The game of football is among the greatest creations the country of America can take credit for.
It’s a game that has entertained and inspired generations of people since its inception and is deeply ingrained in the culture of America.
As such, the sport has, of course, crossed over into the world of entertainment. It has done this in many ways, but the most important is the inclusion of the sport in films in a way that has created a unique genre. Football movies are completely their own thing, and many great ones have been produced over the years. Let’s look at some of the best to have been made and some of the amazing songs within them.
Varsity Blues
James Van Der Beek
Amy Smart
Jon Voight
Paul Walker
Ron Lester
Scott Caan
Ali Larter
Richard Lineback
Thomas F. Duffy
Joe Pichler
Brady Coleman
Eliel Swinton
A bit of cult classic, Varsity Blues is a 1999 coming-of-age dramedy that centers around the emergence of backup quarterback Johnathon Moxon as the starter for an elite Texas football school after their QB1 goes down to injury. It’s a fun movie with a great cast (including Paul Walker, James Van Der Beek, Jon Voight, and more) and solid direction from Brian Robbins as the man behind the camera. One of the film's most fun and most impressive scenes visually is where the team runs a “no-huddle” offense. This scene is executed very well and is scored by the absolute banger “Fly” by the band Loudmouth. A song that matches the high-octane pace of the scene perfectly.
Check out the full Varsity Blues soundtrack here.
Rudy
Sean Astin
Jon Favreau
Ned Beatty
Lili Taylor
Charles S. Dutton
Vince Vaughn
Greta Lind
Christopher Reed
Deborah Wittenberg
Kevin Duda
Amy Pietz
Scott Benjaminson
A story about a sympathetic underdog, Rudy, directed by David Anspaugh, sees the titular character overcome insurmountable odds as he works his way onto the fabled Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team. It’s an enjoyable and feel-good film as the audience sees Rudy's relatable work against his unfortunate circumstances and accomplish his dreams. It is a classic of the genre for sure, and as such, its soundtrack includes a few classic tracks in its run, most potent of which being the timeless “Ring of Fire” by the legendary Johnny Cash.
Check out the full Rudy soundtrack here.
The Waterboy
Adam Sandler
Kathy Bates
Henry Winkler
Fairuza Balk
Jerry Reed
Lawrence Gilliard Jr.
Blake Clark
Peter Dante
Jonathan Loughran
Al Whiting
Clint Howard
Allen Covert
Adam Sandler’s first foray into the world of football. Waterboy is a hilarious underdog story about Bobby Boucher, the unlikely hero linebacker of the South Central Louisiana State University Mud Dogs. It’s a great film filled with funny moments and quirky characters. One of the most important moments in the film's story comes early on as The SCLSU coach, Coach Klien (played by Henry Winkler), has to try to convince Bobby’s unbudging and sheltering mom (played by Kathy Bates) to let Bobby play for the team. This scene, and Bobby’s home, is introduced to Coach Klien while the song “The Devil Went Down to Georgia” by Charlie Daniels plays. It’s a perfect song for this deep south setting and for Bobby’s mom, who frequently refers to things as “The Devil” throughout the film.
Check out the full The Waterboy soundtrack here.
The Replacements
Keanu Reeves
Gene Hackman
Brooke Langton
Orlando Jones
Faizon Love
Jon Favreau
Rhys Ifans
Keith David
Ace Yonamine
Troy Winbush
David Denman
Michael Jace
More of a fan favorite than a critical success, The Replacements is a fun film with a great cast. Keanu Reeves, Jon Favreau, Gene Hackman, and more lead the ensemble we see on the field in Howard Deutch’s story of a haphazardly put-together team's journey to the playoffs. It’s a film full of humor and feel-good vibes that, thanks to the cast as mentioned earlier and its unique concept, has managed to leave an impact as an incredibly memorable and enjoyable football movie. A big part of the film's impact comes from its main character. That is Keanu Reeves’s character and the team's QB, Shane Falco. Falco has lived in the mind of football fans who saw this film in their formative years, and his importance is immediately established with an opening scene that focuses on him, scored to the track “Fly-lock” by the band Lit.
Check out the full The Replacements soundtrack here.
Any Given Sunday
Al Pacino
Cameron Diaz
Dennis Quaid
James Woods
Jamie Foxx
LL Cool J
Matthew Modine
Jim Brown
Lawrence Taylor
Bill Bellamy
Andrew Bryniarski
Lela Rochon
Another film with an all-star cast. Any Given Sunday is one in a sea of sports films that follows a head coach as he tries to rein his team in and lead them to success. In this case, head coach Tony D’Amato, played by Al Pacino, leads a team that has fallen from the top and is struggling to stay afloat amid pressure from fans and the front office. It’s a film about overcoming odds, and its most memorable scene sees Pacino give his team a speech that, in the years since, has lived on in the minds of viewers and as a clip in tons of inspirational YouTube videos since its release rightfully so, since the speech was fantastic and was also scored beautifully by the song “Peace” by artist Paul Kelly. It's a perfectly sincere song for such a powerful speech.
Check out the full Any Given Sunday soundtrack here.
