Movies about athletics
by meliajanssen | created - 30 Dec 2018 | updated - 30 Dec 2018 | PublicList of movies about the sport of track & field
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1. College (1927)
Not Rated | 66 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Ronald's high-school valedictory address praises books and condemns sports. His girlfriend Mary condemns his attitude. Fearing to lose her to rival Jeff, he decides to go to college and pay more attentions to sports.
Directors: James W. Horne, Buster Keaton | Stars: Buster Keaton, Anne Cornwall, Flora Bramley, Harold Goodwin
Votes: 5,473
2. Local Boy Makes Good (1931)
Passed | 68 min | Action, Comedy, Romance
John is a timid student who works at the University Bookstore. He is studying to be a botanist and has a secret crush on the lovely Julia. One day, one of his letters gets mailed ... See full summary »
Director: Mervyn LeRoy | Stars: Joe E. Brown, Dorothy Lee, Ruth Hall, Edward Woods
Votes: 243
3. Million Dollar Legs (1932)
Passed | 64 min | Comedy, Sport
A small country on the verge of bankruptcy is persuaded to enter the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics as a means of raising money.
Director: Edward F. Cline | Stars: Jack Oakie, W.C. Fields, Andy Clyde, Lyda Roberti
Votes: 1,461
4. A Million to One (1936)
Passed | 68 min | Action, Drama, Romance
John Kent (Monte Blue') wins the Olympic decathlon but is disqualified on a charge of professionalism. William Stevens (Kenneth Harlan), the second-place finisher, is awarded the title and ... See full summary »
Director: Lynn Shores | Stars: Bruce Bennett, Joan Fontaine, Reed Howes, Monte Blue
Votes: 81
5. The Bob Mathias Story (1954)
Approved | 80 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
California school boy and Stanford University student Bob Mathias was the first man to win two Olympic Gold Medals in the Decathlon in the 1948 and 1952 Olympics. The film begins with him ... See full summary »
Director: Francis D. Lyon | Stars: Bob Mathias, Ward Bond, Melba Mathias, Howard Petrie
Votes: 128
6. Wee Geordie (1955)
93 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
Geordie is a very small boy who feels that the girl he loves is ignoring him because of his size. He decides to take a correspondence course in body-building. At 21, Geordie becomes one of the tallest and strongest men in Scotland.
Director: Frank Launder | Stars: Bill Travers, Alastair Sim, Paul Young, Norah Gorsen
Votes: 929
7. It Happened in Athens (1962)
Approved | 100 min | Biography, Comedy
In 1896 it is announced that the Olympic Games will be revived in Athens. A young shepherd, Spiridon Loues, decides to enter the 26-mile marathon. Once in Athens, he meets Christina Gratsos... See full summary »
Director: Andrew Marton | Stars: Jayne Mansfield, Trax Colton, Nico Minardos, Bob Mathias
Votes: 279
8. The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner (1962)
Not Rated | 104 min | Drama, Sport
A young thief takes up long-distance running when he is sent to a borstal.
Director: Tony Richardson | Stars: Michael Redgrave, Tom Courtenay, Avis Bunnage, Alec McCowen
Votes: 9,372
9. Billie (1965)
Not Rated | 87 min | Comedy, Family, Musical
A 16-year-old tomboy and high school athlete finds herself caught between being beating boys at sports and having a boyfriend, while her conservative father opposes women's rights in his campaign for mayor.
Director: Don Weis | Stars: Patty Duke, Jim Backus, Jane Greer, Warren Berlinger
Votes: 490
10. 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: 4,511 | Gross: $9.81M
11. The Games (1970)
G | 100 min | Drama, Sport
Four marathon runners (one from England, one from the U.S., a Czechoslovakian, and an Australian Aborigine) prepare to run in the Olympic games. The film follows each one and shows what their motivations are for running in the games.
Director: Michael Winner | Stars: Michael Crawford, Stanley Baker, Ryan O'Neal, Charles Aznavour
Votes: 506
12. The World's Greatest Athlete (1973)
G | 93 min | Comedy, Family, Romance
A down on his luck coach travels to Africa where he spots the world's greatest athlete - a white Tarzan-type. The coach brings him back to the U.S. of A. to compete.
