Only A Guy Can Name All Of These Sports Movies
- by Ben Sherlock
- – on
- in Movies and TV
The sports movie genre has been around for decades, ever since someone had the bright idea to create projects that appeal to both the huge fan base of movies and the huge fan base of sports. Two of the most popular forms of entertainment in the world were combined into one thing. Sports movies have made film history over the years: they've earned Sylvester Stallone three Oscar nominations.
There are all kinds of sports movies out there. There have been biopics of real world sports legends and tales of underdogs overcoming their disadvantages to win the big game. There have been movies about baseball and basketball and hockey and racing and soccer and football, and plenty about boxing. There have also been movies about more niche sports like ice skating and NASCAR that have gone on to become big box office successes.
Only a guy will be able to name all these sports movies. All the boxers who became champions against the odds and all the baseball coaches who gave their teams an motivational pep talk that inspired them to win the big game. So, think back to all those trips to the movies and give this quiz a try!
What is this Rocky spin-off?
This movie earned Sylvester Stallone a nomination for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor when he returned to the role of boxing underdog Rocky Balboa. In the movie, which is spun off from Rocky, Rocky trains Adonis, the son of his old rival turned mentor Apollo from the earlier movies. According to IMDb, this spin-off from the Rocky franchise was written and directed by Ryan Coogler, who would go on to make Black Panther after this movie. Coogler was not involved in the sequel, which was released in late 2019. What is the title of this spin-off from the Rocky franchise?
What is this film about baseball finances?
According to Wikipedia, this movie was based on a book by Michael Lewis that was subtitled The Art of Winning an Unfair Game. Many of Lewis' books about the world of finance have been adapted into movies. In 2015, one of his books was the basis of Adam McKay's The Big Short. This one, like The Big Short, stars Brad Pitt. It also stars Jonah Hill in his first dramatic role that also led to his first Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor. What is the title of this movie about how money gets spent in Major League Baseball?
Which baseball movie revolves around ghosts?
In this movie, Kevin Costner plays a man whose farm is not doing well. One day, he is told by a spiritual presence to build a baseball field in his backyard, so he starts working on that. Despite what everyone else is telling him about spending his dwindling money on a baseball field for ghosts to play in, he sticks by his instincts, because he keeps being told that if he builds the field, they will come. Ray Liotta and James Earl Jones also appear in the movie's supporting cast. What is the name of this baseball movie that revolves around ghosts?
What is this Formula One racing movie about James Hunt and Niki Lauda?
This movie shares its name with a rock band made up of Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart and it was directed by Ron Howard, who also directed this year's Solo: A Star Wars Story. The movie is about the real life Formula One drivers James Hunt and Niki Lauda, who had an intense rivalry in the 1970s. Chris Hemsworth plays James Hunt, while Daniel Bruhl plays Niki Lauda (both actors have appeared in the Marvel Cinematic Universe). What is the title of this true life Formula One racing movie about the rivalry between James Hunt and Niki Lauda?
What is this golf comedy?
This movie is one of the early Adam Sandler comedies that turned him from a standup comic and Saturday Night Live cast member into one of the biggest movie stars in the world. He plays an aspiring hockey player who uses the same aggression he applies to hockey for golf and enters a tournament with the intention of using the prize money to buy back his grandma's house. The supporting cast includes Carl Weathers playing Sandler's mentor and Julie Bowen from Modern Family playing his love interest. What is the title of this golf comedy that made Adam Sandler a star?
What is this Tom Hardy MMA movie?
There have been boxing movies around for decades. According to Wikipedia, the Marlon Brando movie On the Waterfront is an early example, but there were boxing movies long before that one, too. However, mixed martial arts is sort of a new sport, or at least a newly popular one, so there are less movies about it. One of the first MMA movies starred Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as estranged brothers who are facing each other in the biggest MMA tournament of all time. What is the title of this MMA drama starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as brothers?
What romcom stars Tom Cruise as a sports agent?
In this highly quotable movie, Cuba Gooding, Jr. told Tom Cruise to show him the money and then later, Renee Zellweger tells him that he had her at "hello." According to Box Office Mojo, this tale of a sports agent who branches out on his own and falls in love went on to become the ninth highest grossing movie of the year with a worldwide total of $273 million grossed on a budget of $50 million. The movie also won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for Cuba Gooding, Jr. What romantic comedy movie stars Tom Cruise as a sports agent?
What is this dark Jake Gyllenhaal boxing movie called?
This movie starts off as a typical boxing film, but as its lead character played by Jake Gyllenhaal is beset by tragedies in his personal life, the film becomes much darker and deeper than that. Gyllenhaal's wife is played by Rachel McAdams, while the cast also includes Naomie Harris, 50 Cent, and Forest Whitaker. According to IMDb, the script for the movie was written by Kurt Sutter, the creator of the FX biker drama series Sons of Anarchy, and the movie was originally developed as a vehicle for Eminem. What is the title of this dark boxing movie starring Jake Gyllenhaal?
What movie asserted that there's no crying in baseball?
This period comedy movie tells the story of the first ever all female baseball league. All the men had gone off to war, and so only the women were left to play sports and they formed the AAGPBL. According to IMDb, the cast includes many big names, such as Geena Davis, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell. Plus, it was directed by Penny Marshall and became iconic for its line, "There's no crying in baseball!" that Tom Hanks says when one of the players starts to cry. Which historical sports comedy movie asserted that there is no crying in baseball?
What is this NASCAR comedy?
Last month, Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly released their third movie starring together, a comedic take on the stories of Sherlock Holmes called Holmes and Watson. They had previously starred in Step Brothers together, as well as this NASCAR comedy as teammates. Plus, according to IMDb, Reilly had a cameo in Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues as a ghost in the news team battle sequence. This NASCAR comedy movie was Will Ferrell's successor to his star making turn in the first Anchorman movie and, according to Box Office Mojo, it was more successful. What is the title of this NASCAR comedy movie?
Which football movie had a TV show based on it?
This movie about the coach and players of a high school football team would not be nearly as well remembered if it wasn't for the hugely successful TV series that was based on it. The coach in the TV show was played by Kyle Chandler of Super 8 and Bloodline fame, but in the movie, he was played by Billy Bob Thornton, who, according to IMDb, had just starred in the R rated Christmas crime comedy Bad Santa at the time. The movie was directed by Lone Survivor's Peter Berg. Which football movie had a TV show based on it?
Which female boxing movie did Clint Eastwood direct?
This movie is one of many that Clint Eastwood has both directed and starred in. The movie tells the story of a female boxer who has to struggle against all odds to make it. Eastwood plays her trainer, while Morgan Freeman plays an older boxer who works at his gym. A third act twist takes the movie to some very dark places, and according to Wikipedia, this unexpected turn in a movie a lot of people expected to be "female Rocky" is what led many critics to give the movie positive reviews. What is the name of this female boxing movie directed by Clint Eastwood?
What movie teamed Michael Jordan up with the Looney Tunes characters?
This movie stars Michael Jordan, who was then basketball's biggest name, alongside the characters of the Looney Tunes cartoons. They enlist Jordan to play with them in a basketball tournament against their animated enemies. The movie has gone on to become a cult classic in the years since it was first released. According to IMDb, there's a sequel to this movie currently in the works that will replace Jordan with LeBron James. The sequel is in development under the working title Space Jam 2, but that is subject to change. What movie teamed Michael Jordan up with the Looney Tunes characters?
What is this ice skating comedy?
