Most Inspiring Summer Olympics Movie?
by urbanemovies | created - 05 Feb 2016 | updated - 10 Jan 2023 | PublicWhich inspirational movie about world class athletes competing, qualifying or training for the Summer Olympics touches you the most?
Take other series polls: Most Inspiring Winter Olympics Athlete Movie
Discuss the topic here.
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1. Chariots of Fire (1981)
PG | 125 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Two British track athletes, one a determined Jew and the other a devout Christian, are driven to win in the 1924 Olympics as they wrestle with issues of pride and conscience.
Director: Hugh Hudson | Stars: Ben Cross, Ian Charleson, Nicholas Farrell, Nigel Havers
Votes: 65,656 | Gross: $58.97M
2. Unbroken (I) (2014)
PG-13 | 137 min | Action, Biography, Drama
After a near-fatal plane crash in WWII, Olympian Louis Zamperini spends a harrowing 47 days in a raft with two fellow crewmen before he's caught by the Japanese navy and sent to a prisoner-of-war camp.
Director: Angelina Jolie | Stars: Jack O'Connell, Miyavi, Domhnall Gleeson, Garrett Hedlund
Votes: 182,091 | Gross: $115.64M
3. Shah (2015)
109 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
SHAH is the biography of great boxer Syed Hussain Shah. This film covers the story of this Legend's journey from homeless child in the streets of Layari,Karachi to become Olympian for his country PAKISTAN.
Director: Adnan Sarwar | Stars: Adnan Sarwar, Gulab Chandio, Kiran Chaudhry, Adeel Wali Raees
Votes: 1,465
4. Foxcatcher (2014)
R | 134 min | Biography, Drama, History
U.S. Olympic wrestling champions and brothers Mark Schultz and Dave Schultz join "Team Foxcatcher", led by eccentric multi-millionaire John du Pont, as they train for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, but John's self-destructive behavior threatens to consume them all.
Director: Bennett Miller | Stars: Steve Carell, Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, Vanessa Redgrave
Votes: 148,965 | Gross: $12.10M
5. The Jericho Mile (1979 TV Movie)
97 min | Crime, Drama, Sport
A prisoner gets a chance to take part in the Olympics.
Director: Michael Mann | Stars: Peter Strauss, Richard Lawson, Roger E. Mosley, Brian Dennehy
Votes: 2,047
6. Race (I) (2016)
PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Jesse Owens' quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy.
Director: Stephen Hopkins | Stars: Stephan James, Jason Sudeikis, Eli Goree, Shanice Banton
Votes: 40,788 | Gross: $19.10M
7. Prefontaine (1997)
PG-13 | 106 min | Biography, Drama, Romance
Based on the life of Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine, a long distance runner who lived in Oregon and died young.
Director: Steve James | Stars: Jared Leto, R. Lee Ermey, Ed O'Neill, Breckin Meyer
Votes: 7,657 | Gross: $0.53M
8. Stick It (2006)
PG-13 | 103 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
After a run-in with the law, Haley is forced to return to the world from which she fled years ago. Enrolled in an elite gymnastics program run by the legendary Burt Vickerman, Haley's rebellious attitude slowly gives way to a team spirit.
Director: Jessica Bendinger | Stars: Missy Peregrym, Jeff Bridges, Vanessa Lengies, Nikki SooHoo
Votes: 30,367 | Gross: $26.87M
9. Fehér tenyér (2006)
Not Rated | 97 min | Drama, Sport
Having suffered as a boy under a brutal Communist-era coach, champion Hungarian gymnast Miklos moves to Canada years later in search of a new start - only to find himself unwittingly ... See full summary »
Director: Szabolcs Hajdu | Stars: Zoltán Miklós Hajdu, Kyle Shewfelt, Gheorghe Dinica, Andor Lukáts
Votes: 1,862
10. The Bronze (2015)
R | 100 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
A foul-mouthed former gymnastics bronze medalist with local celebrity status reluctantly trains a rising Olympics aspirant.
Director: Bryan Buckley | Stars: Melissa Rauch, Gary Cole, Haley Lu Richardson, Thomas Middleditch
Votes: 13,418 | Gross: $0.62M
11. Peaceful Warrior (2006)
PG-13 | 120 min | Drama, Romance, Sport
Dan, a college student and a world-champion gymnast, is disturbed and wants to add some meaning to his life. A chance encounter leads him to discover an enlightened way ahead.