Director: Robert Scheerer | Stars: John Amos, Jan-Michael Vincent, Tim Conway, Roscoe Lee Browne
Votes: 1,722 | Gross: $0.13M
13. 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: 480
14. See How She Runs (1978 TV Movie)
96 min | Drama, Sport
This is the story of a 40-year-old divorced teacher whose life is changed by her decision to enter the Boston Marathon.
Director: Richard T. Heffron | Stars: Joanne Woodward, John Considine, Barnard Hughes, Melissa Newman
Votes: 83
15. Crossbar (1979 TV Movie)
78 min | Drama, Sport
The story of an Olympic high jumper, played by Brent Carver, who loses his leg and yet doggedly persists in his pursuit of athletic glory. Released a year before Terry Fox's Marathon of ... See full summary »
Director: John Trent | Stars: Brent Carver, Kim Cattrall, John Ireland, Kate Reid
Votes: 99
16. 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: 2,059
17. Our Winning Season (1978)
PG | 92 min | Drama
The story follows three teenagers through their senior year of high school in the 1960s, focusing on the star athlete of the group.
Director: Joseph Ruben | Stars: Scott Jacoby, Deborah Benson, Dennis Quaid, Robert Wahler
Votes: 239
18. Running (1979)
PG | 102 min | Drama, Sport
American marathon runner Michael Andropolis sets his heart on representing his country at the Olympic games. Meanwhile his marriage has fallen apart and his children have no respect for him... See full summary »
Director: Steven Hilliard Stern | Stars: Michael Douglas, Susan Anspach, Lawrence Dane, Eugene Levy
Votes: 831
19. Goldengirl (1979)
PG | 104 min | Drama, Sci-Fi, Sport
A neo-Nazi doctor tries to make a superwoman of his daughter who has been specially fed, exercised, and conditioned since she was a child in preparation of the Olympics.
Director: Joseph Sargent | Stars: James Coburn, Susan Anton, Curd Jürgens, Harry Guardino
Votes: 513
20. A Shining Season (1979 TV Movie)
Not Rated | 100 min | Drama, Sport
The fact-based story of John Baker, a former collegiate track star turned elementary school phys ed teacher who, after being diagnosed with terminal cancer, spends his remaining time coaching a losing girls' track team to a winning season.
Director: Stuart Margolin | Stars: Timothy Bottoms, Allyn Ann McLerie, Constance Forslund, Ed Begley Jr.
Votes: 121
21. 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: 65,870 | Gross: $58.97M
22. Graduation Day (1981)
R | 96 min | Horror, Mystery, Thriller
A masked killer begins murdering students on the school track team after a track runner dies upon completion of a 30 second 200-meter race.
Director: Herb Freed | Stars: Christopher George, Patch Mackenzie, E. Danny Murphy, E.J. Peaker
Votes: 4,881 | Gross: $23.89M
23. 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: 3,211 | Gross: $5.67M
24. 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: 764 | Gross: $3.00M
25. The Edge (1985 Video)
95 min | Action, Crime, Drama
USA decides to change the world's balance of power by providing Finland with a nuclear bomb. which could mean the start of WW3.
Director: Allan Levine | Stars: Jan Taylor Hendricks, Simon Sekulovich, Robert Reece, Karen Cannata
Votes: 13
26. The Jesse Owens Story (1984 TV Movie)
174 min | Biography, Drama, History
This is the compelling story of Jesse Owens, a man who overcame racial barriers to become one of history's greatest Olympic athletes by disproving Adolf Hitler's theory of Aryan athletic superiority through his success in track and field.
Director: Richard Irving | Stars: Dorian Harewood, Georg Stanford Brown, Debbi Morgan, Barry Corbin
Votes: 276
27. Cracked Up (1987 TV Movie)
100 min | Drama
Seventeen-year-old track star, John Owens, has never used any drug stronger than pot, until he meets an older woman who introduces him to crack cocaine. He quickly becomes addicted but is ... See full summary »
Director: Karen Arthur | Stars: Edward Asner, Raphael Sbarge, James Wilder, Marilyn Jones
Votes: 59
28. Run for Your Life (1988)
90 min | Drama, Sport, Thriller
Major Charles Forsythe (Carradine) is a Vietnam veteran U.S. Army officer stationed near Rome. He is a brutal, if effective, commander who was "fragged" by his own men in Vietnam. When he ... See full summary »
Director: Terence Young | Stars: David Carradine, Lauren Hutton, George Segal, Franco Nero
Votes: 92
29. The Four Minute Mile (1988 TV Movie)
152 min | Biography, Drama, History
A dramatisation of the race to the four-minute mile, featuring Richard Huw as Bannister and Nique Needles as Landy. It was written by David Williamson and directed by Jim Goddard.
