04/20/24
October 06, 2004
The most significant sports-book-to-sports-movie adaptations: according to ESPN's Page 2: Friday Night Lights, The Natural, Seabiscuit, Raging Bull, and North Dallas Forty. What do you think? What'd they leave out? [more inside]
posted by kirkaracha to culture at 10:26 PM - 16 comments
If there is a god, then someone will make a movie from Catcher in the Wry.
posted by NoMich at 10:33 PM on October 06, 2004
What, no Kingpin?
posted by billsaysthis at 11:23 PM on October 06, 2004
Victory Fever Pitch... They've missed a lot.
posted by StarFucker at 11:51 PM on October 06, 2004
Hoosiers. Gave hope to tiny white kids everywhere.
posted by WeedyMcSmokey at 12:27 AM on October 07, 2004
Surely they meant to give some love to Ali and Caddyshack.
posted by Joey Michaels at 04:44 AM on October 07, 2004
I'm kind of afraid to see what they've done with Friday Night Lights, even if "the author approves".
posted by lil_brown_bat at 06:00 AM on October 07, 2004
Searching for Bobby Fischer - Chess is a sport? Any Given Sunday - They've got to be kidding... unless they're looking strictly at how well the movie portrays the book. If that's the case, I have no opinion, never having read the book. If they're looking strictly at the quality of the movie, this one definitely sucked and shouldn't be anywhere close to the top ten.
posted by sixpacker at 07:40 AM on October 07, 2004
As a huge fan of "Friday Night Lights" and a guy who spent some time reporting high-school football in Texas, I wholeheartedly agree with brown_bat. There is no way a movie could do this book justice, simply because no studio would allow the story to remain true to Bissinger's harsh images. If you haven't read this book, which I think is one of the five finest sports works I've ever picked up, do so before you see the movie. My God ... "Caddyshack wasn't a book, was it?
posted by wfrazerjr at 09:39 AM on October 07, 2004
I've really no intent to see Friday Night Lights, at least until it's out on video, but an amazing Austin band called Explosions in the Sky got signed to do the score, which I do plan on picking up. Their album "The Earth is not a Cold Dead Place" is easily in my top five of the past year. I'd be interested to see if anyone who sees the movie has any thoughts on the score as it's used in the film.
posted by Ufez Jones at 10:35 AM on October 07, 2004
Fever Pitch is a pile of embarrassing old cack. This Sporting Life is good, as is the Loneliness of The Long Distance Runner. I like that boxing film with Jeff Bridges too, was that a novel first?
posted by Fat Buddha at 01:06 PM on October 07, 2004
Fever Pitch was much better as a book. Not based on a book but close: when are the porn flicks based on the recent articles about Olympic Village activity coming out?
posted by billsaysthis at 01:47 PM on October 07, 2004
I loved Fever Pitch as a book; the movie was an ordinary rom-com that didn't have much to do with the book (which is probably impossible to film). We discussed the "best of the best sports books" in February 2002 (which I also posted, in a distressingly similar manner). An Among the Thugs movie would be interesting.
posted by kirkaracha at 05:38 PM on October 07, 2004
That reminds me, the film of John Kings the Football Factory has just come out on DVD, I must have a look.
posted by Fat Buddha at 02:23 AM on October 08, 2004
Best sports book never have been made into a movie,and probably never will be....Ball Four.
posted by NYSSoftballBlue at 08:17 AM on October 08, 2004
Here's their list of 10 other noteworthy films: