TOUCHDOWNS AND TRIUMPHS

This weekend the Patriots meet the Giants in the Superbowl --- again. I'm a Tim Tebow girl, a Mark Sanchez fan, and used to carry around an autographed photo of the Chiefs Lenny Dawson when I was a kid, so I have no skin in the game. I don't care about the Patriots or the Giants, but, as a writer, I'm drawn to stories. I've always been a fan of Tom Brady because, though it's hard to believe now, he was once dismissed. Eli Manning, too, has always struggled to prove himself worthy of the kind of attention and admiration afforded his brother Peyton. I love sports for the competition but also for the stories. Every player has one and when they are highlighted on and off the field and paired with a physical competition, they become great fodder for screenwriters and film makers. There are stories of triumph and tragedy, comedy and, yes terror. Below are a few football movies you should check out if you haven't. You might not agree with my list of favorites, but you also may not be a fan of the Patriots or the Giants --- but you'll still be watching the Super Bowl. Because it's football. And like a bad football game is still better than no football game at all, an average sports movie is still better than just about any other kind.

The Blind Side - Michael Lewis' book is brilliant and the movie comes closer than most to its source material. The true story of Michael Oher, pulled from poverty by a wealthy white family in Memphis and given a chance to use his athletic abilities to get into college and build a future, it is most beloved by me for portraying a lead female character who isn't a prostitute, romantic heroine, futuristic action hero, or nagging obnoxious girlfriend. Sandra Bullock portrays a strong, smart, loving woman with a nice family whose superpower is nothing more than doing the right thing.

We Are Marshall - Go ahead and start crying now. A plane crashes and most of players and coaches of Marshall University die, leaving a town in mourning and a football program in disarray. Enter Matthew McConaughey as the new coach and the outstanding Anthony Mackie as one of the surviving players and you have all you need for a great football movie that operates by the playbook but does so perfectly.

Jerry Maguire - In my worthless opinion, one of the best movies of all time. Funny, moving and real with a career defining performance from Tom Cruise and career making turns by Cuba Gooding Jr. and Renee Zellweger, the story of a sports agent trying to rebuild his career and a wide receiver trying to hang on to his, the movie went behind the scenes of the business of football while making us care deeply about a group of flawed characters.

Remember the Titans - Racism. Tragedy. Triumph. Denzel. High School football is the backdrop for the story of an African American coach trying to bring sense and victory to players, coaches and townspeople in the South. It has the requisite stoic leaders, learned lessons and bedside vigils, but does it all so well you'll be crying and cheering and moved throughout.

The Express - Ernie Davis was the first African American to win the Heisman Trophy. That's already a great story. The sad ending to his triumphant life, though, adds another dimension. It was what a young man accomplished in the short time he was given, though, that makes the story such an amazing one.

Heaven Can Wait - A great supernatural love story set against the backdrop of the Los Angeles (yes L.A.!) Rams, Warren Beatty's movie is a bit dated now and ripe for a remake. It's nostalgic and even a bit old fashioned.

The Game Plan - Because it stars the Rock and any football movie starring The Rock should be seen and appreciated.

Black Sunday - This was made in the 1970's, in the last big recession, when movie goers flocked to the cinema to escape their own problems and watch cruise ships capsize (The Poseidon Adventure, not the Costa Concordia), skyscrapers burn (The Towering Inferno) and earthquakes destroy L.A. (Earthquake). You can almost hear the studio executives: "We're running out of disasters! What can we do?" "I know, what if a group of terrorists take over a blimp and try to crash it into the Super Bowl? Terrorists, explosions, and football! We'll make thousands, if not millions, of dollars!" Sadly, terrorists have advanced in their methods, so this seems quaint now. But come on! Terrorists trying to crash a blimp into the Super Bowl? You know you have to watch that one!

Tim Tebow, Everything in Between - Okay, it's a documentary, not a feature --- but it should be one. They said he couldn't be a quarterback in high school and he took his team to a state championship. They said he couldn't compete in college and he won two National Championships and a Heisman. They said he wouldn't be drafted in the first round and...well, unless you've been dead this year you know the rest of the story. Handsome, inspirational leading man. Underdog story. Evil villain (yes, that's you John Elway, and okay, yes, I know, you're not actually in the documentary, but still...) What's not to love?

There are many other fine football movies. These are just a few of the ones I like. I fear that the football movie, along with other sports movies, may be losing the ultimate game at the box office. With a film industry relying more and more on foreign revenue, the very American sport of football with its limited American audience of only 307,000,000 people, is considered a risky subject matter. If only everyone could remember, though, that it's not about the sports. It's about the characters and the stories. Good stories will always be worth telling, whether they take place on a green screen or a green field.