Football films that score big

Are you ready for some football? Movies... that is. Can’t say I’m as pumped as most for Super Bowl Sunday. One, I’ll be working. Two, I’ve never been much of a football fan. But I am proud that New England’s own has made it to the coveted bowl for the seventh time in the team’s history, and for that I’ve asked the seven members of our newsroom staff — myself included — to tell me what their favorite football films are. After all, a film can pack in as much blood, sweat and tears as a real game can, if not a bit more comic relief.

So after the Super Bowl, when you’re not quite ready to push football aside and welcome in the baseball season, go out and rent a couple of these somewhat surprising choices — you’ll have just as much fun watching them as you would cheering on the Patriots. Go team!

“Little Giants” (1994)

So basically, I don’t do movies. But when I did, back in 1994, I was pretty into “Little Giants” staring Rick Moranis. That’s right, the dude from “Honey, I Shrunk the Kids.” The movie had it all. A 9-year-old named Spike who could carry a fridge on his back, a cheerleader turned running back, and a little guy who knocked himself out cold when he ran straight into the field-goal post after scoring a touchdown . Oh, and Al Bundy was in it too.

— Michael Pezone, Sport Editor

“Lucas” (1986)

I don’t care for football movies but I do have a special place in my heart for “Lucas” starring the late Corey Haim. This movie is almost painful for me to watch because high school is depicted so accurately with the cruel bullying, the intense crushes and embarrassments and the best friends you’ll ever make.

— Amy Cotton, Social Editor

“The Replacements” (2000)

“Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole.” That’s what you’ll have stuck in your head after watching “The Replacements.”

After a pro football team goes on strike, the owners are forced to find substitute players to finish out the season. Gene Hackman and Keanu Reeves are at the helm of the movie, but to me it’s all about the supporting players.

A chain-smoking soccer player from Whales with a bad gambling habit is recruited as kicker. A former defensive back who is now is prison for assaulting a police officer is allowed to play with the permission of the governor. A sumo wrestler from Japan is recruited to play offensive tackle. A SWAT team leader with an anger management problem, played by Jon Favreau, does his best as linebacker. And Orlando Jones as a convenience store clerk, with the quickest legs, but who can’t catch, is chosen as the wide receiver. Throw in two security guards brothers to come on as, you guessed it, guards, and you’ve got yourself a team.

With “The Replacements” it’s not just about the game, but the camaraderie that goes along with it. And you’ll get a whole lot of laughs out of it too, especially when they start recruiting for the cheerleading positions.

— Laura Kennedy, Assistant Editor

“Necessary Roughness” (1991)

While it didn’t win any Oscars and it’s certainly not going to be added to the National Film Registry any time soon, I still felt that “Necessary Roughness” — which stars Scott Bakula, Sinbad and Kathy Ireland — ought to be considered as one of the best football movies. Granted, I haven’t actually seen the movie but after two of my co-workers gave it a resounding endorsement, I decided to watch some clips. After I watched a few scenes — which included Wally’s pep talk and one called Samurai football — I decided it wasn’t as terrible as I thought and figured it deserved to be a part of this list. Go Armadillos.

— Craig Lyons, Staff Reporter

“Rudy” (1993)

It’s an obvious choice to any Notre Dame football fan such as myself, but even those non-Irish lovers recognize the triumph of the human spirit in this story.

“Rudy” represents the essence of Notre Dame football; it is not an affection grown from mere school affiliation, but a deep-seated love that is passed down from generations, just as it is from Rudy and his father and it was with my parents to me. When he finally gets to play in a game, sacks the quarterback from Georgia Tech on the final play (no Hollywood there, that really happened), and is carried off the field on his teammates’ shoulders, I get misty eyed.

“Rudy” is more than a football movie, it’s a testament to the triumph of the underdog, the accomplishment of a dream and the fulfillment of a destiny.

— Monica Hogan, Sports Writer

“The Longest Yard” (1974)

“The Longest Yard” is my favorite — the one with Burt Reynolds, not Adam Sandler. It was a movie that most definitely did not need to be remade.

It’s a hilarious mixture of off-color comedy, drama and surprisingly good football scenes facilitated by roles from such NFL greats as Ray Nitschke and Joe Kapp, who each played in Super Bowls.

I thought it was Burt Reynolds’ finest role, and I also loved Bernadette Peters as the warden’s secretary with the beehive hairdo, which begat the Reynolds line: “Nice hair. Ever find any spiders in it?”

— Roger Carroll, Editor

“Remember the Titans” (2000)

“Remember the Titans” juxtaposes a feel-good football story with an important historical and cultural message. Who could expect anything less from Disney?

An all-star cast drives the story of an early ’70s Virginia high school football team that represents one of the first integrated squads in the country. Denzel Washington leads the way as the hard-nosed coach, and the roster is filled up by several recognizable actors before their primes, including Ryan Gosling, “Scrubs’s” Donald Faison, and “The Wire’s” Wood Harris, among others.

Besides some excellent football scenes, the movie is rounded out by an exceptional soundtrack, drawing on some timely tunes from James Taylor, Cat Stevens and Marvin Gaye, to name a few.

— Ian Lord, Staff Writer