10 football movies to get you amped up for Super Bowl 2023

The Super Bowl is finally here, but if you can’t wait until Sunday for some hot football action, we’ve got just the solution: all the best football movies you can stream right now. 

We’ve rounded up all the best sports flicks you can watch now to get amped up for the Super Bowl, from the campy to the classics. (Spoiler alert: We did not include 80 for Brady.) Whether you’re in the mood to laugh, cry, or root for some fictional football teams, we’ve got you covered. 

Recommendations are independently chosen by Reviewed, USA Today’s product review site. Purchases made through the links below may earn us and our partners a commission.

 

 

The Waterboy

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Adam Sandler wrote and starred in this 1998 film about a waterboy who’s given the chance to play for the South-Central State University of Louisiana football team after he’s fired from a rival football program. Tim Herlihy co-wrote the film with Sandler, and Kathy Bates, Henry Winkler, and Jerry Reed also star. 

Stream The Waterboy on Hulu

Jerry Maguire

The world of romantic sports dramedies wouldn’t be complete without Jerry Maguire. The 1996 film—directed by Cameron Crowe and starring Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr., Renee Zellweger, and Regina King—features the story of Jerry Maguire (Cruise), a sports agent whose career is woven together with wide receiver Rod Tidwell’s (Gooding Jr.) when Maguire’s firm decides to fire him. Cuba Gooding Jr. won Best Actor at the Oscars in 1997 for his performance. 

Stream Jerry Maguire on AMC+ with Prime Video

The Longest Yard

On the hunt for more comedy? 1974’s The Longest Yard, starring Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, and Mike Conrad, won a Golden Globe for Best Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy, thanks to Reynolds’ turn as a football quarterback who organizes a game within the prison where he’s weathering his sentence. There’s also a remake of the film that debuted in 2005, starring Adam Sandler in Burt Reynolds’ role. 

Stream The Longest Yard on Starz

Remember the Titans

Based on a true story of the 1971 Virginia state football champions from T.C. Williams High School,  Remember the Titans follows an African American football coach, Herman Boone (played by Denzel Washington), as he attempts to lead a newly integrated high school football team. As tensions rise, players and coaches must overcome racial prejudice to focus on football and win the state championship.

Stream Remember the Titans on Disney Plus

The Replacements

Inspired by the true story of the 1987 NFL players’ strike, this comedy tells the story of maverick coach Jimmy McGinty (played by two-time Oscar winner Gene Hackman) who is hired when pro-football players walk out mid-season. He brings in a washed-up quarterback (Keanu Reeves) and a team of replacements to help the Washington Sentinels advance to the playoffs.  

Stream The Replacements on Prime Video

We Are Marshall

Starring Matthew McConaughey and Matthew Fox, We Are Marshall follows the aftermath of a plane crash that claims the lives of the Marshall University football team. A new coach and the surviving players must rebuild the football team and attempt to heal the small town community in West Virginia.

Stream We Are Marshall on Prime Video

Leatherheads

Set in 1925, Leatherheads charts the beginnings of professional American football through a  sports-themed romantic comedy. The owner of a professional team (George Clooney) hires a World War I hero college football star (John Krasinski) to ramp up his team, but lines are crossed when the coach develops a crush on the golden boy’s fiancee (Renée Zellweger).

Stream Leatherheads on Prime Video

The Blind Side

Based on the novel by Michael Lewis, the 2009 film tells the story of Michael “Big Mike” Oher, an impoverished teen in foster care who bounces from home to home. Michael, played by Quinton Aaron, is an offensive lineman on his high school football team who eventually gets taken in and adopted by Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, played by Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw. 

Stream The Blind Side on Prime Video

Varsity Blues

Varsity Blues follows a small-town Texas high school football team struggling to juggle the overwhelming pressures of being teen athletes in a sports town while dealing with a strict, overbearing coach, played by Jon Voight. When the team’s starting quarterback is injured, played by Paul Walker, a benchwarmer is sent in as his replacement, played by James Van Der Beek. The 1999 film also stars Ali Larter and Amy Smart. 

Stream Varsity Blues on Prime Video

Editor’s note: The original version of this story incorrectly said Billy Bob Thornton stars in this film. He does not, and we regret the error.

Friday Night Lights

Friday Night Lights is a 2004 film based on the true story of a high school football team in Permian, Texas, a small town full of football fans. When the team’s star player gets injured during the first game of the season, played by Derek Luke, the team’s coach, played by Billy Bob Thornton, must do what he can to try to lead the team to victory. Connie Britton and Lucas Black also star in the film. 

Stream Friday Night Lights on Prime Video

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