Who doesn’t like a good inspirational story? People simply love seeing underdog stories: players past their prime getting one more chance, a team rookies beating more experienced squad, and losers with no prospect winning the championship. While some of these stories may seem corny at first, when done right, they can be breath-taking.
For Americans, is there a better vehicle for delivering a hit of “feel good” hormones than a classic football story? The fans of the sport have probably seen some of the movies on our today’s list, however, they probably haven’t seen all of them. Let’s look at some of the best football movies that are available on Netflix in 2024.
1. Concussion
In this movie, Will Smith’s character plays a man who discovers the true impact of all those concussions players receive over the course of their careers. Smith’s Dr. Omalu tries to show the club owners and coaches just how frequent concussions can impact your physical and mental health. The movie sheds light on the struggle hundreds of players faced after their career was done.
2. Friday Night Lights
Most people know about the cult TV series, however, some are not aware that Friday Night Lights was actually based on a 2004 movie of the same name. The movie follows Billy Bob Thornton as he tries to coach a small town, high school team in Texas. The movies shows us just how devastating losing a star player can be and how much work the other players have to put in to make up for it.
3. Happy Valley
If you want something more realistic than a standard Hollywood underdog story, we recommend you check out this award-winning documentary. Happy Valley examines some of the worst aspects of American college football. The movie is centered around the infamous case, in which a football coach was convicted of 45 counts of sexual abuse.
4. Invincible
This Mark Wahlberg movie is based on a true story of Vince Papale, who after losing his job and hitting rock-bottom finds himself playing for the Eagles. We see his struggles to connect with his teammates and win over their affection. While Wahlberg is good as usual, Greg Kinnear steals the show in the role of the Eagles’ assistant coach.
5. Remember the Titans
Even though many of you have probably seen this movie, we simply had to put it on the list. Story follows Herman Boone, an African-American coach who tries to integrate the Williams High football team in the early 1970s. Denzel Washington plays Boone brilliantly and the movie’s message is relevant to this very day.
6. Undefeated
The second documentary on our list looks at one of the most interesting high school football teams in the history of America. Before 2009, the Memphis team had been playing for more than a century, however, during that period, they never won a single playoff game. Undefeated follows three player and their volunteer coach and examines what the game means to them and their future.
