14 basketball movies that will captivate not only sports fans

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

These incredible stories inspire and raise important topics.

1. Wolf cub

• USA, 1985.
• Comedy, fantasy.
• Duration: 91 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 1.

There are already a lot of troubles in the life of a teenager Scott Howard, but when a guy suddenly turns into a werewolf, the problems become even greater. However, the hero quickly realizes how to turn his unusual properties to his advantage.

Of course, in our time, this film, released in the wake of the success of Robert Zemeckis' cult trilogy "Back to the Future", is a little outdated. Still, it may well please and entertain those who lack the kindness and unpretentiousness in the spirit of the 80s. It is worth watching a movie for the sake of beautifully filmed basketball matches and charming Michael J. Fox.

Subsequently, "Teen Wolf" grew into a whole series of the same name, and the latter became even more famous than the original.

2. A team from Indiana

• Great Britain, USA, 1986.
• Sports drama.
• Duration: 114 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 5.

Former soldier Norman Dale, at the invitation of an old friend, comes to a small provincial town to coach a school basketball team. At first, his methods seem strange and ineffective to everyone, but suddenly the guys begin to win victory after victory.

One of the best sports tapes of the 80s is based on real facts and infects with excitement, and actors Gene Hackman and Dennis Hopper are extremely accurate and convincing in their roles. 15 years after its release, the picture was even included in the US National Film Register.

3. White people can't jump

• USA, 1992.
• Sports drama, comedy.
• Duration: 115 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 8.

Basketball sharper Billy Hoyle takes advantage of the fact that, because of his skin color, he is not seen as a worthy player and bets money on his loss, while he always wins. This continues until the hero meets a worthy rival Sidney Dean, with whom they start earning money together by making sports bets.

The cult film "White People Can't Jump" will appeal to both sports fans and those who do not understand anything about basketball. Not only did director Ron Shelton manage to harmoniously combine comedy and sports drama, but the performance of Wesley Snipes and the still young Woody Harrelson is simply magnificent. The physical form and sportsmanship of the actors can only be envied.

4. Above the ring

• USA, 1994.
• Sports drama.
• Duration: 96 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

An ambitious young basketball player, Kyle Lee Watson, faces a tough choice: wait for an athletic scholarship or buy into the easy money of the drug dealer Birdie, and thus connect himself with the underworld.

The iconic picture for the hip-hop movement will appeal to any basketball fan, as professional athlete Dwayne Martin shows the wonders of skill here. And fans of Tupac Shakur will be happy to see the musician in a very suitable role of a crime boss.

5. Gambling

• USA, 1994.
• Sports drama.
• Duration: 108 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 2.

Student basketball has ceased to be an amateur sport, as universities lure promising graduates to themselves, promising them all kinds of material benefits. Because of this, the Los Angeles Dolphins team constantly loses, because their honored coach Pete Bell flatly refuses to "buy" players. Only finally desperate, Pete decides to step over his principles in order to interest talented guys. As a result, a perfectly staffed team faces even more serious problems than before.

The athletes in the film are played by real NBA players, making the movie look incredibly realistic. It is so dynamic, spectacular, well staged and perfectly balanced that it can turn even sports haters into avid fans for a while.

6. Basketball Diary

• USA, 1995.
• Sports drama, crime, biographical.
• Duration: 102 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

A promising and ambitious young man from a Catholic college plays basketball, composes poetry and keeps a frank diary. But circumstances develop in such a way that the hero imperceptibly turns into a drug addict.

The film, based on the book of memoirs by writer Jim Carroll, can frighten and alienate many. After all, cinema raises a difficult topic. Nevertheless, the acting work of the young Leonardo DiCaprio, who coped with the difficult role perfectly, is admirable.

7. Space jam

• USA, 1996.
• Comedy, family, animation.
• Duration: 87 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 4.

Aliens invade Earth to kidnap Looney Tunes characters. But Bugs Bunny, Duffy Duck, Porky the piglet and others do not give up and challenge the usurpers to a basketball duel. Since there is almost no chance of winning, the cartoons invite superstar Michael Jordan to help.

The idea for the film was born out of an ad for a Michael Jordan & Bugs Bunny commercial sneaker, which was so successful that they decided to shoot a full length. Animation and special effects were invited to do the same people who worked on "Roger Rabbit". In the picture, even Bill Murray briefly appears in the scene of the last throw. So it is not surprising that the movie has earned crazy money at the box office around the world.

