Ep. 56 - Ranked! Our Top 10 Football Movies!

This transcript was automatically generated and might contain errors.

[0:00] J.J.: My daughter has accumulated, as most kids do, tons and tons of toys because it's her birthday, it's Christmas, and I feel attacked. No, no, no, no, no. The default would be like, we're gonna give the child toys, whether they're learning toys. We shall give the child toys! Learning toys or things, so she's got toys from when she was a baby. And so my question to you is, do you have, what is your oldest toy that you still have even now as an adult? Like, what is the thing that you still, like, you can get rid of all these other things, but this thing I've had since I was this old, and I'm keeping it because I cherish it.

[0:43] Olaf: That's tough because I had a mishmash of all kinds of great toys, but unfortunately, all my toys were in a box in a garage, and there was a flood. Everything in the garage was like destroyed, and everything was thrown out without my consent or supervision. So any old toys that I had, they're gone, gone, and never to be seen again.

[1:08] J.J.: Yeah, that's unfortunate. I mean, you now clearly, you've got a great impressive menagerie behind you of things.

[1:17] Olaf: Yeah, and these are all just like a vibe of what I used to have or things that I didn't get to have when I was a kid that now as an adult, I'm like, I am an adult, but I can actually afford that. I can actually acquire that. So I'm like, you know, you only live once. I would say the oldest thing that I have is this troll right here. I've had this troll since probably 1989.

[1:43] J.J.: With the Bears logo.

[1:52] Olaf: With the Bears logo. It is football season.

[1:58] J.J.: It sure is. I am wearing my Walter Payton jersey.

[2:03] Olaf: Yeah. I have been a Bears fan for a very, very long time.

[2:06] J.J.: Yes, you have. What better way to kick off the football season than with a top 10 football list?

[2:13] Olaf: Yes, now with our new format where we both do a list instead of just your top 20. Controversial.

[2:18] J.J.: Well, I've got thoughts on the new format, but I don't want to get into the thoughts outside of the theater.

[2:22] Olaf: That's fair. So let's jump back into the movie theater where we're going to talk our top 10 football movies.

[2:40] J.J.: This is another list that we are both going to be contributing a top 10, but I will say this. This was hard. It's hard to just put 10. Honestly, I thought it would be a lot easier. I thought it'd be easier to come up with more than 10 good football movies, which that turned out to be hard.

[2:55] Olaf: Yeah, if I was doing a top 20, I'd be like, oh, I've got 20 movies here. I can easily throw a handful of these somewhere in the middle or towards the bottom and not feel bad about it because, yeah, it'll allow me to not only talk about those movies but then gear me up for my 10. So maybe this is good because it's really challenging me to be really specific.

[3:18] J.J.: I will say when I made my list, even including my honorable mentions, I was like, am I J.J. in this situation? Am I the controversial one? Am I going to be upsetting the people because I'm for the people?

[3:36] Olaf: Well, now you've got me completely intrigued.

[3:41] J.J.: Yeah, I'm a little concerned that I'm gonna upset some people with my list, but I had to go with my heart, and my heart led me this way.

[3:46] Olaf: Oh boy. Hey, there might be some Little Giants fans out there that are keeping their fingers crossed.

[3:50] J.J.: We'll see, we'll see. But yeah, this turned out to be a little harder than I thought it would be when we talked about doing it.

[4:00] Olaf: Yeah, there were some easy, like no-brainers for me, but then it was like filling it out and then finding other movies that I'm like, is this a top 10 movie? Is this an honorable mention? It's a very fluid thing. Even now as we talk right now, I'm looking at it going, I might make an, I might call an audible.

[4:18] J.J.: I will say I think that my top four was pretty easy.

[4:24] Olaf: Yeah, it's really the bottom half.

[4:28] J.J.: Yeah, yeah. And then I had my honorable mentions. I picked three honorable mentions.

[4:33] Olaf: And you had mentioned that off-camera, so I went ahead and did the same thing. But I will say that there were a couple that did not make the honorable mentions list that I was like, I feel like I still need to say something about that.

[4:40] J.J.: But you also cover yourself. You also did an honorable mentions list, so maybe they'll get mentioned anyway.

[4:48] Olaf: They might. We'll see. They might. We'll see. So how do you want to get this ball rolling?

[4:52] J.J.: Well, are we flipping a coin?

[4:57] Olaf: Yeah, let's do it. Are you choosing to receive? Or are you kicking the ball to me?

[5:03] J.J.: I'll kick the ball to you.

[5:07] Olaf: Well then I will just start off with my honorable mentions. Yes, that you painstakingly spent a lot of time on in the last 30 seconds.

[5:11] J.J.: No, no, no. The honorable mention anyway, here we go. I know it's tough because I really feel like there's gonna be people listening going, what? Are you really? That is not in your top ten?

[5:21] Olaf: Well, see, I always know that when it comes to movie lists and J.J., it's gonna be overwhelming everybody, so just try not to react too much. Just take a deep breath, and we'll get through it. So crack open a nice cold bud, you king of the controversial list.

[5:41] J.J.: Okay, my three honorable mentions. Number one, The Waterboy. Adam Sandler.

[5:47] Olaf: Okay.

