Best Underdog Movies
by ARCHA1D3 | created - 05 Mar 2019 | updated - 05 Mar 2019 | Public- Instant Watch Options
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1. The Longest Yard (1974)
R | 121 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A sadistic warden asks a former pro quarterback, now serving time in his prison, to put together a team of inmates to take on (and get pummeled by) the guards.
Director: Robert Aldrich | Stars: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Ed Lauter, Michael Conrad
Votes: 21,395 | Gross: $7.13M
2. Rocky (1976)
PG | 120 min | Drama, Sport
A small-time Philadelphia boxer gets a supremely rare chance to fight the world heavyweight champion in a bout in which he strives to go the distance for his self-respect.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Talia Shire, Burt Young, Carl Weathers
Votes: 627,433 | Gross: $117.24M
3. The Bad News Bears (1976)
PG | 102 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
An aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.
Director: Michael Ritchie | Stars: Walter Matthau, Tatum O'Neal, Vic Morrow, Joyce Van Patten
Votes: 24,887 | Gross: $42.35M
4. Slap Shot (1977)
R | 123 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A failing ice hockey team finds success with outrageously violent hockey goonery.
Director: George Roy Hill | Stars: Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean, Strother Martin, Jennifer Warren
Votes: 41,185 | Gross: $28.00M
5. Lo chiamavano Bulldozer (1978)
115 min | Action, Comedy, Sport
After his fishing boat is "periscoped", ex US footballer Bulldozer docks in an Italian port, where local criminals and American soldiers fight each other. Locals discover Bulldozer's talents and challenge the Yanks to a football game.
Director: Michele Lupo | Stars: Bud Spencer, Raimund Harmstorf, Ottaviano Dell'Acqua, Nando Paone
Votes: 6,017
6. Breaking Away (1979)
PG | 101 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A working-class Indiana teen obsessed with the Italian cycling team vies for the affections of a college girl while searching for life goals with his friends.
Director: Peter Yates | Stars: Dennis Christopher, Dennis Quaid, Daniel Stern, Jackie Earle Haley
Votes: 25,425 | Gross: $16.42M
7. Bomber (1982)
101 min | Comedy, Action, Crime
Bud "Bomber" Graziano (Bud Spencer) retired from boxing as heavyweight champion and has sworn to never fight again. While living his life on a ship he meets Jerry Cala' (Jerry Cala) who ... See full summary »
Director: Michele Lupo | Stars: Bud Spencer, Jerry Calà, Stefano Mingardo, Kallie Knoetze
Votes: 4,400
8. The Karate Kid (1984)
PG | 126 min | Action, Drama, Family
A martial arts master agrees to teach karate to a bullied teenager.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita, Elisabeth Shue, Martin Kove
Votes: 244,099 | Gross: $90.82M
9. Hoosiers (1986)
PG | 114 min | Drama, Sport
A coach with a checkered past and a local drunk train a small-town high school basketball team to become a top contender for the state championship in 1950s Indiana.
Director: David Anspaugh | Stars: Gene Hackman, Barbara Hershey, Dennis Hopper, Sheb Wooley
Votes: 50,990 | Gross: $28.61M
10. No Retreat, No Surrender (1985)
PG | 85 min | Action, Comedy, Crime
Jason, a Bruce Lee fan, sees his karate instructor/dad beaten by martial art thugs. They move to Seattle where, after humiliations, he trains with Bruce Lee's ghost so he can defend himself and others against thugs.
Director: Corey Yuen | Stars: Kurt McKinney, Jean-Claude Van Damme, J.W. Fails, Kathie Sileno
Votes: 18,746 | Gross: $4.66M
11. Major League (1989)
R | 107 min | Comedy, Sport
The new owner of the Cleveland Indians puts together a purposely horrible team so they'll lose and she can move the team. But when the plot is uncovered, they start winning just to spite her.
Director: David S. Ward | Stars: Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Corbin Bernsen, Margaret Whitton
Votes: 76,244 | Gross: $49.80M
12. Kickboxer (1989)
R | 97 min | Action, Sport, Thriller
Kurt Sloane must learn the ancient kick boxing art of Muay Thai in order to avenge his brother.
Directors: Mark DiSalle, David Worth | Stars: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Dennis Alexio, Dennis Chan, Michel Qissi
Votes: 60,761 | Gross: $14.70M
13. The Mighty Ducks (1992)
PG | 104 min | Comedy, Drama, Family
A self-centered Minnesota lawyer is sentenced to community service coaching a rag tag youth hockey team.
