The Fire Inside (2024)
Based on the life of boxing champion Claressa “T-Rex” Shields, The Fire Inside explores the athlete’s early career in the sport. Along with her highs and lows of becoming a boxer, the movie also fictionalizes her stint competing at the 2012 London Olympics. For those looking for something with a little more grit and speed, this is the perfect choice.
Miracle (2004)
Kurt Russell stars in the 2004 film that follows the true story of the U.S. men’s ice hockey team as they secured the gold medal at the 1980 Lake Placid Winter Olympics. The team seemingly wasn’t meant to win over the heavily favored Soviet Union, but in a turn of events, they clinched the title and Olympic glory.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
I, Tonya (2017)
Some folks may remember the feud between figure skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan ahead of the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics. Well, Margot Robbie, Sebastian Stan, and Alison Janney all star in a movie that semi-documents the events leading up to that fateful moment, along with some unique twists.
Cool Runnings (1993)
Based on the incredible true story, Cool Runnings follows four Jamaican athletes as they fight their way to the Winter Olympics as bobsled racers. But since they never grew up participating in winter sports, they invest in the help of an ex-champion American bobsledder to try to find glory.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
The Gabby Douglas Story (2014)
This biopic from the Lifetime Network follows the story of U.S. Olympian Gabby Douglas, the first Black gymnast to become the individual all-around champion in the 2012 London Olympics. She also became the first U.S. gymnast to win gold in both the individual and team competitions at the same Olympics, which blazed a trail for other gymnasts to strive for similar success.
The Simone Biles Story: Courage to Soar (2018)
Four years after Lifetime released its biopic on Gabby Douglas, it celebrated Olympic gymnast Simone Biles’ rise to the top at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
RELATED: Simone Biles on Mental Health
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Race (2016)
This movie explores the true story of African-American athlete Jesse Owens. He won a record-breaking four gold medals while participating in the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, but it didn’t come without heartbreaking racial tensions and discrimination.
RELATED: The Most Iconic Olympic Moments
Munich (2005)
In 1972, the world watched an incident involving the murder of 11 Israeli athletes at the Munich Summer Olympics. This historical film from Steven Spielberg reenacts the fateful event, including the aftermath of the hunt for the perpetrators.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Eddie the Eagle (2015)
Starring Hugh Jackman and Taron Egerton, the 2016 biographical film follows British skier Michael “Eddie” Edwards. He becomes the first athlete to represent Great Britain in ski jumping at the 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics since 1926, gaining international attention in ways he didn’t expect.
Foxcatcher (2014)
Channing Tatum, Mark Ruffalo, and Steve Carell star in the Oscar-nominated film following the true story of millionaire E.I. du Pont and 1984 Los Angeles Summer Olympic gold medalists Mark and David Schultz. As Du Pont hires the wrestling siblings to coach other athletes striving for success at the next Olympics in Seoul, Korea, it also comes with a detrimental sacrifice.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Telling the story of two British athletes competing in the 1924 Paris Summer Olympics, Chariots of Fire explores their friendship despite being raised in different religions. The heartwarming drama won four Academy Awards in 1981 and introduced a young Kenneth Branagh in his film debut.
The Boys in the Boat (2022)
Based on the 2013 book of the same name, The Boys in the Boat follows the rowing team hailing from the University of Washington in the 1930s. Their goal is to compete in the 1936 Berlin Summer Olympics, and it comes with trials and tribulations, including world tensions that would later come to light ahead of World War II.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Prefontaine (1997)
This American biographical film sees Jared Leto starring as long-distance runner Steve Prefontaine. Although deemed too small to compete in most sports, his determination led him to make Team USA and compete in both the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics.
The Cutting Edge (1992)
The beloved romantic comedy follows a former ice hockey player and a temperamental figure skater as they fight for a chance in the 1992 Albertville Winter Olympics. The duo becomes an unlikely ice skating pair, and while their working relationship starts out rather volatile, it eventually turns romantic in a heartwarming way.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
American Anthem (1986)
This American sports drama film explores the fictional story of Steve Tavere. A rising star in both football and gymnastics, he sees no way back to potential glory after breaking his arm. As he heads back home and works at his dad’s bike shop, he meets Julie, a gymnast who’s now training at his old gym. This leads him to find joy in the sport he once loved and try to get on the Olympic team.
Richard Jewell (2019)
The Clint Eastwood-directed biographical movie is based on a Vanity Fair article and follows a security guard as he discovers a bomb during the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics. As he tells authorities to go and defuse it, he ends up being wrongfully accused of planting the device himself.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Downhill Racer (1969)
Based on the novel of the same name, Robert Redford and Gene Hackman star in this movie about a downhill skier who becomes a member of the U.S. Ski Team. He not only competes in a number of international skiing competitions, the movie’s heartwarming story received positive reviews from critics at the time of its release.
The Swimmers (2022)
Starring real-life sisters Natalie and Manal Issa, this film explores the coming-of-age story of Syrian refugees Yusra and Sarah Mardini. As the two escape the country on a dinghy and help 18 other refugees safely across the Aegean sea, Yusra’s talent for swimming leads her on a journey to the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
Advertisement – Continue Reading Below
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.goodhousekeeping.com ’
