Its that special time of the year again where the NCAA basketball tournament, often known as March Madness, reigns. Over the upcoming days, millions of people will fill out brackets trying to predict the crazy upsets and the eventual national champion of the sport. Here are five movies about basketball that will get you ready to watch college basketball for the next month.
Space Jam (1996)
In Space Jam, Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tune friends are in trouble. The characters have agreed to play a basketball game against some small aliens that will turn them into slaves if they lose. The game seemed to be an easy win until the aliens stole the basketball prowess from NBA players and have turned into gigantic creatures known as the Monstars. Desperate for help, Bugs abducts Michael Jordan, who has quit basketball for a baseball career. Can Jordan regain his skills quickly enough to save the Looney Tunes? Check out Space Jam if you are looking for a family friendly basketball film during March Madness.
Blue Chips (1994)
In Blue Chips, Nick Nolte plays Pete Bell, a college basketball coach who is desperate to turn around his programs fortunes after a losing season. To recruit the best players, Bell resigns himself to the fact that he will need help from boosters to pay off his recruits. After breaking NCAA restrictions, Bells program soon goes to the top. But is the glory worth the means? Real NBA players Shaquille ONeal and Penny Hardaway co-star. Turn on Blue Chips to see an interesting movie about the dark side of college athletics.
Finding Forrester (2000)
In Finding Forrester, Jamal Wallace is a talented young African-American basketball player who also has a special talent as a writer. His prowess on the court leads to him being offered a scholarship to an uppity private school. When he meets up with reclusive writer William Forrester, Wallace finds an unlikely mentor. Wallace and Forrester begin an unusual relationship that will be tested when Wallace breaks a promise about not publishing the written work the two do in Forresters apartment. Finding Forrester is really a movie about overcoming racial prejudice and Wallaces dream of becoming a writer, but basketball plays an important role in the film. Throw on Finding Forrester if you are in the mood to watch a movie about fulfilling dreams or just to hear Sean Connerys awesome accent.
Teen Wolf (1985)
In Teen Wolf, high school student Scott Howard (played by Michael J. Fox) is undergoing some changes. While a changing body for teenagers is not unusual in itself, the changes that Howard is experiencing are atypical hes turning into a werewolf. Howards father reveals to him that he is also a werewolf and he did not tell his son because sometimes it skips a generation. Howard decides to keep this new development to himself until he accidentally turns into a werewolf during a basketball game. Something peculiar happens when he turns into a werewolf he suddenly becomes an incredible player. Teen Wolf is a great 80s movie, and you should check it out if youre in the mood for a good laugh.
Forget Paris (1995)
In Forget Paris, Billy Crystal plays Mickey Gordon, an NBA referee who flies to Paris to bury his late father. Gordon is detained after his fathers casket goes missing. He is aided by the beautiful Ellen Andrews in locating the casket. The two eventually fall in love and marry and go through the difficulties and adjustments that many newly married couples experience. Like Finding Forrester, Forget Paris is not a basketball movie per se, but has basketball strewn through it. You might want to watch Forget Paris as a compromise between a romantic comedy and a sports movie.
What are your favorite basketball movies?
Space Jam (1996)
In Space Jam, Bugs Bunny and his Looney Tune friends are in trouble. The characters have agreed to play a basketball game against some small aliens that will turn them into slaves if they lose. The game seemed to be an easy win until the aliens stole the basketball prowess from NBA players and have turned into gigantic creatures known as the Monstars. Desperate for help, Bugs abducts Michael Jordan, who has quit basketball for a baseball career. Can Jordan regain his skills quickly enough to save the Looney Tunes? Check out Space Jam if you are looking for a family friendly basketball film during March Madness.
Blue Chips (1994)
In Blue Chips, Nick Nolte plays Pete Bell, a college basketball coach who is desperate to turn around his programs fortunes after a losing season. To recruit the best players, Bell resigns himself to the fact that he will need help from boosters to pay off his recruits. After breaking NCAA restrictions, Bells program soon goes to the top. But is the glory worth the means? Real NBA players Shaquille ONeal and Penny Hardaway co-star. Turn on Blue Chips to see an interesting movie about the dark side of college athletics.
Finding Forrester (2000)
In Finding Forrester, Jamal Wallace is a talented young African-American basketball player who also has a special talent as a writer. His prowess on the court leads to him being offered a scholarship to an uppity private school. When he meets up with reclusive writer William Forrester, Wallace finds an unlikely mentor. Wallace and Forrester begin an unusual relationship that will be tested when Wallace breaks a promise about not publishing the written work the two do in Forresters apartment. Finding Forrester is really a movie about overcoming racial prejudice and Wallaces dream of becoming a writer, but basketball plays an important role in the film. Throw on Finding Forrester if you are in the mood to watch a movie about fulfilling dreams or just to hear Sean Connerys awesome accent.
Teen Wolf (1985)
In Teen Wolf, high school student Scott Howard (played by Michael J. Fox) is undergoing some changes. While a changing body for teenagers is not unusual in itself, the changes that Howard is experiencing are atypical hes turning into a werewolf. Howards father reveals to him that he is also a werewolf and he did not tell his son because sometimes it skips a generation. Howard decides to keep this new development to himself until he accidentally turns into a werewolf during a basketball game. Something peculiar happens when he turns into a werewolf he suddenly becomes an incredible player. Teen Wolf is a great 80s movie, and you should check it out if youre in the mood for a good laugh.
Forget Paris (1995)
In Forget Paris, Billy Crystal plays Mickey Gordon, an NBA referee who flies to Paris to bury his late father. Gordon is detained after his fathers casket goes missing. He is aided by the beautiful Ellen Andrews in locating the casket. The two eventually fall in love and marry and go through the difficulties and adjustments that many newly married couples experience. Like Finding Forrester, Forget Paris is not a basketball movie per se, but has basketball strewn through it. You might want to watch Forget Paris as a compromise between a romantic comedy and a sports movie.
What are your favorite basketball movies?