8. Sunset Park

• USA, 1996.
• Sports drama.
• Duration: 99 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 0.

To make some money, a middle-aged physical education teacher becomes the coach of a school basketball team. At first, she lets everything go by itself, but gradually she gets so carried away that she is imbued with sincere love for the players.

The main role was played by the colorful actress Rea Perlman, wife of Danny de Vito (he acted as the producer of the film). Her charisma slightly pushes basketball into the background, but still, the picture manages to perfectly combine the drama from the life of poor areas and the spectacular sports action.

9. His game

• USA, 1998.
• Sports drama.
• Duration: 136 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 9.

Jake is serving time for the murder of his wife, but one day he is offered an early release deal. The fact is that during this time, his son Jesus became a rising basketball star. Now the hero must persuade the young man to play for the desired university after school. The problem is that the son does not want to see his father.

The film by the talented director and screenwriter Spike Lee, starring NBA star Ray Allen, is a must-see. At least because of Denzel Washington's outstanding acting. In addition, the movie isn't just about basketball. It also brings up painful and difficult topics such as father-child relationships, repentance and forgiveness. And all this is crowned with a great soundtrack by hip-hop band Public Enemy.

10. Find Forrester

• USA, 2000.
• Independent drama.
• Duration: 131 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

Jamal Wallace, a talented teenager, is not only a good basketball player, he also writes brilliant stories. By chance they fall into the hands of Pulitzer Prize winner William Forrester.

The story of the friendship of a reclusive writer and a gifted schoolboy is a bit like another Gus Van Sant film, Good Will Hunting. There, the director has already expressed the idea that the guys from the street are capable of more than meets the eye. Sean Connery plays a rather unusual role here, and debutant Rob Brown later appeared in another famous basketball movie, Coach Carter.

11. Love and basketball

• USA, 2000.
• Sports melodrama.
• Duration: 124 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

Quincy and Monica have dreamed of a career as an NBA player since childhood. Over time, their friendship develops into something more than just a passion for sports. And now this relationship has to go through fire and water.

The director of the series "Cloak and Dagger" Gina Prince-Bytwood managed to create a rather unusual film that combines sensual melodrama and exciting sports action. This is a story about love for each other and for the game, life without which the heroes cannot imagine.

12. Coach Carter

• USA, Germany, 2005.
• Sports drama.
• Duration: 136 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 3.

The Richmond high school players don't think about the future until former basketball player Ken Carter takes over as coach. He does not give the guys a descent, but the team wins one match after another. Suddenly for everyone, Carter cancels training and sends his players to pull up the rest of the items, despite the protests and discontent of the guys themselves and the school administration.

The film is based on a real story that took place in 1999 in California. This incident has drawn attention to a serious social problem: if a player on the high school team does not make it to a college or NBA team, then he remains at a broken trough. American schools rarely care about the prospects of their students and hardly motivate them to do better so that they can get a decent education in the future.

13. Playing by someone else's rules

• USA, 2006.
• Sports drama.
• Duration: 118 minutes.
• IMDb: 7, 2.

1965 year. Don Haskins undertakes to coach the basketball team of the University of Texas, but there is simply no money to recruit new players. Then the hero takes a non-standard approach and invites black guys to the team, which was crazy for that time. But Don doesn't care about skin color, he values people for their talent and teamwork.

It's hard to believe now, but just half a century ago, it was believed that black people were not talented enough for basketball, because this game was created by whites for whites. At the same time, the picture itself is staged excellently and thanks to the outstanding camera work it will appeal not only to fans of sports, but also to the rest of the audience.

14. Moving up

• Russia, 2017.
• Sports drama.
• Duration: 133 minutes.
• IMDb: 6, 6.

Basketball teams of the USSR and the USA are preparing to confront each other at the Munich Olympics. The American team is considered invincible, but the coach of the Soviet national team sincerely believes in his players.

Due to the review of [BadComedian] - Upward Movement (Plagiarism or the Great Truth?) By Evgeny Bazhenov, “Upward Movement” was remembered by the audience as a film in which one spoonful of truth has a barrel of historical blunders and inaccuracies. The suspicious similarity of the script with the American film "Miracle" also played into the hands of the creators of the picture. Nevertheless, the result is a pretty good sports drama, in which historical inconsistencies are compensated for by an interesting plot and strong camera work.