Director: Stephen Herek | Stars: Emilio Estevez, Joss Ackland, Lane Smith, Heidi Kling
Votes: 71,725 | Gross: $50.75M
14. Rudy (1993)
PG | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Rudy has always been told that he was too small to play college football. But he is determined to overcome the odds and fulfill his dream of playing for Notre Dame.
Director: David Anspaugh | Stars: Sean Astin, Jon Favreau, Ned Beatty, Greta Lind
Votes: 68,972 | Gross: $22.75M
15. Cool Runnings (1993)
PG | 98 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
When a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican Bobsled Team.
Director: Jon Turteltaub | Stars: John Candy, Leon, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis
Votes: 113,600 | Gross: $68.86M
16. Little Giants (1994)
PG | 107 min | Comedy, Family, Sport
Misfits form their own opposing team to an elite peewee football team, coached by the elite team coach's brother.
Director: Duwayne Dunham | Stars: Rick Moranis, Ed O'Neill, Shawna Waldron, Devon Sawa
Votes: 30,803 | Gross: $19.29M
17. Kingpin (1996)
PG-13 | 114 min | Comedy, Sport
A star bowler whose career was prematurely "cut off" hopes to ride a new prodigy to success and riches.
Directors: Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly | Stars: Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, Bill Murray, Vanessa Angel
Votes: 90,919 | Gross: $24.94M
18. Remember the Titans (2000)
PG | 113 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In 1971 Virginia high school football was everything to the people of Alexandria. But when the school board was forced to integrate an all-black school with an all-white one, the very foundation of football's tradition was put to the test.
Director: Boaz Yakin | Stars: Denzel Washington, Will Patton, Wood Harris, Ryan Hurst
Votes: 231,614 | Gross: $115.65M
19. The Replacements (2000)
PG-13 | 118 min | Comedy, Sport
During a pro football strike, the owners hire substitute players.
Director: Howard Deutch | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Gene Hackman, Brooke Langton, Orlando Jones
Votes: 69,380 | Gross: $44.74M
20. Hardball (2001)
PG-13 | 106 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A gambling addict and ticket scalper living an aimless life reluctantly agrees to coach a Little League team from the Chicago projects as part of a loan agreement.
Director: Brian Robbins | Stars: Keanu Reeves, Diane Lane, John Hawkes, Bryan Hearne
Votes: 33,339 | Gross: $40.22M
21. Mean Machine (2001)
R | 99 min | Comedy, Crime, Drama
A football star jailed for assault leads a group of inmates in a match against prison guards.
Director: Barry Skolnick | Stars: Vinnie Jones, David Kelly, David Hemmings, Ralph Brown
Votes: 41,768 | Gross: $0.09M
22. The Rookie (2002)
G | 127 min | Drama, Family, Sport
A Texas baseball coach makes the major league after agreeing to try out if his high school team made the playoffs.
Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Dennis Quaid, JD Evermore, Rachel Griffiths, Jay Hernandez
Votes: 37,095 | Gross: $75.60M
23. The Miracle of Bern (2003)
118 min | Drama, Sport
A young boy from a working class family in post-war Germany struggles with his estranged father returning from war captivity, while a friend of his plays for the German National Soccer Team at the 1954 FIFA World Cup in Switzerland.
Director: Sönke Wortmann | Stars: Louis Klamroth, Peter Lohmeyer, Johanna Gastdorf, Lucas Gregorowicz
Votes: 7,467
24. Miracle (2004)
PG | 135 min | Biography, Drama, History
The true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet squad.
Director: Gavin O'Connor | Stars: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Nathan West, Noah Emmerich
Votes: 58,809 | Gross: $64.38M
25. Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story (2004)
PG-13 | 92 min | Comedy, Sport
A group of misfits enter a Las Vegas dodgeball tournament in order to save their cherished local gym from the onslaught of a corporate health fitness chain.
Director: Rawson Marshall Thurber | Stars: Ben Stiller, Christine Taylor, Vince Vaughn, Rip Torn
Votes: 266,873 | Gross: $114.33M
26. Cinderella Man (2005)
PG-13 | 144 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
The true story of James J. Braddock, a supposedly washed-up boxer, who returned to the spotlight to win the heavyweight championship of the world.
Director: Ron Howard | Stars: Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Craig Bierko, Paul Giamatti
Votes: 198,113 | Gross: $61.65M
27. Iqbal (2005)
Not Rated | 132 min | Drama, Sport
Iqbal, the deaf and mute son of a farmer, has a passion for the game of cricket and seeks the tutelage of a washed-up, alcoholic ex-player.
Director: Nagesh Kukunoor | Stars: Shreyas Talpade, Naseeruddin Shah, Shweta Basu Prasad, Yatin Karyekar
Votes: 17,685
28. Glory Road (2006)
PG | 118 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
In 1966, Texas Western coach Don Haskins led the first all-black starting line-up for a college basketball team to the NCAA national championship.
