We all enjoy settling down to a good film on the odd occasion. Sometimes it’s a tear-jerker, other times we need something that fills our belly full of laughter. Whatever mood you’re in though, there is always a movie to suit. And if you’re one who likes to hear tales of underdogs overcoming huge obstacles, of fighting against the odds and coming out triumphant, then sports films are just what you could be looking for.
They have it all, tick all the boxes. They can make us laugh, make us cry, they tug on the heart strings in so many different ways. On top of that, you get all the extra feels when you find out it’s based on a true story. Learning how people who maybe weren’t the favorites never let their dreams escape them, and kept working hard to achieve everything they ever wanted and more.
Just look at the tale of Leicester City. No one listed them in the top sports picks, they were at odds of 5000/1 to win the Premier League. But somehow, they overcame those odds and managed to beat some of the best teams in the world to a domestic title. There were even a few people, the kind of die hard fans who always dream big, who backed their team with bookmakers, and ended up winning BIG!
Anyway, if you’ve never watched a sports-based film before, you’d be surprised how good they are. And November is going to see some excellent sports-based movies released on the big screen, and to some of the major subscription services around the world. So let’s check out some of the ones we’re looking forward to the most this month.
Bruised
Depending where you live in the world, Bruised will be released on Netflix on either the 17th or 24th of November. It follows the story of a disgraced MMA fighter who is looking for redemption in the cage. But as with any film, it’s no straight path back to glory, as the protagonist, Jackie Justice (Halle Berry), must face demons from her past and confront them much like her fights in the cage, head on.
And if that wasn’t enough to contend with already, a son who she abandoned as an infant, reenters Jackie’s world. Making this more than some fighting film with a quest for redemption, it turns it into a complete emotional roller coaster.
The film itself holds some extra special meaning for Halle Berry though, who not only plays the main character, but also directs the movie, her first time ever doing so. She decided to pick up the script when original director Nick Cassavetes pulled out. She then did some work on the script, changing the background of the characters and location of the film, fitting something that she was more acquainted to, with the original story being based around a young Irish catholic girl.
To really make the film feel real, Berry spent a lot of time training with the UFC’s women’s flyweight champion, Valentina Shevchenko. Admitting in an interview with Jimmy Fallon just how real things got: “She had to throw some real kicks, and I had to really take them, and that really broke some bones. She’s a beast, but I couldn’t have asked for a better teacher, a better scene mate, or a better fight partner. She just brought so much reality to it for me. At times, I felt like I was really fighting.”
Source: https://m.akipress.com/news:648059:Netflix_acquires_Halle_Berry_s_MMA_movie__Bruised__co-starring_UFC_champ_Valentina_Shevchenko/
King Richard
You may well have heard of superstar tennis sisters Serena and Venus Williams, but do you know how they became the formidable stars that dominated tennis for so many years? Well, you will do if you tune into King Richard, which drops in cinemas and on HBO Max on November 17th.
Starring Will Smith as Richard Williams, this movie tells the inspiring true story of how two of tennis’ greatest ever players came to be. It follows their father who, despite having no tennis background, steps in to coach and mentor both his daughters, taking them on a journey that will see them dominate the sport, breaking records and winning more silverware than we can count on our fingers and toes.
But it’s no easy ride. Both their journey and that of their father Richard is full of tough battles. Fighting hardship, skepticism, and a troubled past that tries to catch up with him, this movie will no doubt have you crying and cheering all the way through, as it drags you in and has you egging the sisters on with every swing of their rackets.
As well as a star studded cast, the movie also features a soundtrack by another influential female, Beyonce, with her track “Be Alive”.
One for next month
Ok, so this isn’t a sports movie released this month, but it is just around the corner in December, and it deserves a mention. Another tale based on a true story, American Underdog follows the miraculous story of Kurt Warner, a simple man who spent his time working in a supermarket dreaming of playing in the NFL. And wouldn’t you know it? He goes and does it.
No matter how many setbacks he had, how many times he was put down and told he wasn’t good enough, this superstar never quit. But rather than just settling with making it to the NFL, he continued to push himself and would go on to become a two-time NFL MVP, a Super Bowl champion and inducted into the NFL Hall of Fame in 2017.
It’s another heartwarming story, and perfect to watch when it releases on Christmas Day, 2021.
That’s all for now, let us know if you check out any of these films, and what you thought of them. And if you’ve any sports films you feel are a must watch, let us know in the comments so we can check them out.
