This week sees the release of Real Steel, a new twist on the age old boxing movie formula. The film stars Hugh Jackman as a former fighter, trying to earn a living in a world where robots are what people want to see now. Along with his son, he teaches a scrapyard 'bot everything he knows about the "sweet science" in hopes of taking it to the championship title. So in keeping with the theme of unconventional sports movies, here are a few more atypical sports movies worth checking out....
5. Men with Brooms
This charming little Canadian film caused quite a stir back in 2002 because it came at the popular height of the sport of curling. No, it has nothing to do with big brawny muscleheads and dumbbells. Curling is basically shuffleboard, with teams pushing around a giant rock with brooms. Not a brilliant film by any means, but it features one of Leslie Nielsen's last good performances, and a sweet little romance as well.
4. BASEketball
Not long after they struck gold with South Park, Matt Stone and Trey Parker took their newfound fame to the big screen with BASEketball, a raunchy comedy about an oddball sport that favors the athletically deficient. Think of it as a game of horse played on a baseball field, and you have the sport in a nutshell. The film resembles Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story in a lot of ways, featuring teams comprised of sterotypes and cliches squaring off hilarious,violent competitions. Stone and Parker are the real highlight, along with a couple of sexy(although awful) turns by Jenny McCarthy and Yasmine Bleeth back when she was relevant. The sport was created years earlier by director David Zucker, and you can still find leagues around the country.
3. Over the Top
Is there still a world of competitive arm wrestling? If so I imagine it's part of a supershow along with competitive log rolling and tractor pulling. Drunk people in bars arm wrestle, so how the heck do you make a believable movie out of that? Well you start by getting Sylvester Stallone to star in it, as a Dad who takes his wussy son on the road with him to smackdown every big bicep in the country. And when he turns his rally cap backwards, watch out! Over the Top is a silly film, playing off Stallone's underdog status earned through the Rocky movies. But hey, it's kinda fun and sweet in the way guy flicks tend to be.
2. Cool Runnings
The truth is that the Jamaican bobsled team that debuted in the 1988 Winter Olympics was pretty terrible, but thanks to the fine folks at Disney you'll be too busy laughing to care. Cool Runnings was a surprise hit back in 1993(directed by Jon Turteltaub of National Treasure fame), raking in over $150M with it's breezy charm and hilarious cast featuring the late John Candy, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba, and Leon. The best part about it was cool reggae soundtrack provided by Jimmy Cliff.
1. Whip It
In her directorial debut, Drew Barrymore presents a film as feisty and spunky as the elbow throwing ladies of the roller derby circuit. A colorful coming of age tale based on the book by Shauna Cross, Ellen Page stars as a small town Texas girl who finds her niche in the violent world of roller derby, earning the cool nickname "Babe Ruthless" and becoming one of the most popular stars of the sport. The action is fast, shot to highlight the sports' speed and brutality. Featuring an amazing cast including Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Wiig(as Cross), Juliette Lewis, Ari Graynor, and Jimmy Fallon, Whip It gives a fresh angle on a familiar story.
