It was a great year for sports movies, two in particular. “The Blind Side,” the amazing story of Baltimore Ravens tackle Michael Oher and “Invictus,” the story of the South Africa rugby team. Do either rank among the best sports movies ever? Only time will tell if they’ll crack this list:
1. “Raging Bull” » Forget sports movies. For many fans this is on the short list of greatest movies, period. Robert DeNiro won an Academy Award for his portrayal of middleweight boxer Jake LaMotta.
Memorable line » Joey LaMotta’s unrepeatable explanation of why fight judges are miserable.
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2. “Hoosiers” » How important is basketball in the state of Indiana? This film explains it with an unforgettable underdog tale.
Memorable line » “I’ll make it,” says Jimmy Chitwood, who did.
3. “Rocky” » It’s too bad the Rocky franchise devolved into ridiculousness, obscuring how great the original was. This won the Academy Award for Best Picture in 1976.
Memorable line » “Yo, Adrian” is so overdone it’s gone from memorable to something we wish we could forget.
4. “Bull Durham” » The best baseball movie because it doesn’t treat the sport with the reverence of “The Natural” or “Field of Dreams.”
Memorable line » “You just got lesson No. 1: Don’t think. It can only hurt the ball club.
5. “Caddyshack” » OK, it never had a chance to win an Academy Award, but has there ever been a movie more widely quoted?
Memorable line » “Wanna make 14 dollars the hard way?”
