North Dallas Forty (1979)
Sex, drugs, and violence … it’s all here in this warts-and-all, no-gloss peek at what really happens on and off the football field. Loosely based on the both beloved and reviled Dallas Cowboys team of the 1970s, this funny film is shockingly prescient as it foreshadows the growing strength of corporatism in the front office, as well as the treatment of players as disposable commodities. With concussions becoming as big a topic as passer rating, it’s eerily timely. Stars Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, and the great character actor Charles Durning.
Remember The Titans (2000)
This is one of those football movies that every football coach makes his team watch together. Why? Because it’s all about camaraderie and team building. (What, you expected them to see Trainwreck?) The film is the true story of a newly integrated Virginia high school in the 70’s and its newly desegregated football team. The poor sucker brought in to deal with all this tension is Denzel Washington, the team’s first African-American coach, who has to battle a lot more than bigotry in order to bring his squad together. And bring his squad together he does. Hey, it’s a happy ending, just like Trainwreck! Don’t miss the most iconic movies set in every state.
