Touchback is an emotional story about second chances, choices, and the true meaning of success. Directed by Don Handfield and starring Kurt Russell and Brian Presley, the film combines sports drama with fantasy elements as it explores the dilemma of a man who gets the chance to rewrite his destiny.
Directed by Torsten Ruether, Uppercut is a sports drama that follows Toni, an aspiring boxer determined to break barriers and redefine what it means to be a woman in the contemporary world. When she seeks training from Elliott Duffond, a former boxing champion played by Ving Rhames, Toni forms an unlikely alliance that challenges both of them to confront their own limits and prejudices. The narrative explores themes of resilience, self-discovery and the fight for equality in a traditionally male-dominated environment.
Hard Miles is a sports drama inspired by the true story of Greg Townsend, a social worker who forms a cycling team of young inmates for a life-changing 1,000-mile trek to the Grand Canyon. Directed by R.J. Daniel Hanna and starring Matthew Modine, the film highlights resilience and the human spirit by showing how sports can be an event for positive change. With compelling performances and cinematography that captures the vastness and beauty of the landscapes traveled, Hard Miles offers a moving tale of resilience and teamwork. If you enjoy true stories that celebrate the power of transformation and the importance of empathy, this film is a great choice.
Chasing Mavericks tells the inspiring true story of young surfer Jay Moriarity, who trains with a mentor to take on the massive Mavericks waves. An emotional sports drama about perseverance and friendship.
Movies about sports and overcoming adversity have become a constant subgenre in Hollywood. From tennis (King Richard) to boxing (Rocky, Creed) and even open water swimming with Nyad. A Netflix original, the film tells the true story of Diana Nyad (Annette Bening), a professional swimmer who, at the age of 60, attempts to achieve the one feat she hasn't accomplished: swimming from Cuba to Florida, over 60 hours without stopping. While it employs many of the genre's formulas, focusing on themes of overcoming adversity and the like, Nyad manages to be emotionally stirring, thanks in large part to the outstanding performances of Bening and Jodie Foster (The Silence of the Lambs), who portrays the coach. Directed competently by the duo Jimmy Chin and Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi (Oscar winners for the documentary Free Solo), the film is likely to bring tears to the audience as they witness a true story of triumph, no-nonsense, on the screen. And the best part: it evokes the same sharpness as Free Solo, an excellent sports documentary.