Top 10 Movies at the Olympics
I’m going to say this now, I’m shocked at how few movies there are about the Olympics. I feel like sports movies are so prevalent, I just would’ve expected there to be a significantly bigger pool of Olympic-related movies than there were. I’m sure more will continue to be made, especially with Hollywood’s current obsession with biopics. While not all of these films are biopics, every single one of them is based on a true story.
Race- Definitively the most famous & impactful athlete depicted in any of these films, ‘Race’ stars Stephan James as Jesse Owens as he ran and jumped his way to four Olympic golds at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Showing the severe discrimination & obstacles Owens faced due to his race not only in Germany, but also in the US prior to and after the Olympics, ‘Race’ also stars Jason Sudeikis as Owens’s coach, Larry Snyder, with Jeremy Irons, Carice van Houten, & William Hurt filling out the ensemble.
Unbroken- This movie differs in that it is not a sports film. In fact the Olympics play a fairly small role and happen towards the beginning of the movie. This is a war drama directed by Angelina Jolie & written by the Coen Brothers. It stars Jack O’Connell as Louie Zamperini, an Italian-American being held captive by the Japanese during World War II. Prior to the war, Zamperini finished 8th at the 1936 Berlin Olympics in the 5,000 meter race and set a lap record on his final lap.
Cool Runnings- This is a touch lighter than the first two. This film chronicles the Jamaican bobsled team as they try to qualify for 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics, which would be a first for their country. The team is made up of three former sprinters and a push cart derby champion, none of whom have any experience or knowledge of bobsled. For that, they seek out John Candy’s Irv Blitzer, who coaches them through the qualifications with a whole nation watching.
Miracle- This 2004 movie depicts the events of the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics men’s hockey game in which the US team beats the heavily favored Soviets in what is known as the ‘Miracle on Ice.’ It stars Kurt Russell as the team’s coach, Herb Brooks. In both real life and the film, the US beat the Soviets and then went on to face and defeat Finland for the gold medal.
Eddie the Eagle- Starring Taron Egerton as the titular character, Michael ‘Eddie the Eagle’ Edwards, this film also stars Hugh Jackman & Christopher Walken. In it, Edwards becomes the first British ski jumper to qualify in ski jumping since 1928. The most interesting part of the film is that Edwards very famously finished last in both of his events at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics.
Chariots of Fire- Set in the early 20th century, this film centers on two British runners in the 1924 Paris Olympics, Eric Liddell, a Scottish Christian, and Harold Abrahams, an English Jew. Ben Cross & Ian Charleson star, respectively, in this film that was nominated for seven Oscars and won four: Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, Best Costume Design, & Best Original Score, for its extremely iconic film composition.
Foxcatcher- Starring Channing Tatum & Mark Ruffalo as brothers & Olympic gold medalists Mark & Dave Schultz, ‘Foxcatcher’ tells the story of the Schultz brothers and their association with wrestling enthusiast John du Pont (Steve Carell). Du Pont recruits the two to help coach young wrestlers to get them into the Olympics, but culminates with du Pont murdering Dave Schultz.
The Boys in the Boat- Directed & produced by George Clooney, this 2023 film shows the University of Washington rowing team attempting to make it to the 1936 Berlin Olympics, which they eventually do and win the gold medal. The film stars Joel Edgerton as Coach Al Ulbrickson & Callum Turner as Joe Rantz.
I, Tonya- This film not only depicts 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, but also the infamous assault of Nancy Kerrigan and Tonya Harding’s connection to said assault. The film stars Margot Robbie as Harding, Sebastian Stan as Harding’s husband, and Allison Janney as Harding’s mother, a role for which she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress. The film was also nominated for Best Editing & Best Actress for Robbie.
Without Limits/Prefontaine- So these are two different films. Coming out in 1998 & 1997, respectively the films starred Billy Crudup & Jared Leto as runner Steve Prefontaine. The films also starred Donald Sutherland & R. Lee Ermey as coach Bill Bowerman and Dean Norris & Ed O’Neill as coach Bill Dellinger. Both films show Prefontaine competing and placing 4th at the 1972 Munich Olympics before his death at age 24.
