FOOTBALL FILMS
OMG we love football and as I write this we’re wondering if we’ll ever see it again. Football movies take some funny bounces, too. While nowhere near the fertile ground for films that baseball and boxing have been, there are some quite good movies featuring the gridiron game.
North Dallas Forty (1979), faithfully adapted from Dallas Cowboy Peter Gent’s book, is one of the best. It is funny and true; the football part is very well done. Nick Nolte and Mac Davis are just fine as players used and abused by the NFL system. Probably as good a look at the pro game as we’ll ever get from Hollywood.
Brian’s Song (1971) is about the short life and career of Wake Forest running back Brian Piccolo. James Caan as Piccolo and Billy Dee Williams as Hall of Famer Gayle Sayers head a uniformly excellent cast. The football parts are pretty good; the movie as a whole is one of  the best made-for-TV movies ever filmed. A must-see for fans of football and of life.
In The Longest Yard (1974) Burt Reynolds plays a former pro quarterback serving time. There is to be a football game between Reynolds’ cons and the warden’s (Eddie Albert) hand-picked team of semi-pros. The battle comes much closer to a gang war than a football game, but it is hilarious and well done. 
Semi-Tough (1977) features Burt Reynolds at his charming best, Kris Kristofferson as his best buddy, and Jill Clayburgh as their girlfriend in a very funny adaptation of Sports Illustrated’s Dan Jenkins’ novel. There are several incomplete passes and fumbles here, but also some touchdowns. 
Even with headliner Tom Cruise, Jerry Maguire (1996) took a huge risk. Millionaire athletes and their millionaire agents aren’t exactly at the top of the hero list for most Americans.  Cruise is a sports agent and his best ( and eventually only) client is a star running back who makes more money per game than you and I will make in the next five years. But Cruise’s star power and the absolutely wonderful (and Oscar-winning) performance by Cuba Gooding, Jr., as the pro footballer, together with a smart and funny screenplay, turn this into a real crowd-pleaser. [Show me the money!] 
Also worth mentioning is Rudy (1993) with Sean Astin dreaming to play for Notre Dame, and The Blind Side (2009) with Sandra Bullock rescuing a very large black kid via football. 
All of the movies in this article are available on  DVD. The last two are suitable for kids. The rest are for grown-ups.