Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India

Lagaan is takes place during a dry year when the British commanding officer doubles the tax (lagaan) on the Indian villagers in the province he rules. The villagers resist, and the officer challenges them to a game of cricket. If the villagers win, the lagaan is canceled for three years, but if they lose, the tax is tripled. A Bollywood classic. (Note: Originally filmed in Hindi, depending on which version you buy, you might only be able to have English subtitles).


Release Year: 2001
Rating: PG
Length: 224m (yes, it's that long - not a typo)


For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

• Cultural Differences: Each team has different "playing" styles, different dress, different values, etc. all of which are obvious; the commanding officer's sister helps the villagers and learns about their traditions; the players must also deal with an "Untouchable" who wants to join the team
• Focus: During the match, a couple players become too amped up and lose their concentration, causing them to get out
• Leadership: Bhuvan (the protagonist) must convince his fellow villagers the cricket match is a good idea and recruit people to play; Bhuvan is also looked to as the team captain and keeps everyone on track
• Sportsmanship: During the cricket game, the British team engages in acts of unsportsmanlike conduct, such as deliberately throwing the cricket ball at the batters to injure them
• Teamwork: All the villagers must work together to defeat the British team; each person has a role, but sometimes they must step up in order to succeed

Coach Carter

Coach Carter is based on a true story of an inner-city high school basketball team that only won four games the year previous to getting a new coach. Coach Carter comes in and changes the atmosphere of the team, trying to teach life lessons and change the mindsets of his players into student-athletes. He prepares them for the future through a bumpy road to success.


Release Year: 2005 Rating: PG-13
Length: 136m


For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

• Commitment: This theme is depicted in the beginning when Coach Carter explains his rules to the team; they are not to use the word "n***a", must maintain a 2.3 GPA (even though the state only requires a 2.0), go to and sit in the front of all classes, and stick to a dress code. Coach says they will refer to each other as "sirs" and sign a contract to follow the rules if they want to play. They are required to make a serious commitment to the team.
• Teamwork: In the beginning, after Timo Cruz gets kicked off the team he asks, "What do I gotta do to play?" Coach gives him the impossible task of completing 2500 pushups and 1000 suicides by Friday. When faced with failing, the team joins together in through teamwork and helps him finish the task. Lyle says "remember what you said coach, if one struggles then we all struggle, if one triumphs then we all triumph."
• Sportsmanship: In the middle of the movie during a practice, Coach Carter says "That's me, I did that, I drew that play up." Here sportsmanship is depicted when Coach says, "since when is winning not enough? Now you have to humiliate your opponent? You won four games last year, what gives you the right to ruin the game I love? Play with class and act like a champion."
• Education: At one point towards the end of the movie, Coach Carter notices that his athletes aren't putting student first so he locks the gym. He says that Richmond High School only graduates 50% and only 6% of students go on to college. He demands they get their grades up and forfeits games until they do. Education is the theme when he tells the boys to go home and "ask yourself, do you want better for your life?" He feels that school should be the highlight of their life, not basketball.
• Life Skills: Coach Carter's theme in the middle of the movie is life skills. At one point he asks Timo Cruz, "what is your deepest fear Mr. Cruz, that you're inadequate?" He later gets a response that Timo has learned from his experiences that proves to Coach Carter that Timo is learning life lessons. Coach also says to the players "what is it that you want out of this season?" at which they say "to win a championship". Coach asks them "who won the championship last year?" and none know the answer. He asks them how they see themselves.

Stick It

Stick It is about the sport of gymnastics and everything that comes along with it.  Haley is faced with the challenge of returning to the sport after she traumatically left it years ago.  She goes through many ups and downs along the way, and can attribute many of them to her coach.

Release Year: 2006
Rating: PG-13
Length: 103m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

• Confidence:  When the girls have their first meet, Haley tells her teammates to throw harder skills because she knows they can do it.  The girls do throw the harder skills, showing they are confident in their abilities.
• Eating Disorders: This theme is seen quite a lot in the sport of gymnastics.  It is evident in this movie when Joanne is looking at herself in a mirror in disgust, even though she is far from being overweight.
• Leadership:  From the start, the other gymnasts looked up to Haley as a role model.  They decide to scratch their routines at Championships after Haley is the first one to do it and throw their harder skills at their first meet because Haley convinces them it is a good idea.
• Sportsmanship: Joanne (a fellow gymnast) is very un-sportsmanlike, sarcastically telling another gymnast "nice stick" when she falls on her bar dismount and follows that up by saying, "it's not called gymn-NICE-stics" to Haley.
• Teamwork: This theme is seen throughout the entire movie, especially when the four girls go to Championships.  Mina performed her vault flawlessly, but received only a 9.5 because her bra strap was showing.  All the other girls decided to blatantly pull out their bra straps during their vaults and scratch for that event so that Mina will win.

Varsity Blues

Varsity Blues is about a high school football team in a small Texas town that is obsessed with football.

Release Year: 1999
Rating: R
Length: 106m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

Youngblood

Youngblood is about a young hockey star with no propensity towards fighting who must try to make it on a minor league team.

Release Year: 1986
Rating: R
Length: 110m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

Slap Shot

Slap Shot is about a failing hockey team that uses violence to create fan interest.

Release Year: 1977
Rating: R
Length: 123m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

Running Brave

Running Brave is the story of Sioux Indian Billy Mills who won gold at the 1964 Olympics.

Release Year: 1983
Rating: PG
Length: 106m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

Little Giants

Little Giants is about a nerdy coach who assembles a football team to play the city champions.

Release Year: 1994
Rating: PG
Length: 107m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

Happy Gilmore

Happy Gilmore is about a hockey player who turns his slapshot into an amazing tee shot.

Release Year: 1996
Rating: PG-13
Length: 92m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

Fever Pitch

Fever Pitch is about a man's conflict between his obsession with soccer and the woman he loves.

Release Year: 1997
Rating: R
Length: 102m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

Eight Men Out

Eight Men Out chronicles the famous "Black Sox" scandal of 1919 where players were accused of throwing the World Series.

Release Year: 1988
Rating: PG
Length: 119m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

Chariots of Fire

Chariots of Fire is the story of two English runners who competed in the 1924 Olympics.

Release Year: 1981
Rating: PG
Length: 124m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

Brian's Song

Brian's Song is a heartwrenching tale of friendship between Gale Sayers and Brian Piccolo, who is fighting cancer.

Release Year: 1971
Rating: G
Length: 73m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

Blue Chips

Blue Chips is about a basketball coach's ethical struggles to win.  Blue Chips is also Shaq's first movie.

Release Year: 1994
Rating: PG-13
Length: 108m

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.

The Bad News Bears

The Bad News Bears is about a little league team of misfits and their cranky coach.

Release Years: 1976, 2005
Rating: PG (1976), PG-13 (2005)
Length: 102m (1976), 113m (2005)

For more information, view its pages at the Internet Movie Database (1976 and 2005) and Rotten Tomatoes (1976 and 2005) or purchase it from Amazon.



View the original trailer from 1976 here.

The Hustler

The Hustler is about Fast Eddie Felson's entry into the world of professional pool and his goal to beat billiards' best, Minnesota Fats. A sequel (The Color of Money) was created years later.

Release Year: 1961
Length: 134m

For more information, view its pages on the Internet Movie Database and Rotten Tomatoes or purchase it from Amazon.