[5:52] J.J.: It's a great comedy. It's a great fun football movie. It wasn't gonna crack my top ten, but it's definitely worth mentioning because this movie came out the same year as Wedding Singer, so we had a one-two punch, and that's a fun movie. And to have that take as The Waterboy, who's just an amazing linebacker. I can confidently say if this was a top 20, it would have been in there. It would have been, oh absolutely, it would have been definitely. But it didn't make my honorable mentions.

[6:11] Olaf: Okay, it made it's number ten everybody.

[6:18] J.J.: My second honorable mention is The Program. The reason why The Program is on is my honorable mention is because it wasn't a controversial movie, but just the content of it, collegiate sports, what it takes to win, all these things. James Caan as the head coach, I think was Mackay Pfeiffer's first movie or one of his first movies. It wasn't a movie that I really sort of gravitated to when it first came out, but I certainly learned to appreciate it. But again, not a top ten movie.

[6:43] Olaf: And this last honorable mention, this one was hard because this one I almost put in my top ten.

[6:48] J.J.: Okay.

[6:53] Olaf: It's 2000's The Replacements. The reason why I mentioned this one and not Necessary Roughness is because Necessary Roughness is not in my top ten, but I need to mention it because it's very similar to The Replacements. But I love The Replacements. It's a great football movie, great cast. Gene Hackman, Keanu Reeves, Favreau, Orlando Jones, Jack Warden. Fun cast, fun movie, but it didn't quite make my top ten, but it is definitely in my honorable mentions right there.

[7:20] J.J.: Well, you didn't mention the three movies that I was like, I feel like they need to be mentioned.

[7:24] Olaf: Well, see, and you, the three you mentioned might be in my top ten. I'm starting to think they could be. We'll see.

[7:30] J.J.: But as far as my honorable mentions go, I have The Express, 2008's The Express. Unfortunately, when it came out, it bombed at the box office. It just, it got really overlooked, but I think it got a lot more credit after the fact. As more people saw it after it came out, it's gotten a lot more critical acclaim. It is a good movie. I would recommend seeing it. I think it deserves a second watch.

[7:56] Olaf: Number two for my honorable mentions. This is a tough one because this didn't make my top ten because of its wild inaccuracies and a lot of cultural issues like the white savior problems and whatnot. But The Blind Side, 2009.

[8:16] J.J.: No, it's not that old.

[8:20] Olaf: Okay. Sandra Bullock is great in it. Everybody's great in it, but it's supposed to be based on a true story that is absolutely not true, and you can watch the news, and they were sued by the actual person it's based off of.

[8:33] J.J.: Yeah, or, and what's interesting is that a lot of those things didn't really come out until like a year, almost a year, two years ago, where now Michael Orr is saying, yeah, by the way.

[8:42] Olaf: Yeah, because it really painted him as like almost mentally challenged. But if you could take away the fact, if this was just like just a simple movie and it wasn't based on a real person and their life and all of that stuff.

[9:02] J.J.: Sure.

[9:06] Olaf: Some of the other racial issues that this movie brought up. It's a good movie. It's very entertaining, and Sandra Bullock is great in it. So I had to put it in my honorable mentions. I wanted to put it in my top ten because I love Sandra. I love you, but yeah, it's got too many problems, and I just, it's so wildly inaccurate. She's not one of them.

[9:20] J.J.: Yeah, and then my other honorable mention, and this is a weird one because half of the movie is arguably not a football movie, but then arguably the second half of the movie is a football game, and it is 1970's M*A*S*H.

[9:30] Olaf: I don't even think half of the movie is a football movie. I would say.

[9:38] J.J.: What are you talking about?

[9:43] Olaf: Oh, I mean, they've got that half of the movie is a football movie. First of all, that is a fantastic pick because the movie in and of itself is a classic.

[9:49] J.J.: Yes, it is.

[9:55] Olaf: But one of my favorite moments. It just completely switches from like a take on the Vietnam, or I'm sorry, the Korean War, and then it's suddenly a football movie. My favorite, one of my favorite moments in that movie is when they shoot the gun for halftime, and Sally Kellerman is Hot Lips.

[10:08] J.J.: Yeah, it's halftime, Hot Lips.

[10:17] Olaf: No, that's, I didn't even see that one. That wasn't even on my right.

[10:23] J.J.: I had a feeling it wasn't. Speaking of, no pun intended. But I was like, I love this movie, and it takes such a hard turn almost halfway through the movie, and it's like now I'm just watching a football movie. That just goes to show you how wonderfully crafted that movie is in and of itself.

[10:43] Olaf: And then the three movies that I just had to mention, but maybe I won't. Maybe I won't mention it because maybe they're in your list. Maybe they're going to get mentioned anyway. But I will say this. I'll leave it off then. The three honorable mentions that you just listed are not in my top 10.

[10:59] J.J.: Okay. So now let's jump into it because I have a feeling where you and I are going to have some words. I know that. We'll see. I'll start off with my number 10.

[11:09] Olaf: My number 10 is a movie that isn't really, that's about 10 or 12 years old, and it's got the NFL plastered all over it, even though there really isn't a whole lot of football being played. But the movie is Draft Day. Kevin Costner.

