Football isn't just a matter of life and death for some people. It's way more important than that.
In the purgatory that football fans refer to as the period between the last second of the Super Bowl and the first kickoff of the next football season, fans have been known to do some pretty strange things.
For instance, they will feign interest in baseball. They will spend time with their families. Some might even read a book ... about football.
None of these activities, however, truly fills the void left by the absence of football.
The only proven way to kill time before the start of football season is to watch a movie about football. The next best thing to watching football on TV is watching a football movie on TV.
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For the record, Adam Sandler's "The Waterboy" did not make the list, even though it is the biggest-grossing football movie of all time. If I had expanded the list to 1,000, it still would not have made my list.
1. "The Longest Yard" (1974): Any of the top four films on this list could have been No. 1, but this is the movie that can be watched over and over again. Sheer entertainment value scores six points for this Burt Reynolds classic. The 2005 remake isn't worth mentioning, although I just did.
2. "Friday Night Lights" (2004): Before there was a pretty hot TV series, there was this excellent Peter Berg-directed movie about an orthodox religious sect called Texas high school football.
3. "North Dallas Forty" (1979): If you were to send me a nasty e-mail about not putting this at the top of the list, I would not put up much of an argument. I love this movie, but gave it a five-yard penalty for casting Mac Davis as the quarterback. Otherwise, a great film about the dark side of professional football.
4. "Remember the Titans" (2000): Denzel Washington stars as a high school football coach who fights bigotry in the South. That scene-stealing, football-savvy daughter of the white coach is none other than Hayden Panettiere of "Heroes."
5. "Everybody's All-American" (1988): Director Taylor Hackford's saga of a football hero (Dennis Quaid) and his homecoming queen wife (Jessica Lange) who try to adjust to life outside the college spotlight. He is good in the role, but she truly is his better half.
6. "Brian's Song" (1971): I never cried. I never cried. I never cried. That's my story, and I'm sticking to it. This film ranks high on this list despite its diminished status as a made-for-television movie. It was a milestone in the history of football movies.
7. "Rudy" (1993): Ru-dee, Ru-dee, Ru-dee, Ru-dee, Ru-dee, Ru-dee, Ru-dee.
8. "Heaven Can Wait" (1978): OK, it doesn't have the look and feel of a football movie, and Warren Beatty isn't a physically imposing athlete, but he's got a quarterback's pretty face and he gets the girl. Therefore, it qualifies as a realistic football movie.
9. "Lucas" (1986): You might not be familiar with this film, but it's a worthy coming-of-age story about a bright high school dweeb (Corey Haim) who falls for a girl who prefers the studly football player played by Charlie Sheen.
10. "Invincible": This would be rated at the top of the list in Philadelphia because it's a real-life story about a guy from the neighborhood who wins a spot on the Philadelphia Eagles after new coach Dick Vermeil holds open auditions as a publicity stunt. A peek at the legendary politeness of Philadelphia sports fans.
http://www.victoriaadvocate.com/news/2009/sep/08/bc-barrywoodoc-_-entertainment-1100-words/?sports&nflAbout Waterboy, it was far more entertaining then (14)Varsity Blues and (23) Wildcats which bored me to tears. It's a good list. I would've thrown Any Given Sunday on there myself. At least ahead of Varsity Blues and Wildcats. That's just my opinion.
Edited to add I see Reagan is at #15 :puke: I never seen the movie but still... :puke:
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