The 1970s is often heralded as thegreatest decade in Hollywood history, and the sports movies made during that ten-year span did their part in establishing that well-deserved reputation.
The ‘70s were characterized by a new gritty realism in movies, and thesports films of the eraindeed reflected that, offering more complex characterizations, greater authenticity in the presentation of sports action, and a less-sentimental view of sports in general.
The best sports films of the 1970s were also hugely entertaining, filled with great performances bylegends like Sylvester Stallone, Paul Newman and Burt Reynolds,and groundbreaking in establishing new formulas that influenced Hollywood for the next 50 years.
Sylvester Stallone shot to stardom inRocky, but like his character, he still had something to prove. InRocky II, The Italian Stallion scores a rematch with Apollo Creed, with the title belt on the line. This time, the ending is unambiguous, and Rocky becomes the champ.
Stallone’s own real-life triumph was in provingRockywas no fluke. The sequel pummeled most of its competition, finishing third for 1979 with $85.1 million ($383 million adjusted for inflation). While not nearly as acclaimed as the Oscar-winning first film,Rocky IIdid well enough with critics over the years to ring up a 70% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
John Hancock’s movie adapts Mark Harris’ 1956 novel into an elevated male weepie. Charting the relationship between a star pitcher (Michael Moriarty) and his terminally ill personal catcher (Robert De Niro),the film ranks as one of the decade’s most affecting dramas.
The film has enjoyed almost universal acclaim in the 52 years since its release, sitting at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Critics in 1973 appreciated the movie’s deft handling of its potentially sappy subject matter. In his four-star review, Roger Ebert peggedBang the Drum Slowlyas a character-driven drama more than a sports movie. The film has enjoyed almost universal acclaim in the 52 years since its release, sitting at 90% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The film’s long list of admirers includesDe Niro’s later castmate Al Pacino, who, in a 2006 book, calledBang the Drum Slowlyhis favorite movie. Moriarty and De Niro were both passed over for Oscar nominations, but the Academy did nominate their co-star Vincent Gardenia for Best Supporting Actor.
Walter Hill made his directorial debut with this gritty period drama starring Charles Bronson as a bare-knuckle fighter. The Depression-era setting makes the film somewhat reminiscent of Russell Crowe’sCinderella Man, but it’s far less sentimental.
Some sports movies are about personal glory or redemption, but the stakes inHard Timesare more basic. Jobs are scarce, and daily survival is difficult.Bronson’s character fights not for the love, or for the money, but so he can keep eating.
Critics were quick to praise Hill’s film, withPauline Kaelsaying,“Hard times offers excitement that makes you feel good; Walter Hill respects the loner myth.” Its critical reputation continues to be strong, and it currently sits at 89% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Ted Kotcheff’s adaptation tones things down from Peter Gent’s unsparing novel, and is still pretty brutal. Nick Nolte’s aging rebel – he plays for the love of the game, and hates the rule-making guys in suits - provides a strong center of gravity for a freewheeling, very loosely-plotted depiction of life in the NFL, circa 1979.
If you believe the movie, that life was one big drug-fueled orgy, occasionally interrupted by a football game. The film’s anti-establishment stance is driven home with minimum subtlety, making the behind-the-scenes action slightly cartoonish, but the football scenes themselves are convincingly staged.
Real-life NFL player Tommy Reamon claimed his role in the film got him blackballed from the league.
Critics praisedNorth Dallas Fortyupon its release, and the movie currently sits at 85% on Rotten Tomatoes. It was a decent-sized hit in 1979, grossing $26 million.
Burt Reynolds’ charisma is on full display as Paul Crewe, a former star QB who winds up in prison, where he leads a team of fellow convicts in a football game against the guards. Robert Aldrich’s direction gives theoriginalLongest Yarda toughnessand gritthat Adam Sandler’s remake doesn’t even attempt to approach.
Reynolds was himself no slouch as an athlete, having played football at Florida State, making his performance all the more authentic.
In the quest for maximum realism, Aldrich and producer Al Ruddy shot in a real Georgia prison, and cast real NFL players in some of the roles. Reynolds was himself no slouch as an athlete, having played football at Florida State, making his performance all the more authentic.
The Longest Yardwas a massive hit in 1974, grossing $43 million on a budget of $2.9 million. Its blending of genres impressed critics at the time, and continues to work well with reviewers, as shown by its 76% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.