We Are Marshall
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew Fox
Anthony Mackie
David Strathairn
Ian McShane
Kate Mara
January Jones
Kate Kneeland
Wes Brown
L. Warren Young
Andrew Wilson Williams
Huntley Ritter
A film based on a true story, a tragedy at that, We Are Marshall, directed by McG, follows the story of the Marshall University football program through the total rebuild they are forced into after a plane crash claims the lives of 75 members of their unit. It’s a powerful film filled with emotional depth that analyzes the impact of tragedy not just on a team but on a whole community. A strong point of the film is the characters, especially the coaches. The main character, Jack Langyel (Played by Matthew McConaughey), and other coaches, such as Bobby Bowden (Played by Mike Pniewski), portray sincere and enjoyable relationships between each other and the players. There are many examples throughout the film, one of which sees Langyel and Bowden watching film together to study the opponent. It’s a lovely scene, played well against the backdrop of the classic “Paranoid” by Black Sabbath.
Check out the full We Are Marshall soundtrack here.
Bottoms
Rachel Sennott
Ayo Edebiri
Ruby Cruz
Havana Rose Liu
Kaia Gerber
Nicholas Galitzine
Miles Fowler
Marshawn Lynch
Dagmara Dominczyk
Punkie Johnson
Zamani Wilder
Summer Joy Campbell
Bottoms is barely a football film. But the climax occurs during a football game, and its main antagonists are football players, so that’s good enough. Directed by Emma Seligman and starring Rachel Sennot and Ayo Edibiri, this is a fun and fresh film about a female fight club and two high school losers' quest for love. One of its best scenes is the introduction and subsequent growth of the fight club, shown through a montage scored by the catchy bop “Pain” by indie-pop artist King Princess. It’s a nice moment and matches the film's whole tone as a dark comedy that nails the eerie hilarity it shoots for that, despite its absurdism, still has many relatable moments and characters. It’s an amazing film and probably the most unique viewing experience on this list.
Check out the full Bottoms soundtrack here.
The Longest Yard ('05)
Adam Sandler
Chris Rock
James Cromwell
Burt Reynolds
Nelly
William Fichtner
David Patrick Kelly
Tracy Morgan
Cloris Leachman
Michael Irvin
Bill Romanowski
Brian Bosworth
The Longest Yard is a movie initially made in 1974 starring Burt Reynolds, which was later remade by Adam Sandler in 2005. Sandler’s effort is his signature brand of comedy as we see him as the disheveled former NFL QB Paul Crewe, who finds himself in prison and is forced by the warden to put a team of inmates together to face the Wardens team of guards. The movie has a stacked cast of guards and inmates, including Chris Rock, Terry Crews, and athletes like Michael Irvin, Bob Sapp, Stone Cold Steve Austin, and more. It’s a hilarious movie with a great group of characters that we get to see come together as a team. One of the most important scenes in that team bonding comes when the black prisoners agree to play for the prisoner's team, which they previously declined. This is played off as a saving grace for the roster and is rightfully bigged up with a song to match the moment's excitement. That song is the always exciting “Boom” by Nelly (who is also in this movie).
Check out the full The Longest Yard ('05) soundtrack here.
Friday Night Lights
Billy Bob Thornton
Lucas Black
Garrett Hedlund
Derek Luke
Jay Hernandez
Lee Jackson
Lee Thompson Young
Tim McGraw
Grover Coulson
Connie Britton
Connie Cooper
Kasey Stevens
One of the most iconic football stories of all time. Friday Night Lights, directed by Peter Berg, is an iconic film that follows head coach Gary Gaines (Billy Bob Thorton) as he tries to raise the standards of his team in a way that goes beyond the field and into the day-to-day lives of his players and their families. It’s an amazing movie that won an ESPY Award for the best sports film of 2004 and is recognized as one of the best high school films ever. Similar to other films on this list, a big part of what works in this film is the team's relationship to each other. One scene that shows this is the interaction between teammates “Boobie,” “Preacher,” and “Waterbug” as the three talk about their shoes and exchange jests pre-game. All to the backdrop of Public Enemy's “Terminator X to the Edge of Panic.” It’s a fun moment accentuated by the fun track. The score of the film is provided by American post-rock band Explosions in the Sky which weaves in and out of the movie, providing intensity and tranquility.
Check out the full Friday Night Lights soundtrack here.
Remember The Titans
Denzel Washington
Will Patton
Wood Harris
Ryan Hurst
Donald Faison
Craig Kirkwood
Ethan Suplee
Kip Pardue
Hayden Panettiere
Nicole Ari Parker
Kate Bosworth
Earl Poitier
The greatest football film ever made. This movie follows the true story of T.C Williams High School and the plight of head coach Herman Boon as he fights to put together a great team and do it in the face of the severe racism of 1970s Virginia. It featured an amazing performance by Denzel Washington as head coach Boone and a fantastic story of a team bonding and growing together while breaking down the barriers placed upon them. A good example of the team's relationship in the film early on, and what makes their growth as the movie progresses so satisfying, is the scene in which the team sings the song “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” by Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. It’s a scene where some team members enjoy themselves while others get into conflicts. Those conflicts eventually fade away as the team learns to come together, and it’s incredibly enjoyable to watch.
Check out the full Remember the Titans soundtrack here.