This movie stars Will Ferrell and Jon Heder, who was fresh off his success with the indie high school comedy Napoleon Dynamite, as a pair of rival ice skaters who have to learn to work together. According to IMDb, the movie also stars Will Arnett (best known for playing Gob in Arrested Development and the title role in BoJack Horseman), Amy Poehler (Leslie Knope from Parks and Recreation), and Jenna Fischer (Pam Beesly from the US version of The Office). What is the title of this ice skating comedy starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder as two rival ice skaters?
Which Rocky movie introduced Mr. T as Clubber Lang?
A lot of big names have played villains in Rocky movies. Carl Weathers, of course, played Apollo Creed in the first couple of movies, going from Rocky's rival to one of his closest allies. Dolph Lundgren played Ivan Drago in one of them (and also, according to IMDb, reprised his role in the 2018 spin-off sequel Creed II as Michael B. Jordan's Adonis Creed faced his son). And in one of the movies, Rocky takes on a boxer named Clubber Lang played by The A Team's Mr. T. Which movie in the Rocky franchise introduced Mr. T as Clubber Lang?
In which movie does Mark Wahlberg join the Philadelphia Eagles?
This Mark Wahlberg movie is based on the true story of a regular guy who finally, when he is in his 30s, achieves his dream of playing for the Philadelphia Eagles when he appears at a tryout that is open to the public. The movie was the inspiration for the It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia episode "The Gang Gets Invincible," in which Dennis, Dee, and Mac all try out for the Eagles in the hopes of actually making it to the team like Wahlberg does in the movie. In which true life football movie does Mark Wahlberg join the Philadelphia Eagles?
What is this black and white Jake LaMotta biopic called?
This movie is one of the most highly acclaimed films by Martin Scorsese. It stars Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, who would both later star in Scorsese's mob movie Goodfellas, and it is a biopic of the boxer Jake LaMotta. As the movie covered LaMotta's whole life, the production required De Niro to get both in shape and out of shape. Early in LaMotta's life, he is lean and muscular, whereas later in his life, he is heavyset. What is the title of this biopic of Jake LaMotta, which was directed by Martin Scorsese and shot in black and white?
In what movie is Daniel Russo trained by Mr. Miyagi?
This teen movie is famous for many of the quotes from its character Mr. Miyagi, played by Pat Morita. The character trains a kid who has just moved into town to defeat his rival in the upcoming karate tournament. He teaches him to do karate using household chores, such as waxing: "Wax on, wax off." A number of the actors from this movie have appeared as themselves in How I Met Your Mother, since the characters in the show are such huge fans of the film. In what teen martial arts drama movie is Daniel Russo trained by Mr. Miyagi?
What is this NASCAR thriller starring Tom Cruise?
This movie was directed by Tony Scott, who had already directed Tom Cruise in Top Gun. This movie was sort of like that movie with cars instead of planes. It was also the first movie to star real life married couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman alongside one another. They would also later go on to star together in the epic adventure movie Far and Away and Stanley Kubrick's final film Eyes Wide Shut, according to Wikipedia. Two video games have been based on this movie, according to Wikipedia. What is the title of this NASCAR thriller starring Tom Cruise?
What is this wacky golf comedy starring Bill Murray and Chevy Chase?
This crazy golf comedy movie, which it is not an official National Lampoon movie and does not bear the magazine's name in its title, has a lot of National Lampoon staff working behind the scenes. The cast includes many National Lampoon alumni, including Bill Murray and Chevy Chase, and its director Harold Ramis got his start with the Lampoon. Doug Kenney, one of the founders of the National Lampoon, contributed to the script of this goofy golf comedy, his follow up to the runaway success of Animal House. What is this wacky golf comedy starring Bill Murray and Chevy Chase?
What is this Oliver Stone football movie starring Al Pacino?
Oliver Stone directed this movie about the world of professional football, although it does not mention the NFL, because the NFL refused to let Stone portray them negatively. So, Stone had to create a football league of his own: the AFL. The cast of his movie, a huge ensemble movie like Magnolia, includes such big names as Jamie Foxx, Al Pacino, Cameron Diaz, James Woods, and LL Cool J. According to Wikipedia, a number of real world football players and coaches appear in the movie in a cameo capacity. What is the title of this football movie, directed by Oliver Stone and starring Al Pacino?