Director: Victor Salva | Stars: Scott Mechlowicz, Nick Nolte, Amy Smart, Tim DeKay
Votes: 29,789 | Gross: $3.96M
12. Balls of Fury (2007)
PG-13 | 90 min | Comedy, Crime, Sport
Down-and-out former professional ping-pong phenom, Randy Daytona, is sucked into a maelstrom when FBI Agent Ernie Rodriguez recruits him for a secret mission. Randy is determined to bounce back and win, and to smoke out his father's killer -- arch-fiend Feng.
Director: Robert Ben Garant | Stars: Dan Fogler, Christopher Walken, George Lopez, Maggie Q
Votes: 44,774 | Gross: $32.84M
13. Without Limits (1998)
PG-13 | 117 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The life of renowned runner Steve Prefontaine and his relationship with legendary coach Bill Bowerman.
Director: Robert Towne | Stars: Billy Crudup, Donald Sutherland, Monica Potter, Jeremy Sisto
Votes: 7,517 | Gross: $0.78M
14. Personal Best (1982)
R | 128 min | Drama, Sport
The intertwined lives and loves of three highly ranked athletes striving for the national team; Chris bounces between the beds of male coach Terry and her female friend, competitor, and role model Tory.
Director: Robert Towne | Stars: Mariel Hemingway, Scott Glenn, Patrice Donnelly, Kenny Moore
Votes: 3,207 | Gross: $5.67M
15. Szabadság, szerelem (2006)
123 min | Drama, History, Romance
At the 1956 Olympic Games in Melbourne, the Hungarian water polo team faces off against the Russians in what will become known as one of the bloodiest matches in the sport's history.
Director: Krisztina Goda | Stars: Kata Dobó, Iván Fenyö, Sándor Csányi, Károly Gesztesi
Votes: 4,514
16. Before the Fall (2004)
110 min | Drama, Sport, Thriller
Friedrich's boxing skills gets him in an elite Nazi high school in a castle in 1942. He enrolls against his dad's wish as it promises a brighter future. It's not what he expected.
Director: Dennis Gansel | Stars: Max Riemelt, Tom Schilling, Devid Striesow, Jonas Jägermeyr
Votes: 17,080 | Gross: $0.14M
17. Jim Thorpe -- All-American (1951)
Approved | 107 min | Biography, Drama, Family
The triumph and tragedy of Native American Jim Thorpe, who, after winning both the pentathlon and decathlon in the same Olympics, is stripped of his medals on a technicality.
Director: Michael Curtiz | Stars: Burt Lancaster, Charles Bickford, Steve Cochran, Phyllis Thaxter
Votes: 2,293
18. Swimming Upstream (2003)
PG-13 | 114 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The inspirational life story of Australian swimmer Tony Fingleton.
Director: Russell Mulcahy | Stars: Geoffrey Rush, Judy Davis, Jesse Spencer, Tim Draxl
Votes: 3,477 | Gross: $0.05M
19. Walk Don't Run (1966)
Approved | 114 min | Comedy, Romance
During the housing shortage of the Summer Olympic Games in 1964, two men and a woman share a small apartment in Tokyo, and the older man soon starts playing Cupid to the younger pair.
Director: Charles Walters | Stars: Cary Grant, Samantha Eggar, Jim Hutton, John Standing
Votes: 4,491 | Gross: $9.81M
20. Fair Play (2014)
100 min | Drama, Sport
The 1980s in Czechoslovakia. The young talented sprinter Anna (Judit Bárdos) is selected for the national team and starts training to qualify for the Olympic Games. As a part of the ... See full summary »
Director: Andrea Sedlácková | Stars: Judit Bárdos, Anna Geislerová, Roman Luknár, Eva Podzimková
Votes: 1,090
21. Running Brave (1983)
PG | 106 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The story of Billy Mills, the American Indian who came from obscurity to win the 10,000-meter long-distance foot-race in the Tokyo Olympics in 1964.
Director: Donald Shebib | Stars: Robby Benson, Pat Hingle, Claudia Cron, Jeff McCracken
Votes: 763 | Gross: $3.00M
22. Berlin '36 (2009)
100 min | Drama, History, Sport
In the days leading up to the 1936 Olympics, the fate of high jumper Gretel Bergmann hangs in the balance as it is decided whether or not a Jewish athlete can be a part of the German Olympic team.