[11:15] J.J.: That's my number 10.

[11:30] Olaf: Yes, it's my number 10. And maybe it's because there isn't a whole lot of football being played, but it is. But it is a football. It is a football movie. I am one of those people, and I feel like I am an outlier. And look, we've talked about this movie in the baseball movie in the baseball list episode about Kevin Costner. I'm an outlier in the sense that I am not a big, I'm going to tune into the NFL draft. Like they talk about the NFL draft for like a month and a half before it happens, and I'm like, can we just get to this thing? Because I'm tired of people talking about it. I don't watch it, but they have to market it up so that I know they got to make money. But there are a lot of people that are like, it's their Christmas. And I'm like, that's cool. That's great. But it's not one of those guys. Boring and really nothing.

[12:19] J.J.: Well, it's because I don't follow college players to the nth degree. So I'm like, look, and most of them are going to be busts.

[12:25] Olaf: Right, exactly. So, but the Draft Day, the movie, I wish this Draft Day was like this every year where deals are being made, like which is why it's not a number 10 for me.

[12:37] J.J.: Yeah, and that's fair. Wow. That's fair. Number 10. Jeez. But that is my number 10. And I know we're going to talk more about it because clearly it's higher.

[12:43] Olaf: We will be revisiting this movie. Spoiler alert.

[12:48] J.J.: Your number 10.

[12:59] Olaf: My number 10 is 2004's Friday Night Lights.

[13:04] J.J.: Whoa. That's now I'm not doing, I'm not reacting to this because you reacted to Draft Day. But that is criminally low. Look, I did say before we started, I was like, am I J.J. in this list? Because I'm looking at my list and I'm going. But I did say I have it. I had to go with my heart. And I had to go with what are the football movies that I love and how am I going to rank them. So that's what I did. I went with my gut. I went with my heart.

[13:27] Olaf: And that's what I did as well. And that's why I'm reacting. And I'll tell you right now how low this is. I'll tell you right now it originally wasn't in the top 10.

[13:32] J.J.: Oh, there are. Oh, there's a part of me that's like I think people are yelling at Olaf right now for how low Friday Night Lights is. It is a good movie. Billy Bob Thornton is great in it. I mean, the cast overall is good, but.

[13:46] Olaf: We're going to be revisiting this one.

[13:52] J.J.: Yeah, no, I know. This is going to be one of those where we're going up and down throughout this whole thing. That was okay. That was number 10. All right, well hit me with number nine then because.

[14:04] Olaf: Number nine. Okay, number nine is a weird one because I have a very distinct this is what.

[14:10] J.J.: Welcome back to another episode of Back to the Movie Theater with J.J. and Olaf! Today, we’re diving into a topic that’s near and dear to our hearts—football movies!

[14:40] Olaf: That’s right! With the football season in full swing, we thought it would be the perfect time to rank our top ten football movies.

[15:10] J.J.: Absolutely! There are so many great films out there that capture the spirit of the game, the drama, and the excitement.

[15:12] Olaf: And let’s not forget the underdog stories!

[15:14] J.J.: Oh, for sure! Those are always the best.

[15:16] Olaf: So, how do you want to do this? Should we go back and forth with our picks?

[15:18] J.J.: I think that’s a great idea! Let’s start with our number ten and work our way up to our number one.

[15:20] Olaf: Sounds good! I’ll kick things off. My number ten is “The Longest Yard.”

[15:22] J.J.: Great choice! The original or the remake?

[15:24] Olaf: I’m talking about the original with Burt Reynolds.

[15:26] J.J.: Classic! I love that one.

[15:28] Olaf: It’s such a fun movie, and it really captures the camaraderie of the team.

[15:30] J.J.: For sure! My number ten is “Remember the Titans.”

[15:32] Olaf: Another classic!

[15:34] J.J.: It’s such an inspiring story about overcoming adversity and bringing people together through football.

[15:36] Olaf: Absolutely! The performances in that film are top-notch.

[15:38] J.J.: Okay, what’s your number nine?

[15:40] Olaf: My number nine is “Any Given Sunday.”

[15:42] J.J.: Nice! That’s a gritty look at the world of professional football.

[15:44] Olaf: Exactly! It really shows the pressure and the politics behind the scenes.

[15:46] J.J.: My number nine is “Friday Night Lights.”

[15:48] Olaf: Great pick! The series is fantastic too.

[15:50] J.J.: It really captures the essence of high school football and the impact it has on the community.

[15:52] Olaf: For sure! What’s your number eight?

[15:54] J.J.: My number eight is “The Blind Side.”

[15:56] Olaf: Another inspiring story! Sandra Bullock was amazing in that role.

[15:58] J.J.: She really was! It’s a heartwarming film that highlights the importance of family and support.

[16:00] Olaf: What’s your number seven?

[16:02] J.J.: My number seven is “Rudy.”

[16:04] Olaf: A classic underdog story!

[16:06] J.J.: It’s so motivational. You can’t help but root for Rudy!

[16:08] Olaf: Definitely! My number seven is “The Waterboy.”

[16:10] J.J.: That’s a fun one! Adam Sandler really nailed that character.

[16:12] Olaf: It’s hilarious and has some great moments.

[16:14] J.J.: What’s your number six?

[16:16] Olaf: My number six is “We Are Marshall.”

[16:18] J.J.: That’s a powerful film about resilience and rebuilding after tragedy.

[16:20] Olaf: Exactly! It’s a touching story that really resonates.

[16:22] J.J.: My number six is “The Replacements.”

[16:24] Olaf: A fun movie with a great cast!

[16:26] J.J.: It’s a lighthearted take on football and the idea of second chances.

[16:28] Olaf: What’s your number five?

[16:30] J.J.: My number five is “Any Given Sunday.”

[16:32] Olaf: Nice! We’re on the same page with that one.

[16:34] J.J.: It’s just such a raw and real look at the sport.

[16:36] Olaf: What’s your number four?

[16:38] J.J.: My number four is “Remember the Titans.”

[16:40] Olaf: Great choice!

[16:42] J.J.: It’s a timeless story that everyone should see.

[16:44] Olaf: What’s your number three?

[16:46] J.J.: My number three is “Rudy.”

[16:48] Olaf: Another classic!

[16:50] J.J.: It’s just so inspiring and emotional.

[16:52] Olaf: What’s your number two?

[16:54] J.J.: My number two is “The Blind Side.”

[16:56] Olaf: A fantastic film!

[16:58] J.J.: It really showcases the power of love and support.

[17:00] Olaf: And what’s your number one?

[17:02] J.J.: My number one is “Friday Night Lights.”

[17:04] Olaf: A perfect choice!

[17:06] J.J.: It’s just such a well-rounded film that captures the heart of football.

[17:08] Olaf: I love it!

[17:10] J.J.: So there you have it, folks! Our top ten football movies!

[17:12] Olaf: We hope you enjoyed our list.

[17:14] J.J.: Be sure to let us know your favorites on social media!

[17:16] Olaf: And don’t forget to subscribe for more movie discussions!

[17:18] J.J.: Thanks for listening, everyone!

[17:20] Olaf: See you next time!

[28:51] J.J.: You don't know what mine are.

[29:21] Olaf: But I don't. I know you're not going to like mine. And I have a feeling I'm probably not going to like yours.

[29:51] J.J.: You might. You may not just like the order that they're in. But I think you'll be OK with what my five are.

[30:22] Olaf: We'll see. I have a feeling you're going to be scoffing at me.

[30:31] J.J.: Oh, boy. Well, you already have a movie on your list that's entirely too low for my opinion.

[30:46] Olaf: Oh, Friday Night Lights?

[30:52] J.J.: I will start off my top five with my number five, which I just thought of while I was putting this list together. I was like, I know this movie is in my top five, but it's been so long since I've seen it. But clearly it was good enough and it made such an impression on me. And at times I've seen it, I just haven't seen it. So I re-watched this movie yesterday. And I finished it today. My number five, 1999, Oliver Stone, all-star jam-packed cast, Any Given Sunday.

[31:23] Olaf: Some people might have it higher. I have it at five.

[31:25] J.J.: And that's OK. That's fine. So I have it at five. We will be revisiting this.

[31:30] Olaf: We'll be revisiting.

[31:32] J.J.: This cast is stacked. The cuts that Stone, there are 3,000 cuts in this movie. It's just so kinetic and it's all over the place. This movie, you have to be ready to watch it. Like from the jump. The first 15 minutes is a football game. It's kind of like you're just chugging a Red Bull the whole time. The pace of this is so frantic.

[32:03] Olaf: In your face.

[32:04] J.J.: In your face. But it's to his style of filmmaking, Oliver Stone. This was the last movie he made in the 90s when he was just tossing out banger after banger. And this one initially for me when I saw it, because I saw it in the theater 20 plus 25 plus years ago. It's over. It's almost three hours. It doesn't need to be that long. It's long and it's super intense for almost the entire run time. I didn't like it the first time I saw it. I walked out of here. I was like, this is good. It didn't make an impact on me, an impression on me. And then after watching it over the course of time, it is very good. It's still five for me. That's my number five.

[32:40] Olaf: OK. All right. Wow. We haven't gone to blows yet, people. But it's barely gloves are being put on.

[32:49] J.J.: All right. I'll tell you right now, my number five, I would put at number one if I was allowed to. But I cannot. I am not allowed to. I am not allowed to put this in. Because there are at least two other movies that are far superior that would not allow it to be at number one. But I will watch this movie any time, any day. I don't care.

[33:15] Olaf: Hold on. The fact that you said this could be a one, but you're not allowed. And it still falls all the way to five. It's not even at three.

[33:25] J.J.: Yeah. My number five. God, I love this movie so much. Going with my heart, going with my gut. Nineteen ninety one's Necessary Roughness.

[33:31] Olaf: Wow. You got Bacula, Sinbad, Hector Elizondo. The list goes on. Robert Loja. I love this movie. Jason Bateman.

[33:39] J.J.: You're disrespecting it at the beginning of this episode.

[33:46] Olaf: Well, I didn't disrespect it. I was just I mean, I'm glad you're making the list. It didn't make the list. And we've talked about this movie already. I think it was on my guilty pleasures, even though we want to talk about it. So this is another opportunity.

[34:02] J.J.: How dare you, sir? How dare you?

[34:05] Olaf: No, man. I can appreciate the fact that you are on your list.

[34:12] J.J.: Sit down. That is on the five. The fact that you would put it in one, but you're not allowed. The fact that you prefaced it that way.

[34:19] Olaf: I'm not allowed to put it in one. I'm not allowed to put it in one. And it knows that. It knows that. That's the relationship that we have. It knows I would put it at one in a heartbeat. I can't wait till you say that Replacements is number four.

[34:31] J.J.: I tell you, Necessary Roughness. I love this movie so much. You went with your heart, for sure. I love that you got to talk about it earlier, but it broke my heart that you were the one talking about it. Because if you listen to that episode, you can tell who loved it more.

[34:49] Olaf: You're like, but I've got so much I want to say.

[34:53] J.J.: The floor is yours, Olaf.

[34:55] Olaf: I just love this movie so much. I could watch this movie any time of the day, any day of the week. If it's on, I will watch it. It is just great. Everybody in it is great. Jason Bateman is in it. You've got so many people in it. It's just the best. It's just the dumbest premise.

[35:15] J.J.: The ridiculousness of the premise.

[35:18] Olaf: Yeah, the whole football season makes no sense because they only play like five games or something like that.

[35:24] J.J.: Well, I think they play ten games.

[35:27] Olaf: Is it ten? Because it feels like six. But they go 0-8 before they actually win. And they tie. And then somehow they still get to beat the best team.

[35:39] J.J.: No, they just beat the best team in the league the last game of the season. And they finish 1-1-8 or something like that. It's something ridiculous. Or 2-8 or something.

[35:48] Olaf: And you've got the classic dean that hates everybody. Larry Miller is a genius.

[35:56] J.J.: Yeah, boo, boo. He doesn't know what's going on.

[36:01] Olaf: He knows, but he doesn't.

[36:03] J.J.: Yeah. They put a cigarette out in his coffee and he drinks it in.

[36:07] Olaf: Are you done with it? You've got the martial arts guy that just starts karate-chopping.

[36:16] J.J.: He's the only guy playing Iron Man.

[36:19] Olaf: He's the guy who just stays out there.

[36:21] J.J.: Yeah, well, that's like everyone except for Scott Bakula.

[36:24] Olaf: Right, that's right. Oh, my goodness. No, this movie is fantastic. And I'm glad it made a list. It cracked your top five.

[36:34] J.J.: It cracked the top five. And I had to go with my heart.

[36:37] Olaf: You did. There are some critically acclaimed movies that are lower on the list because my heart wasn't in it.

[36:43] J.J.: Your heart knows what it wants.

[36:45] Olaf: Yes. And that's what these lists are about.

[36:55] J.J.: Well, number four then is what, Olaf?

[37:01] Olaf: All right, number four is another classic. It is pure football. It is pure fun and enjoyment, and it makes my heart smile just as much as Necessary Roughness. I mean, honestly, they are related. They are brothers in arms. God, it's another one of those where you put it on. I'm going to laugh. I'm going to cry. I'm going to smile, and I'm just going to be happy. I am talking about the classic 2000, The Replacements.

[37:33] J.J.: Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman. This could be a versus episode.

[37:36] Olaf: No.

[37:37] J.J.: How dare you?

[37:38] Olaf: What are you talking about? They would never fight each other.

[37:40] J.J.: It's basically the same premise.

[37:42] Olaf: They would hug each other. They would hold hands. They would walk. They would support each other.

[37:46] J.J.: Absolutely.

[37:47] Olaf: They would never raise a fist in anger to each other.

[37:50] J.J.: This got an honorable mention for me.

[37:52] Olaf: Yeah, I just don't get it.

[37:54] J.J.: No, Replacements is awesome.

[37:56] Olaf: It really is.

[37:57] J.J.: It is.

[37:58] Olaf: It's a great movie.

[37:59] J.J.: Yeah.

[38:00] Olaf: The only reason why The Replacements is a hair above Necessary Roughness is because we get a little bit more of a season.

[38:07] J.J.: No, I don't think we do.

[38:08] Olaf: I think we do. Because the players go on strike. They go on strike halfway through the season, and so then the replacement players have to come in.

[38:16] J.J.: But they play more.

[38:18] Olaf: They play more games.

[38:19] J.J.: Yes, you're right. There is more football being played. We didn't get as much football in Necessary Roughness.

[38:24] Olaf: One of my favorite scenes in The Replacements is the first game that they play, the replacement players play, and they're in the tunnel. And the pros have put the trip wire over, and they run out. And they just – Favreau just takes out the cheerleaders.

[38:40] J.J.: Yes.

[38:41] Olaf: And then he steps up, and he does this Heisman pose. And then runs off the field.

[38:48] J.J.: Oh, man. That gets me every time.

[38:51] Olaf: He's like, hey. I can see the team, The Replacements team, and the Necessary Roughness team absolutely being best friends. All of them just having the best time together, all getting along.

[39:04] J.J.: Oh, man. Orlando Bloom and the guy from Necessary Roughness both can't catch.

[39:09] Olaf: Orlando Jones.

[39:11] J.J.: Sorry.

[39:12] Olaf: Orlando Jones. Yeah, and Featherstone from Necessary Roughness.

[39:15] J.J.: Featherstone, yes. The ball is my friend.

[39:17] Olaf: The ball is my friend. Keanu Reeves and Scott Bakula would just be the best of friends.

[39:22] J.J.: Oh, my gosh. I could agree with that.

[39:25] Olaf: No, The Replacements is awesome. Sinbad and Favreau just exchanging high fives. And Jack Warden is great.

[39:33] J.J.: No, it's a great, great cast too. Brooke Langdon as the –

[39:37] Olaf: Victor Alessandro is great in Necessary Roughness, but Gene Hackman.

[39:41] J.J.: Gene Hackman. Come on.

[39:43] Olaf: No, he's great.

[39:44] J.J.: He was so good in The Replacements.

[39:46] Olaf: He is.

[39:47] J.J.: He is. No, The Replacements is a lot of fun. And I love that you totally called that I was going to do The Replacements next.

[39:55] Olaf: Like you didn't know.

[39:56] J.J.: When you started describing it, I was like, oh, here it comes.

[40:01] Olaf: Yeah. Yeah, and I am proud, proud of it. These deserve to be on the list. And you were like, Replacements is an honorable mention. And you know what? Necessary Roughness is – I feel like my top four movies deserve to be exactly where they are.

[40:17] J.J.: Yours are?

[40:18] Olaf: Yes.

[40:19] J.J.: Okay. I don't know. My number four. Oh, man. Here we go. We're tugging on the heartstrings. See, we've left the joy. We're tugging on the heartstrings. Where you had We Are Marshall, and it was – that was your tug on the heartstrings moment. My tug on the heartstrings –

[40:35] Olaf: You're going to do it, aren't you?

[40:37] J.J.: I'm going for it. James Caan.

[40:39] Olaf: Yeah, I knew it.

[40:40] J.J.: Billy Dee Williams, Brian's Song.

[40:43] Olaf: Yeah.

[40:44] J.J.: Yeah, Brian Piccolo, Gail Sayers, Bears. It's a whole – I mean –

[40:50] Olaf: 1971. They remade it in the 2000s, but no.

[40:53] J.J.: It's garbage. This is the one. Now, this was another one that I – of the three that I wanted to mention before I started. I cannot believe this is not on your list.

[41:02] Olaf: Well, here's the thing. I thought about putting this on the list because it is a tearjerker. This is like we're just out to get you. We're out to make you cry. It is a football movie, but is it an actual movie or was it a TV movie?

[41:19] J.J.: Oh, my goodness. That was the question.

[41:22] Olaf: That I don't know. And I couldn't remember because I was like –

[41:26] J.J.: You know what? I'm not even going to fight that technicality. Is this a TV movie?

[41:31] Olaf: I think there will be more people on my side of it going, who cares?

[41:35] J.J.: And that's fair.

[41:36] Olaf: Who cares?

[41:37] J.J.: And that is fair. That's why I still wanted to have mentioned the movie if it wasn't brought up. This movie, man – and I watched this one a lot as a kid, too, and maybe it was a TV movie. The reason why I don't think it is and maybe it's just because James Caan is in it and he was already a movie star. I don't know what he would be doing in doing a made-for-TV movie, but I could be completely wrong. And it wouldn't take me long to look it up right now.

[41:59] J.J.: I know, but – and this was right before Godfather. He does Godfather the next year.

[42:04] Olaf: Yeah.

[42:05] J.J.: Brian Song, man, like every time. The Waterworks. Niagara Falls.

[42:10] Olaf: It really is because this movie, man, just hits you in all the right spots.

[42:14] J.J.: It was. It was a TV movie, everybody. I'll go on record right now saying it was a TV movie.

[42:19] Olaf: Okay.

[42:20] J.J.: So my memory was –

[42:21] Olaf: I don't care.

[42:22] J.J.: My memory was correct. So that is why I did not put it on my list. And you know what? I'm just sticking on Brand because I had one on my baseball list too.

[42:32] J.J. Gonzalez: I don't care. Brian Song deserves to be on this list. It deserves to be at least number four, which is exactly where I have it. Look, if I had put Brian Song on my list, it wouldn't have been this high, but I could have put it on my list. You were going with Olaf. Yeah, your other TV movie, I would not have put it as high as you did. I might have to revisit that in a Forgotten Gem because I feel like that's a Forgotten Gem. Oh, when we're doing TV movies? TV movie Forgotten Gems. My number three. Oh, did you have more to say about Brian Song? No, I don't. No, no, no. Go ahead. You're good. Okay. My number three is this movie is intense. It is just pulse-pounding. It puts you basically on the field.

You feel like you're there on the field the whole time. And then when you're not on the field, it still feels like you're on the field. It's 1999's Any Given Sunday, Oliver Stone. We've already visited this, but here we are again. Yeah, this movie is intense. This is what it's like to watch a movie on speed. Yeah, like, yeah, really. And as far as like getting a sense of what it might be like to be on a football field, I can't think of a movie off the top of my head that really puts you in that sense of holy crap. Yeah, no, that's a credit to his filmmaking, because you're absolutely right. Some of these camera angles, some of these camera where the camera placement, the shots. To me, there were a lot of things in this movie where he's like, some of these cuts are really long.

Some of these things are just like, let's just get to it. And maybe that's so you can catch your breath. Or maybe he's just being real stylized in his filmmaking. It is very stylized. But then I wonder how much of it is stylized and how much of it is just art imitating life. How much of this is barely accurate. I'm not even talking about the football scenes. I'm talking about the scenes off of the field. That's what I'm talking about. Yeah. With all the crazy parties and all that. Well, that but then like he's flashing back to the old pictures of the old players and the old style. Like he just like would interspersed intercut those things whenever Pacino's going through something. Yeah. But just how everyone's gunning for each other.

It's very intense the whole time. It is a lot to take in. But for football fans and film lovers, I think it's definitely worth a top three spot. I think it's worth a top five. What I also thought was great, too, is that there's a lot of names in this cast, but it's not distracting. Like everybody is cast really well. So many people in this. So many people. I mean, I just wrote down Jamie Foxx, Al Pacino, Dennis Quaid and Cameron Diaz. But there's so many more people. James Woods, Matthew Modine, Dennis Quaid, Aaron Eckhart. I mean, John C. McGill. I mean, there's just the list goes on and on. But everybody sort of fits their role really well. Yeah. That nobody is distracting or out of place.

No, because even the real football players like Lawrence Taylor basically playing himself, you know, pretty much. Yeah. You know, it's a coach. This is a solid ensemble. It was teetering. I had it at like four. Could it be five? But in the end, I went I went with five because Brian Song broke the TV barrier. Well, here we are. We've reached three are our top three. I've given you my number three. And now I'm going to give you my top three, which you insultingly put at number 10, I think, on your list Friday Night Lights. Wow. What a leap. This movie it. Well, look, this movie. I mean, my replacements at number four was an honorable mention. My necessary roughness. What a leap. I wasn't even on the list.

What a leap for you. Yes. Friday Night Lights. When I first saw this movie, I was kind of like, eh, it really I just and this is coming from a guy who's from Texas. I knew all about it. And maybe it was the way Peter Berg shot it. And I was I was just kind of like, oh, but this movie is fantastic. The way it's shot, the characters, the football, the mentality of Texas football, which we didn't mention this movie. I don't think it's going to crack your top two city blues. But Varsity Blues is that same idea of Texas high school football. But this one is based on a true story about that eighteen. It just does a really great job of not only capturing the football element of it, but capturing the mentality of how they treat high school football in Texas.

Yeah. Not only then, but even still now. But in the 90s, when we were growing up like that's how it was also that mentality of Texas high school football is everything. Yeah. This movie was kind of like a launch pad for a lot of these kids through careers. Billy Bob is great. Connie Britton in a throwaway role in this movie. She gets redeemed in the TV series. But I love Friday Night Lights. Here we go. There's two left. There are two left. And I feel like they're going to be the same. That's what I was thinking. I was thinking to myself, I don't be a crime if well, I'm speaking for my own to that if you're if they're not the same. But yeah, I'm wondering if they'd be switched. But I'm like, no, I feel like they wouldn't be.

I feel like I feel like we're going to land. I think we might land. But who knows? You may know. We'll see. I'll give you a hint. My number two starts with the letter R. Okay, it does. Okay. Oh, that's funny. Hmm. Okay. Would you care to go first? Am I going to tell I could? Okay. So number two on my list also starts with an R as does my number one. Same. Number two is it's an incredible story. Incredible acting. Another launch pad for a lot of young actors. I'm talking about 2000s. Remember the Titans. Disney's Remember the Titans. Denzel Washington, Will Patton are your big names. And then you've got all kinds of young actors up and coming in this movie. What an incredible film. Yeah, that is not my number two.

Wow. And how dare you? Because the number one spot is absolutely should be what is that number? That's that's my number two. I know it's it. This is where maybe the crowd's coming after me now. Maybe all the all the people that you thought were coming after you're coming after me. You're going to get vindicated for your necessary roughness and replacement. Well, because I was like, okay, there's two left. Let's get it. Let's get into it. I mean, everybody listen. And then my number one is Rudy. And I have them switched. I honestly I was like, there's no way he doesn't have Rudy elsewhere. Rudy should be number one. And 1993 is Rudy. Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty. Another film that launched.

That's what I'm saying. I don't know where you were going with it. Well, Sean Astin, you know, he's done so much before that. Jon Favreau, he's been in and out of parts here and there. Vince Vaughn is in it as well. Ned Beatty, you know, Ned Beatty is a dad. Oh, man. So great. Chelsea Ross is the coach as the second. I mean, Charles has done. Now, Rudy, the reason why Rudy is two for me is because remember, the Titans just hit me a little more. Now, Rudy is all about is everything right. The underdog story that don't quit. It really is like the ultimate underdog story. I mean, Sean Astin captures the spirit of the underdog because it's another one of those. We're going to we're going to take the idea of this true story and we're going to indulge a bit and we're going to over dramatize here and there.

