow Marx Brother Zeppo to improve the school’s football team. They attempt to recruit a couple of profession athletes but they get the wrong guys.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Horse Feathers finds the Marx Brothers in fine madcap form, taking aim at an array of timely targets while serving up classic set pieces.”

16. Win Win (2011)

Mike Flaherty played by Paul Giamatti is the court-appointed attorney of an old man afflicted with dementia. Mike thinks he has an easy gig controlling the old man’s monthly stipend until the man’s grandson shows up.

This is a sports movie because Mike is also a volunteer wrestling coach. When he discovers the man’s grandson is a championship wrestler, things get interesting.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Rich, wonderful characters and strong performances populate Win Win, with writer/director Thomas McCarthy continuing to emerge as a great American humanist.”

15. The Endless Summer (1966)

Another documentary on this list, The Endless Summer follows surfers Michael Hynson and Robert Augustis from their California home to some of the best surfing beaches in the world including Hawaii, Australia, and South Africa.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: For some reason, Rotten Tomatoes offered no rationale for this pick.

14. Hoop Dreams (1994)

Hoop Dreams is a sports documentary about two high school basketball players who want to make it to the NBA.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “One of the most critically acclaimed documentaries of all time, Hoop Dreams is a rich, complex, heartbreaking, and ultimately deeply rewarding film that uses high school hoops as a jumping-off point to explore issues of race, class, and education in modern America.”

13. Rocky (1976)

Sylvester Stallone not only starred in this career-making movie, he also wrote the screenplay. He plays Rocky Balboa, an up-and-coming boxer from Philadelphia with aspirations to be the heavyweight champion.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “This story of a down-on-his-luck boxer is thoroughly predictable, but Sylvester Stallone’s script and stunning performance in the title role brush aside complaints.”

12. Murderball (2005)

Yet another sports documentary on the list, this follows a group of paraplegic athletes who play rugby.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “An entertaining and gripping documentary that shows being confined to a wheelchair doesn’t mean the fun has to end.”

11. Bull Durham (1988)

Bull Durham has a great cast including Kevin Costner, Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins. This classic baseball movie centers around a minor league team and the major league ambitions of its players.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Kevin Costner is at his funniest and most charismatic in Bull Durham, a film that’s as wise about relationships as it is about minor league baseball.”

10. Maiden (2018)

Maiden is a British documentary about Tracy Edwards, a 24-year-old charter boat cook who became the captain of the first all-female crew to enter the Whitbread Round the World.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Enthralling viewing even for audiences with little to no knowledge of or interest in sailing, Maiden pays powerful tribute to a true pioneer.”

9. Moneyball (2011)

Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane played by Brad Pitt puts together a successful baseball team on a limited budget. Brad Pitt is joined by a great cast of actors in this movie including Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Robin Wright.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Director Bennett Miller, along with Brad Pitt and Jonah Hill, take a niche subject and turn it into a sharp, funny, and touching portrait worthy of baseball lore.”

8. Free Solo (2018)

Your heart will be in your throat and you will hold your breath as Alex Honnold somehow does what would seem impossible to stomach for the average person, a climb up the 3,000-foot vertical face of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park without the aid of ropes.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Free Solo depicts athletic feats that many viewers will find beyond reason — and grounds the attempts in passions that are all but universal.”

7. Fighting With My Family (2019)

Wrestling is a family affair for Paige and her brother Zak. Together, they get the opportunity to try out for the WWE.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Much like the sport it celebrates, Fighting with My Family muscles past clichés with a potent blend of energy and committed acting that should leave audiences cheering.”

6. National Velvet (1944)

Elizabeth Taylor and Mickey Rooney star in this horse-racing drama about a young girl and a former jockey prepare a rambunctious horse for competition.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “National Velvet makes the most of a breakout performance from Elizabeth Taylor, delivering a timeless family-friendly tearjerker that avoids straying into the sentimental.”

5. The Wrestler (2008)

Mickey Rourke plays aging pro-wrestler Randy “The Ram” Robinson who is trying to make a comeback while navigating relationships with a stripper and an estranged daughter.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Mickey Rourke gives a performance for the ages in The Wrestler, a richly affecting, heart-wrenching yet ultimately rewarding drama.”

4. Raging Bull (1980)

This Robert DeNiro movie tops lots of lists as one of the best sporting movies of all time. Raging Bull follows a middleweight boxer’s rise to a shot at the championship.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Arguably Martin Scorsese’s and Robert De Niro’s finest film, Raging Bull is often painful to watch, but it’s a searing, powerful work about an unsympathetic hero.”

3. Creed (2015)

Creed is a sequel of the Rocky series of movies. Michael B. Jordan plays Apollo Creed’s son who never got to know his father who died right before he was born.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Creed brings the Rocky franchise off the mat for a surprisingly effective seventh round that extends the boxer’s saga in interesting new directions while staying true to its classic predecessors’ roots.”

2. Ford v Ferrari (2019)

The only car-racing movie on their list, Ford v Ferrari stars Matt Damon, Christina Bale, and Jon Bernthal.

Carroll Shelby, an American automotive designer, and Ken Miles, a British race car driver, put together a revolutionary car for the Ford Motor Co. to compete against Enzo Ferrari at the Le Mans in France in 1966.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Ford v Ferrari delivers all the polished auto action audiences will expect — and balances it with enough gripping human drama to satisfy non-racing enthusiasts.”

1. I, Tonya (2017)

I was baffled by this choice, though for full disclosure, I haven’t seen the movie.

I am now intrigued enough to watch the movie about the rise and fall of Tonya Harding.

The Rotten Tomatoes’ rationale: “Led by strong work from Margot Robbie and Alison Janney, I, Tonya finds the humor in its real-life story without losing sight of its more tragic — and emotionally resonant — elements.”

[embed]

There certainly are some great movies on this list, and many titles that one often sees on lists of greatest sports movies of all times.

To me, many of the rankings seem quite a bit off.

Perhaps the biggest problem is how heavily Rotten Tomatoes relies on reader reviews. On the internet, everyone can express their opinion, and that is not always a good thing.

I think there are some obvious exclusions, but I want to hear from you.

What do you think?

How would you have ranked things differently? What would you have left out or included? Feel free to comment your opinion, I would love to hear it.

Here is the Rotten Tomatoes’ list of their top 150 and the website I used for the above quotes: Source

For some other lists by Curt about movies:

12 Unbeatable Sports Records

10 Best Movies to Lose at the Oscars

10 Best Movies from the 70s (According to Rolling Stone)

Top 10 Westerns of All Time (According to Rotten Tomatoes)

Top 10 Worst Dads in Movie History

10 Popular Gen X Movies That Now Seem Way Too Offensive