Director: Jim Goddard | Stars: Richard Huw, Nique Needles, Adrian Rawlins, John Philbin
Votes: 108
30. Across the Tracks (1990)
R | 100 min | Drama, Sport
Two brothers: one a drug-dealing layabout, while the other is a hardworking "model son." When the one begins straightening himself out by becoming a high school track star, the other is jealous and retreats into alcohol.
Director: Sandy Tung | Stars: Ricky Schroder, Brad Pitt, Carrie Snodgress, David Anthony Marshall
Votes: 2,718
31. Pentathlon (1994)
R | 101 min | Action, Drama, Thriller
An Olympic gold medalist escapes to freedom in the US, only to be tracked down by his sadistic ex-coach.
Director: Bruce Malmuth | Stars: Dolph Lundgren, David Soul, Renée Coleman, Roger E. Mosley
Votes: 2,015
32. Run for the Dream: The Gail Devers Story (1996 TV Movie)
PG-13 | 99 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
Truth is stranger than fiction. Olympic gold medal hurdler Gail Devers almost lost her feet to a mysterious disease after being picked for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. She failed to qualify for... See full summary »
Director: Neema Barnette | Stars: Charlayne Woodard, Louis Gossett Jr., Tina Lifford, Jeffrey D. Sams
Votes: 119
33. 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: 7,667 | Gross: $0.53M
34. 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: 7,530 | Gross: $0.78M
35. Endurance (2002– )
30 min | Family, Reality-TV
On Endurance, teams of boys and girls from across the United States will have to prove themselves in various challenges and missions to win the title of Endurance champions.
Stars: J.D. Roth, Max Deleo, Jenna Jimenez, Lindi Oest
Votes: 334
36. Yoga Zone: Power Yoga (1999 Video)
55 min | Documentary, Sport
This variation on the popular power-yoga style, as is the unfortunate case with many yoga tapes, moves both into and through its program too quickly, with virtually no warm-up or ... See full summary »
Director: Andrea Ambandos | Stars: Alan Finger, Lisa Bennett, Gina Menza, Charles Matkin
Votes: 9
37. Endurance (1998)
G | 83 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
The gold medal for the men's 10,000-metre race in the 1996 Atlanta Olympics is won by Ethiopian Haile Gebrselassie.
Directors: Leslie Woodhead, Bud Greenspan | Stars: Haile Gebrselassie, Shawananness Gebrselassie, Yonas Zergaw, Tedesse Haile
Votes: 439 | Gross: $0.23M
38. The Long Run (2001)
R | 112 min | Drama, Sport
A failed track coach finally finds someone who he believes has what it takes to win.
Director: Jean Stewart | Stars: Armin Mueller-Stahl, Nthati Moshesh, Paterson Joseph, Seputla Sebogodi
Votes: 380
39. Pumpkin (2002)
R | 113 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A sorority girl finds her life falling apart after she develops romantic feelings for a mentally-challenged man.
Directors: Anthony Abrams, Adam Larson Broder | Stars: Christina Ricci, Hank Harris, Brenda Blethyn, Dominique Swain
Votes: 9,541 | Gross: $0.31M
40. Hitler's Pawn: The Margaret Lambert Story (2004 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 59 min | Documentary, Biography, Sport
The life story of Margaret Lambert, a German athlete who wasn't allowed to compete at the 1936 Olympic games because of her religion.
Director: George Roy | Stars: Margaret Lambert, Julius Bendorf, Avery Brundage, Pascal Ferres
Votes: 97
41. Miracle Run (2004 TV Movie)
TV-PG | 120 min | Biography, Drama
A mom is alone with her fraternal twin sons after they're diagnosed with autism. She tries to give them a normal childhood.
Director: Gregg Champion | Stars: Mary-Louise Parker, Aidan Quinn, Zac Efron, Bubba Lewis
Votes: 1,666
42. Four Minutes (2005 TV Movie)
90 min | Biography, Drama, History
The story of the four minute mile-breaker Roger Bannister.
Director: Charles Beeson | Stars: Jamie Maclachlan, Christopher Plummer, Shaun Smyth, Amy Rutherford
Votes: 381
43. The Ringer (2005)
PG-13 | 94 min | Comedy, Sport
A young guy's only option to erase a really bad debt is to rig the Special Olympics by posing as a contestant.