But man, do they do it so well. And you're just not a dry eye in the house. That last half of the movie. Oh, well, when they're chanting his name in the field, they want to bring him in. And with his dad coming in, the brother and the brother who runs out onto the field and his dad's like, there he's clapping and Favreau's there. He's like, he's so little. Well, like Vince Vaughn is like, I did this for you. Go get him. Yeah, no. And the struggles that he goes through with his family, with his schooling and his brothers and just all of that stuff. I mean, we're I mean, we're still going to talk about Remember the Titans. Oh, no. I mean, this is yeah. I mean, yeah, I just for me, Rudy, there was no doubt.

I started with number one. I was like, it's Rudy. There was no question for me. It was like, Rudy, remember the Titans. That's not even a they're going to be there. And how do we flush the rest? When I started, I was like, Rudy, number one. All right. What's next? Remember the Titans. And then I was like, all right. OK, now I'll figure out this list. But yeah, we'll figure it out. Yeah. Remember the Titans is just another brilliant. Well, Disney, Disney, Disney, man, more true story, true story. Denzel Washington is excellent, as always. I think what puts Remember the Titans slightly over Rudy for me is and it's hard to because I mean, it's an emotional film. It just doesn't have quite the racial impact, the conflict, these two guys on both sides of it trying to bring the whole team together who originally hated each other, who originally don't like each other.

Right. And who knows what kind of liberties they took to get there on the screen? Who knows? It doesn't matter. I love the music, the time period, all of these elements. Denzel argument could be said as Denzel being Denzel. But that's why we love Denzel, because he's they didn't hire Denzel to not be Denzel. Right. He's commanding the screen and will patent the consummate actor's actor. Yes. This dude, you give him anything and he's going to make sure that not only does he shine, but everybody around him shines. He does that all the time. And he does it in this movie. He is so unsung in this movie. He's unsung in a lot of things. That's true, too. But I agree in this movie, the work that he does goes so unseen.

And it's such a shame because you if you sit and you really watch what he's doing in the scenes he's in, it's like, wow, he's got this quiet stillness about him that speaks volumes in terms of what he's thinking and what he's trying to say. The moments he has with Hayden Penetere as his daughter. There's just a lot of and then if you don't know the story and like maybe you don't know the story about Rudy and then you see it. But if you don't know the story about this one and then they win and they're going to go into the last game and then it gets into a car accident, he's paralyzed with the James Taylor fire. And you're just like, what is happening? And then to find out that he later ends up passing away anyway, it's just like there's just a lot of things going on for me with with more than one character where you're sort of invested in a few characters.

I mean, it's like one in one a really. I mean, both of these movies are just amazing. I mean, that's why they're one and two for me. And yeah, I knew we would be here at this point. I thought there was a moment there where I thought we were going to both be. I thought Rudy was number one for both. Yeah. And like I said, man, it could easily. But just for what it's an edge, it's an edge. It's a photo finish for me. OK, I will say this. Your list not as like you were coming in thinking that your list was going well, because I mean, because of my roughness and replacements and it's five because some would argue that those are guilty pleasure movies. But well, we've talked about necessary roughness as a guilty pleasure for sure.

But that's not what we're talking about. We're talking about what are our top 10 football movies. And I love those movies. No, I mean, I can't. What I'm looking at when I had to make a list of, OK, what are all the football movies I can think of and what I've seen? Because like there's Wildcats, there's all right. There's all the right moves. North Dallas 40. Yeah, there were there were these other Russian if you want to go that there were these other football movies that we didn't even mention. And I love Wildcats. You know, I thought about Wildcats and I thought about all the right moves. And that was the third of the three that I wanted to mention. So I'm actually surprised I didn't make your list.

But Wildcats, you know, all the right moves. Oh, Wildcats for me would have been one that like I remember watching that movie a lot because my mom loves that movie, too. But see, Wildcats has the same problem as Blindside with the whole like. Yeah, but but Wildcats is just trying to be a comedy. They're not trying to tell a true story or anything. They're just like they need an inner city football coach and she's it, you know. Anyway, I was surprised you didn't have like Leatherheads or now. See, I thought you were going to have Leatherheads the way you were talking. You're like, I'm going to pick up something. He's going to have concussion and Leatherheads on his top 10. Remember what side of the tracks I'm from when it comes to these movies.

Yeah, no, not not Leatherheads, guys. That is our top 10 football movies. So we hope that you enjoy another football season this year. And we hope you enjoyed listening to our episode of our football movies. If anything, check us out for our next couple of episodes. We've always got fun stuff coming your way. And be sure to check us out on our website, BTTMTPodcast.com for all your podcast needs. And until then, bear down and to be continued.

[56:02] J.J. Gonzalez: Back to the Movie Theater is hosted by J.J. Gonzalez and Olaf Adsit.

[56:11] Johnny Clay: Produced by me, Johnny Clay, J.J. Gonzalez and Olaf Adsit.

[56:16] Johnny Clay: Theme song and incidental music by The Dimes. Visit us at BTTMTPodcast.com for trivia, play alongs, merch and more. That's BTTMTPodcast.com. Follow us on Instagram and TikTok and find us on YouTube at Back to the Movie Theater with J.J. and Olaf.