What is this family comedy about soccer?
In this movie, Will Ferrell plays a dad who starts coaching his son's soccer team, only to face competition from his fiercely competitive father, who is played by Robert Duvall, who starts coaching the rival team. It made soccer one of the many sports that Ferrell has turned into a movie, adding it to a list that also includes basketball, NASCAR, and even figure skating. It is one of Ferrell's few movies that have been rated PG as opposed to R or PG-13. What is the title of this family comedy movie about a father and son's rivalry coaching kids' soccer teams?
Which animated movie stars a racing snail?
According to Wikipedia, this movie entered development when DreamWorks Animation hosted a contest for all of its employees. They were asked to submit some ideas for movies and the best one was going to get a development deal. The guy who submitted the idea for a spoof of The Fast and the Furious movie franchise with snails instead of cars ended up getting the deal. The movie didn't actually go into production for a few years, but it did end up being a box office success. What is the title of this animated movie starring Ryan Reynolds as a racing snail?
Which acclaimed football movie won Sandra Bullock an Oscar?
Sandra Bullock is as big a star as ever right now, as her movie Bird Box has been making waves across the world as Netflix subscribers everywhere are checking it out and being chilled to the bone. According to IGN, Netflix has seen record viewing figures for Bird Box and it's all over Twitter. But she hasn't just become a star overnight. Bullock won an Academy Award for Best Actress a few years ago with this football movie based on true events. What is the title of the critically acclaimed true life football movie that Sandra Bullock an Oscar?
What is this bobsledding comedy?
This comedy movie tells the true story of the first Olympic bobsledding team from the exotic country of Jamaica. All these guys from a tropical country suddenly find themselves in ice cold temperatures as they compete in a snowy wintry activity. John Candy plays their trainer in one of his final roles before he lost his life a year after it was released. He had previously starred in such classic comedy movies as Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, and he even made a small appearance in Oliver Stone's JFK in an uncharacteristically dramatic role. What is the title of this comedy movie about bobsledding?
Which ice hockey movie tells the story of the 1980 Winter Olympics?
According to Wikipedia, this is the movie that made Quentin Tarantino start casting Kurt Russell in cool, macho roles in his movies, because he feared that with this heartfelt, inspirational Disney hockey movie, Russell was going soft. So, he gave him the role of Stuntman Mike, the guy who drives around in a kitted out car and stalks people, and later the role of John "the Hangman" Ruth in his spaghetti western The Hateful Eight, a bounty hunter who is taking in his latest bounty when he gets snowbound. Which ice hockey movie tells the story of the 1980 Winter Olympics?
What is this James J. Braddock biopic starring Russell Crowe?
According to IMDb, Ron Howard is one of a few directors that Russell Crowe has worked with a number of times. It wasn't just a one off deal. Crowe has done plenty of work with the director Ridley Scott: Gladiator, Robin Hood, A Good Year, Body of Lies etc. Crowe hasn't done that many movies with Ron Howard, but he has starred in both A Beautiful Mind and this biopic of the boxer James J. Braddock, which were both directed by Howard. What is the title of this James J. Braddock biopic starring Russell Crowe, taken from the boxer's nickname?
What is this comedy starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn?
This movie stars Vince Vaughn as the owner of a small gym who has come on hard times and Ben Stiller as the owner of a huge corporate chain of gyms who has just opened a new gym across the street. They face off in a tournament in Las Vegas to determine who will back down. The movie features cameo appearances from such stars as Chuck Norris, Rip Torn, and David Hasselhoff. Rawson Marshall Thurber, the writer and director of this movie, most recently helmed the Dwayne Johnson action movie Skyscraper. What is this sports comedy starring Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn?
