A sport film is basically a film genre which makes use of sport as the main theme of the movie. It’s usually a fictional production where a sport, team, player, or fan of sport are heavily involved, and that rely on sport for a major part of their story resolution or plot motivation. There are a lot of successful sports films out there. Michael Moore inassy humorous takes on sports like NASCAR, cockfighting, or even boxing, is highly amusing and at times thought-provoking. But even his more outlandish movies like Bowling for Columbine, Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure, and Carlito’s Way just fail to touch on enough sport to be considered a truly great film, and often times the main characters seem to be a complete joke.
One of my favorite genres of film is the sports/fitness film. There are many people who either love or are incredibly passionate about a sport or several sports, and will spend their free time pursuing an avid dream of becoming a winner of whatever sport they happen to be good at. The film itself doesn’t have anything to do with any kind of competition or physical activity, it’s all about the intense passion people have for the sport they are obsessed with, and how their passion leads them to take on an array of physical challenges and attempt to excel in athletic endeavors. There’s no doubt that this type of film can appeal to a large audience – especially if its main characters are incredibly dedicated, hard-working athletes who have absolutely everything they need to be the best.
One movie that comes to mind when discussing this style of film is The Game. This is another film that star studded with both sports stars and well-known athletes. The movie revolves around a pair of professional baseball players, each with a different obsession and competitive nature. It takes the viewers inside the locker rooms, and inside the world of competitive sports, to provide an inside look into the mind of a competitor, and to show exactly what goes on during the course of a game. Although the movie didn’t really focus on the competitive nature of this type of sporting activity requiring skill, it did capture the competitive spirit of the athletes, and how their dedication to their sport pushed them to succeed in their chosen field.