Director: Kaspar Heidelbach | Stars: Karoline Herfurth, Sebastian Urzendowsky, Axel Prahl, Robert Gallinowski
Votes: 953
23. The Greatest (1977)
PG | 101 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Muhammad Ali plays himself in a reconstruction of the events that brought him to fame.
Directors: Tom Gries, Monte Hellman | Stars: Muhammad Ali, Ernest Borgnine, John Marley, Lloyd Haynes
Votes: 1,623 | Gross: $8.28M
24. Black Cloud (2004)
PG-13 | 97 min | Drama
Black Cloud, is an inspirational story about a young Navajo, Native American boxer, who overcomes personal challenges as he comes to terms with his heritage, while fighting his way for a spot on the US Olympic boxing team.
Director: Ricky Schroder | Stars: Eddie Spears, Russell Means, Julia Jones, Tim McGraw
Votes: 548
25. International Velvet (1978)
PG | 127 min | Drama, Family, Sport
Velvet's orphaned niece Sarah follows her dream of Olympic glory with her horse Arizona Pie.
Director: Bryan Forbes | Stars: Tatum O'Neal, Christopher Plummer, Anthony Hopkins, Nanette Newman
Votes: 1,628
26. Ace of Aces (1982)
100 min | Adventure, Comedy, Sport
In 1936, a French boxer on his way to the Berlin Olympic Games befriends a local Jewish boy and decides to save him from the Nazis.
Director: Gérard Oury | Stars: Jean-Paul Belmondo, Marie-France Pisier, Frank Hoffmann, Günter Meisner
Votes: 4,134
27. American Anthem (1986)
PG-13 | 102 min | Drama, Sport
Steve has given up on football and gymnastics after breaking an arm. Julie comes to town to train for the U.S. gymnastics championship, the first step to the Olympics. They meet and she motivates him to return to the gym.
Director: Albert Magnoli | Stars: Mitchell Gaylord, Tiny Wells, Janet Jones, Michael Pataki
Votes: 1,774 | Gross: $4.85M
28. Asterix at the Olympic Games (2008)
Not Rated | 116 min | Adventure, Comedy, Family
Asterix and Obelix compete at the Olympics in order to help their friend Lovesix marry Princess Irina. Brutus also tries to win the game with his own team and get rid of his father Julius Caesar.
Directors: Frédéric Forestier, Thomas Langmann | Stars: Gérard Depardieu, Clovis Cornillac, Benoît Poelvoorde, Alain Delon
Votes: 32,440 | Gross: $1.00M
29. The Loneliest Runner (1976 TV Movie)
74 min | Drama, Sport
A young boy who still wets the bed finds escapism from his abusive mother and his own embarrassment by going running after school.
Director: Michael Landon | Stars: Lance Kerwin, Brian Keith, DeAnn Mears, Melissa Sue Anderson
Votes: 478
30. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013)
Not Rated | 186 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The truth behind the ascension of Milkha Singh, who was scarred by of the India-Pakistan partition.
Director: Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra | Stars: Farhan Akhtar, Kousi Orfahli, Deepak Singh Rawat, Japtej Singh
Votes: 72,182 | Gross: $1.63M
Added 09 August 2016
31. Gold (I) (2018)
Not Rated | 151 min | Drama, History, Sport
The journey of a man who was instrumental in making India win its first Olympic gold medal as a free nation.
Director: Reema Kagti | Stars: Krishan Tandon, Hubertus Geller, Siddharth Kher, Sheldon Redden
Votes: 14,711
Added 30 April 2021
32. Pocket Hercules: Naim Süleymanoglu (2019)
141 min | Biography, Drama, History
The biography of Turkish weightlifter and Olympic champion Naim Suleymanoglu.
Director: Özer Feyzioglu | Stars: Hayat Van Eck, Selen Öztürk, Yetkin Dikinciler, Gürkan Uygun
Votes: 13,947
Added 30 April 2021
33. The Swimmers (2022)
PG-13 | 134 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
From war-torn Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics, two young sisters embark on a harrowing journey as refugees, putting both their hearts and champion swimming skills to heroic use.
Director: Sally El Hosaini | Stars: Matthias Schweighöfer, Ali Suliman, Ahmed Malek, James Krishna Floyd
Votes: 35,821
Added 10 January 2023
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