Director: James Gartner | Stars: Josh Lucas, Derek Luke, Austin Nichols, Jon Voight
Votes: 48,769 | Gross: $42.64M
29. Invincible (2006)
PG | 105 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Based on the story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender from South Philadelphia who overcame long odds to play for the NFL's Philadelphia Eagles in 1976.
Director: Ericson Core | Stars: Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear, Elizabeth Banks, Kevin Conway
Votes: 75,251 | Gross: $57.81M
30. Chak De! India (2007)
Not Rated | 153 min | Drama, Family, Sport
Kabir Khan, the coach of the Indian Women's National Hockey Team, dreams of making his all-girls team emerge victorious against all odds.
Director: Shimit Amin | Stars: Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Malvade, Sagarika Ghatge, Shilpa Shukla
Votes: 84,887 | Gross: $1.11M
31. Kung Fu Panda (2008)
PG | 92 min | Animation, Action, Adventure
To everyone's surprise, including his own, Po, an overweight, clumsy panda, is chosen as protector of the Valley of Peace. His suitability will soon be tested as the valley's arch-enemy is on his way.
Directors: Mark Osborne, John Stevenson | Stars: Jack Black, Ian McShane, Angelina Jolie, Dustin Hoffman
Votes: 520,454 | Gross: $215.43M
32. The Blind Side (2009)
PG-13 | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of Michael Oher, a homeless and traumatized boy who became an All-American football player and first-round NFL draft pick with the help of a caring woman and her family.
Director: John Lee Hancock | Stars: Quinton Aaron, Sandra Bullock, Tim McGraw, Jae Head
Votes: 360,013 | Gross: $255.96M
33. Invictus (2009)
PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
Nelson Mandela, in his first term as President of South Africa, initiates a unique venture to unite the Apartheid-torn land: enlist the national rugby team on a mission to win the 1995 Rugby World Cup.
Director: Clint Eastwood | Stars: Morgan Freeman, Matt Damon, Tony Kgoroge, Patrick Mofokeng
Votes: 167,741 | Gross: $37.49M
34. Warrior (2011)
PG-13 | 140 min | Action, Drama, Sport
The youngest son of an alcoholic former boxer returns home, where he's trained by his father for competition in a mixed martial arts tournament - a path that puts the fighter on a collision course with his estranged, older brother.
Director: Gavin O'Connor | Stars: Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte, Joel Edgerton, Jennifer Morrison
Votes: 497,341 | Gross: $13.66M
35. Moneyball (2011)
PG-13 | 133 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to assemble a baseball team on a lean budget by employing computer-generated analysis to acquire new players.
Director: Bennett Miller | Stars: Brad Pitt, Robin Wright, Jonah Hill, Philip Seymour Hoffman
Votes: 463,788 | Gross: $75.61M
36. Mary Kom (2014)
Not Rated | 122 min | Action, Biography, Drama
A chronicle of the life of Indian boxer Mary Kom, who went through several hardships before audaciously accomplishing her ultimate dream.
Director: Omung Kumar | Stars: Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Sunil Thapa, Robin Das, Rajni Basumatary
Votes: 11,391 | Gross: $0.59M
37. Creed (II) (2015)
PG-13 | 133 min | Action, Drama, Sport
The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.
Director: Ryan Coogler | Stars: Michael B. Jordan, Sylvester Stallone, Tessa Thompson, Phylicia Rashad
Votes: 310,460 | Gross: $109.77M
38. Eddie the Eagle (2015)
PG-13 | 106 min | Adventure, Biography, Comedy
The story of Eddie Edwards, the notoriously tenacious British underdog ski jumper who charmed the world at the 1988 Winter Olympics.
Director: Dexter Fletcher | Stars: Taron Egerton, Hugh Jackman, Tom Costello, Jo Hartley
Votes: 100,048 | Gross: $15.79M
39. McFarland, USA (2015)
PG | 129 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Jim White moves his family after losing his last job as a football coach, and at his new school he turns seven disappointing students into one of the best cross-country teams in the region.
Director: Niki Caro | Stars: Kevin Costner, Maria Bello, Ramiro Rodriguez, Carlos Pratts
Votes: 42,191 | Gross: $44.47M
40. Sultan (2016)
Not Rated | 170 min | Action, Drama, Romance
Sultan is a classic underdog tale about a wrestler's journey, looking for a comeback by defeating all odds.
Director: Ali Abbas Zafar | Stars: Salman Khan, Anushka Sharma, Randeep Hooda, Amit Sadh
Votes: 51,823 | Gross: $6.20M
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