What is Margot Robbie's darkly comic Tonya Harding biopic called?
It was an interesting choice to make a biopic of the controversial ice skating figure Tonya Harding with a comedic tone and a dark sense of humor. But based on the Academy Awards wins and nominations and the positive reviews, the unusual approach paid off. The cast of the movie also includes Allison Janney, who won an Oscar for her role, and Sebastian Stan, who is best known for his role as Bucky Barnes aka "the Winter Soldier" in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. What is the title of Margot Robbie's darkly comic biopic of the controversial ice skater Tonya Harding?
What is this basketball comedy starring Will Ferrell?
This basketball comedy movie stars Will Ferrell as Jackie Moon, a soul singer who had one hit song and now plays for a small time basketball team. There is a scene in the movie in which Ferrell confronts a bear and, according to Wikipedia, the production use a real live bear. Woody Harrelson (in his second basketball comedy) and Andre Benjamin also appear in the movie, while Ferrell's Saturday Night Live cohorts David Koechner and Tim Meadows appear in the movie in small roles. What is the title of this basketball comedy starring Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, and Andre Benjamin?
What boxing drama won an Oscar for Christian Bale?
According to IndieWire, Christian Bale is tipped to received another Oscar, or at least a nomination for Best Actor, for his performance in Adam McKay's new movie Vice. Bale has earned a few Oscar nominations, while it was his supporting turn in this boxing drama that won him an award for Best Supporting Actor. The movie was directed by David O. Russell, who according to IMDb, has also directed such movies as the romantic comedy Silver Linings Playbook and the satirical dramedy Three Kings and the biopic Joy starring Jennifer Lawrence. What boxing drama won an Oscar for Christian Bale?
Which family comedy stars Emilio Estevez as a Pee-Wee hockey coach?
This movie stars Emilio Estevez, who is the son of fellow actor Martin Sheen and the brother of fellow actor Charlie Sheen, as a Pee-Wee hockey coach who has to train up a team for a big game. The South Park episode "Stanley's Cup" parodied a number of sports movies, but perhaps this one the most. It was the first in a series of movies, as a couple of sequels quickly followed, which were called D2 and D3. The movies are all cult classics. What is the title of this Disney family comedy starring Emilio Estevez as a Pee-Wee hockey coach?
What movie stars Samuel L. Jackson as a real life basketball coach?
This movie features one of Channing Tatum's earliest performances, but it's Samuel L. Jackson who stars in the movie as a real life high school basketball coach. According to IMDb, John Gatins, the movie's writer, is best known for his script for the Denzel Washington movie Flight, for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He also worked on the scripts for Need for Speed, Kong: Skull Island, and the Hugh Jackman robot boxing movie Real Steel. What is the title of this movie starring Samuel L. Jackson as a real life high school basketball coach?
Which sports movie got Mickey Rourke an Oscar nomination?
Darren Aronofsky wrote and directed this movie about an aging wrestler who begins dating a woman and tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter. Aronofsky divided audiences a couple of years ago with his allegorical movie mother! starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem. Mickey Rourke stars in the movie as the wrestler who struggles with his relationships and is headed towards the end of his road, and he ended up getting an Academy Award nomination for his performance in the film. Marisa Tomei also appears in the movie. Which sports movie got Mickey Rourke an Oscar nomination for Best Actor?
What is this cult classic basketball comedy starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson?
Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson star in this silly comedy about basketball, which has gone on to become a cult classic in the years since its initial release. According to Wikipedia, this movie was a guilty pleasure of Stanley Kubrick, the director of A Clockwork Orange and 2001: A Space Odyssey, who counted it among his favorite movies. The movie was written and directed by Ron Shelton, who also directed the sports movies Bull Durham and Tin Cup, both of which starred Kevin Costner. What is the title of this cult classic basketball comedy starring Wesley Snipes and Woody Harrelson?