Can’t get enough of March madness? Not only are there some great games on television, but there are some great basketball movies or at least that have basketball themes — that you and your family can watch in between games. Check out these five that are currently playing on Netflix. Pop some popcorn and gather the family around to enjoy these basketball movies:
Glory Road: In this Disney film, Josh Lucas stars as future Hall of Fame coach Don Haskins of tiny Texas Western University, who bucks convention by simply starting the best players he can find: history’s first all-African American lineup. In a turbulent time of social and political change, their unlikely success sends shock waves through the sport that follow the underdog Miners all the way to an epic showdown! Rated: PG; Released: January 13, 2006. Glory Road was inspired by a true story, as described by Texas Western’s head coach Don Haskins in his autobiography of the same title, a national bestseller released in 2005 by Hyperion Books.
1001 to 1: The Cory Weissman Story: Talk about an inspirational story, Cory Weissman was a basketball player, who had a stroke while attending Gettysburg College. He scored 1000 points in high school — holy smokes — and looked forward to continuing his basketball career. He has some issues coping with what happens to him and his recovery is slow, but when it comes to his last game of his senior year, Weissman has a surprise which gives special meaning to the title of the movie. Hey, I don’t want to give it all away. Check out this movie that was released in 2014.
He Got Game: Denzel Washington was just nominated for an Academy Award for his role in Fences, where he copes with his missed baseball career after they start letting black players into the MLB. In this movie, a 1998 American sports drama film written, produced and directed by Spike Lee, he portrays Jake Shuttlesworth, father of the top-ranked basketball prospect in the country, Jesus Shuttlesworth, played by NBA star Ray Allen. Jake, in prison for killing his wife, is released on parole for a week by the state’s governor to persuade his son to play for the governor’s alma mater, in exchange for a much reduced prison sentence.
Hoovey: This basketball movie came out in 2015 and it is inspired by a true story. The movie is about teenager Eric “Hoovey” Elliott, who collapses at a high school basketball practice, is rushed to the hospital, and the doctors find a tumor the size of an orange at the base of his brain. Okay it’s one of those feel-good stories that has some basketball thrown in. Disclaimer: I do not take any responsibility for the crying.
At All Costs: This Netflix original gives you an up-close and personal look at how the AAU Basketball circuit works. The film features Arizona Wildcats. The documentary explores the high-stakes world of Amateur Athletic Union basketball has professionalized youth sports in America. The documentary also follows Parker Jackson-Cartwright as he navigates through AAU ball just before committing to the Wildcats.
And it’s not on Netflix, but if you can check out Hoosiers, make sure you do. It’s a 1986 sports film written by Angelo Pizzo and directed by David Anspaugh. According to its blurb, it is the story of a small-town Indiana high school basketball team that wins the state championship. It is loosely based on the Milan High School team that won the 1954 state championship.
Gene Hackman stars as Norman Dale, a new coach with a spotty past. The film co-stars Barbara Hershey and Dennis Hopper, whose role as the basketball-loving town drunk, earned him an Oscar nomination. Jerry Goldsmith was also nominated for an Academy Award for his score. In 2001, Hoosiers was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”. Trust me, it’s worth it.
My husband calls March madness ‘the most wonderful time of the year.’ He’s right. The fun is ridiculous. Enjoy these basketball movies.