Director: Barry W. Blaustein | Stars: Johnny Knoxville, Katherine Heigl, Brian Cox, Jed Rees
Votes: 38,822 | Gross: $35.42M
44. Saint Ralph (2004)
PG-13 | 98 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
Saint Ralph is the unlikely story of Ralph Walker, a ninth-grader who outran everyone's expectations except his own in his bold quest to win the 1954 Boston Marathon.
Director: Michael McGowan | Stars: Adam Butcher, Campbell Scott, Jennifer Tilly, Michael Kanevsky
Votes: 6,336 | Gross: $0.80M
45. Run Fatboy Run (2007)
PG-13 | 100 min | Comedy, Romance, Sport
Five years after jilting his pregnant fiancée on their wedding day, out-of-shape Dennis decides to run a marathon to win her back.
Director: David Schwimmer | Stars: Simon Pegg, Thandiwe Newton, Hank Azaria, Dylan Moran
Votes: 69,839 | Gross: $6.00M
46. Racing for Time (2008 TV Movie)
TV-14 | 86 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
From Emmy-winning director and actor Charles S. Dutton, comes the true story of a guard (Dutton) at a Teen Correctional Facility-- who saw the cycle of destructive choices and racial ... See full summary »
Director: Charles S. Dutton | Stars: Charles S. Dutton, Yaya DaCosta, Zulay Henao, Alessandra Ford Balazs
Votes: 259
47. The One Man Olympics (2008)
109 min | Comedy, Drama, Sport
The story of Liu Changchun, China's first Olympic athlete, and his journey from Japanese occupied China to the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympic Games. One man representing 400 million people.
Director: Yong Hou | Stars: Zhaolin Li, Liang Shi, Haiying Sun, Ziqi Zhao
Votes: 44
48. 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: 972
49. Chasing a Dream (2009 TV Movie)
120 min | Drama, Family, Sport
When his best friend, a championship runner, is killed in a car accident while running home from a party, high school football star CAM STILES suffers a nervous breakdown from the guilt and... See full summary »
Director: David Burton Morris | Stars: Treat Williams, Joanna Going, Andrew Lawrence, Jake McLaughlin
Votes: 236
50. Star Runners (2009 TV Movie)
80 min | Action, Adventure, Horror
When ordered to retrieve a crate from a distant planet, two mercenaries learn that they must in fact smuggle a woman off world. They then crash-land on a planet packed with vicious giant alien bugs.
Director: Mat King | Stars: Connor Trinneer, James Kyson, Toni Trucks, Aja Evans
Votes: 1,110
51. The Robber (2010)
Not Rated | 101 min | Biography, Crime, Drama
A story based on Johann Rettenberger, an Austrian marathon runner and a bank robber.
Director: Benjamin Heisenberg | Stars: Andreas Lust, Markus Schleinzer, Roman Kettner, Hannelore Klauber-Laursen
Votes: 4,631 | Gross: $0.08M
52. Paan Singh Tomar (2012)
Not Rated | 135 min | Action, Biography, Crime
The story of Paan Singh Tomar, an Indian athlete and seven-time national steeplechase champion who becomes one of the most feared dacoits in Chambal Valley after his retirement.
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia | Stars: Irrfan Khan, Mahie Gill, Rajesh Abhay, Hemendra Dandotiya
Votes: 37,866 | Gross: $0.04M
53. Fast Girls (2012)
Not Rated | 91 min | Drama, Sport
A street smart runner develops an intense rivalry with an equally ambitious wealthy young athlete.
Director: Regan Hall | Stars: Lenora Crichlow, Phil Davis, Jamie Howard, Jahvel Hall
Votes: 3,873
54. 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: 72,291 | Gross: $1.63M
55. 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: 182,681 | Gross: $115.64M
56. 4 Minute Mile (2014)
PG-13 | 96 min | Drama, Sport
A former track coach decides to train a student with natural athletic talent. Tragedy strikes, forcing the student to confront everything that has been holding him back.
Director: Charles-Olivier Michaud | Stars: Kelly Blatz, Richard Jenkins, Kim Basinger, Cam Gigandet
Votes: 3,145
57. 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: 42,230 | Gross: $44.47M
58. 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: 40,916 | Gross: $19.10M
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