Walter Matthau is perfectly cast as a washed-up major league pitcher roped into coaching a misfit little league team, and received a BAFTA nomination for Best Actor. The laughs come at a consistently high rate, thanks to some great motor-mouthed kid performances, and baseball scenes that capture all the hilarity and disappointment inherent to the Little League experience.
Michael Ritchie’s direction adds to the movie’s sense of authenticity, even as it keeps delivering entertainment. There’s pointed satire too, especially in the film’s depiction of the ways kids’ sports are ruined by adults and their agendas.
Critics found plenty of good inThe Bad News Bears, which sits at 97% on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences embraced the movie’s frankness and profane humor, pushing the film to a $42.3 million gross on a budget of $9 million.
The very epitome of a sleeper hit,Breaking Awaycame out of nowhere in 1979 and, despite a lack of big-name stars, grossed $20 million on a budget of $2.3 million.
Peter Yates’ direction conjures a strong sense of place, creating a rich context for a study of high school friends who aren’t quite ready to become adults. The sports angle enters by way of Dennis Christopher’s bicycle-obsessed character,leading up to a climactic bike race that becomes a stirringly inspirational sports movie moment.
AFI includedBreaking Awayon both its Most Inspiring Movies list and its Best Sports Movies list.
AFI includedBreaking Awayon both its Most Inspiring Movies list and its Best Sports Movies list. The film was nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture, and won the award for Best Original Screenplay. It also won the Golden Globe for Best Film (Comedy or Musical).
It’s hard to find a critic who dislikes the movie’s sports-angled coming-of-age dramedy magic, and it currently sits at 95% on Rotten Tomatoes.
The Hollywood maverick who made golden age classicsThe Maltese FalconandTreasure of the Sierra Madrealso directed a boxing movie steeped in the gritty, character-driven New Hollywood aesthetic.Fat Cityfocuses on the seedy side of the fight game, setting up John Huston for one of his best late-career movies.
Young Jeff Bridges stars as a rising boxer who strikes up a complicated relationship with grizzled veteran Stacy Keach. However, the movie’s one Oscar nomination went to Susan Tyrell, as Keach’s alcoholic love interest.
Keach battledThe Godfather’s Marlon Brando for the New York Film Critics Circle’s Best Actor award, but after some questionable backstage political maneuvering, the organization wound up giving the prize to Laurence Olivier forSleuth.
Critics rained praise down uponFat City, hailing it as Huston’s comeback movie after years of flops. The film currently sits at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes on a solid sampling of 22 reviews.
Paul Newman’s third collaboration with George Roy Hill was a sharp departure from their previous two movies, the revisionist WesternButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, and the period crime comedyThe Sting.
Slap Shotmay have puzzled a few people when it came out in 1977. Its $28 million box office haul was respectable enough,but a far cry from the huge numbers put up byButch and SundanceandThe Sting.
Critics were also mixed in their assessments. Gene Siskel was so put off by his first viewing of the film that he gave it a pan, only to reverse his opinion two weeks later, ultimately placingSlap Shoton his best-of-the-year list.
Slap Shot’s brand of super-profane humor, cartoonishly violent hockey action and wacky characters has more in common withCaddyshackandMajor Leaguethan the generally more-realistic sports movies of its own era. That perhaps explains why it was not fully embraced upon release, but over time became a beloved cult movie, now sitting at 87% on Rotten Tomatoes.
Written by and starring the then-unknown Sylvester Stallone,Rockyfeels every bit the gritty, realistic 1970s drama, but its storytelling actually anticipates the upbeat films of the 1980s,helping codify the inspirational underdog sports movie.
Stallone didn’t just change the trajectory of sports movies withRocky, he set a formula he himself would exploit better than anyone else, through a string ofRockysequels.The firstRockywon the Oscar for Best Picture, while John G. Avildsen took the award for Best Director.
Stallone’s screenplay was nominated but didn’t win, and Stallone joined co-stars Talia Shire, Burgess Meredith and Burt Young in snagging acting nominations, but not taking the gold.
Critics lovedRockyin 1977, praising the film for its lack of cynicism in a time of generally downbeat movies, and comparing it favorably to the works of Frank Capra. Its Rotten Tomatoes number stands at 93%.Rocky’s budget-to-gross ratio - $1.1 million to $225 million – looks like a misprint, but really says it all.
