TAGGED AS: sports

Best-Reviewed Pro Football Movies

Omaha! 319! Black 88! Rotten Tomatoes has compiled the 10 best-reviewed pro football movies of all time! Hike! God dammit, Donald!

#10

Concussion (2015)
58%

#10

Adjusted Score: 67729%

Critics Consensus: Concussion lands a solid, well-acted hit on its impressively timely subject matter, even if its traditional sports drama structure is a little too safe to deserve a full-on dance in the end zone.

Synopsis: While conducting an autopsy on former NFL football player Mike Webster (David Morse), forensic pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu (Will Smith)... [More]

Starring: Will Smith, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Arliss Howard

Directed By: Peter Landesman

Black Sunday (1977)
75%

Adjusted Score: 77880%

Critics Consensus: A smart, tense thriller from director John Frankenheimer, Black Sunday succeeds on a technical level, even if it fails to bring its characters to vivid life.

Synopsis: Blimp pilot Michael Lander (Bruce Dern), who has endured the horrors of the Vietnam War, is now psychotic. Hoping to... [More]

Starring: Robert Shaw, Bruce Dern, Marthe Keller, Fritz Weaver

Directed By: John Frankenheimer

Invincible (2006)
72%

Adjusted Score: 77325%

Critics Consensus: As simple and authentic as the gritty South Philly invirons in which it's set in, Invincible sends a uplifting and heartfelt message packed with an athletic enthusiasm that shouldn't be missed.

Synopsis: Lifelong football fan Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg) sees his wildest dreams come true when he becomes a member of the... [More]

Starring: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Conway

Directed By: Ericson Core

Semi-Tough (1977)
83%

Adjusted Score: 83455%

Critics Consensus: No consensus yet.

Synopsis: Billy Clyde Puckett (Burt Reynolds) and Marvin "Shake" Tiller (Kris Kristofferson) are professional football players who share a lush Miami... [More]

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh, Robert Preston

Directed By: Michael Ritchie

The Longest Yard (1974)
76%

Adjusted Score: 79611%

Critics Consensus: Equal parts tough and funny, and led by a perfectly cast Burt Reynolds, The Longest Yard has an interesting political subtext and an excellent climax -- even if it takes too long to get there.

Synopsis: An ex-football star doing time is forced by the warden to organize a team of inmates to play against his... [More]

Starring: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Michael Conrad

Directed By: Robert Aldrich

Jerry Maguire (1996)
85%

Adjusted Score: 91259%

Critics Consensus: Anchored by dazzling performances from Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., and Renée Zellweger, as well as Cameron Crowe's tender direction, Jerry Maguire meshes romance and sports with panache.

Synopsis: When slick sports agent Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) has a crisis of conscience, he pens a heartfelt company-wide memo that... [More]

Starring: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renée Zellweger, Kelly Preston

Directed By: Cameron Crowe

Big Fan (2009)
86%

Adjusted Score: 89046%

Critics Consensus: Featuring Patton Oswalt's sympathetic portrayal, Big Fan humorously and effectively captures the dark and lonely world of a sports fanatic.

Synopsis: Paul Aufiero (Patton Oswalt), a parking-garage employee, is a huge fan of the New York Giants. He lives at home... [More]

Starring: Patton Oswalt, Kevin Corrigan, Marcia Jean Kurtz, Michael Rapaport

Directed By: Robert D. Siegel

North Dallas Forty (1979)
86%

Adjusted Score: 88141%

Critics Consensus: Muddled overall, but perceptive and brutally realistic, North Dallas Forty also benefits from strong performances by Nick Nolte and Charles Durning. Football fans will likely find it fascinating.

Synopsis: A brutal satire of American professional football in which a veteran pass-catcher's individuality and refusal to become part of the... [More]

Starring: Nick Nolte, Mac Davis, Charles Durning, Dayle Haddon

Directed By: Ted Kotcheff

Heaven Can Wait (1978)
86%

Adjusted Score: 90842%

Critics Consensus: A throwback to the high-gloss screwball comedies of the 1940s, Heaven Can Wait beguiles with seamless production values and great comic relief from Charles Grodin and Dianne Cannon.

Synopsis: Joe Pendleton (Warren Beatty), quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, is killed in an auto accident. In the afterlife, Joe... [More]

Starring: Warren Beatty, Julie Christie, Jack Warden, James Mason

Directed By: Warren Beatty, Buck Henry

Brian's Song (1971)
85%

Adjusted Score: 85710%

Critics Consensus: Buoyed by standout performances from James Caan and Billy Dee Williams, Brian's Song is a touching tale of friendship whose central relationship transcends its standard sports movie moments.

Synopsis: Brian Piccolo (James Caan) and Gale Sayers (Billy Dee Williams) are teammates on the mid-1960s Chicago Bears. At a time... [More]

Starring: James Caan, Billy Dee Williams, Jack Warden, Shelley Fabares

Directed By: Buzz Kulik