THE START OF the new NFL season is now less than two weeks away and we’re in the mood for some football.

The glorified practise sessions that is the pre-season isn’t quite doing it for us so we thought we’d up the preparation by taking a look at some of our favourite American football-themed movies.

In no particular order, here they are. Let us know your own in the comment section.

Friday Night Lights

Plot: The Permian Panthers of Odessa, Texas must overcome the loss of their star running back.
Stars: Billy Bob Thornton, Tim McGraw.
Why it’s great: It’s Friday Night Lights, you know it’s great.
Typical YouTube comment: ”this is the best football movie of all time but i cant watch it because it brings back way to much…i could never get through the ending now matter how hard i try.”

Remember the Titans

Plot: The true story of a newly appointed black coach and his high school team in their first season.
Stars: Denzel Washington, William Patton.
Why it’s great: Forget the Oscars, Washington puts in a career performance in this emotional roller-coaster.
Typical YouTube comment: ”i saw it like a 6 years ago and i can’t stop watching it. I also think this is one of the greatest films ive seen.”

Jerry McGuire

Plot: An agent is fired for showing a soul, he has one last client to prove that you can still have a conscience and work as a sports agents.
Stars: Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding, Jr., Renee Zellwegger.
Why it’s great: You had me at hello.
Typical YouTube comment: ”tom cruise is best actor ever ………. amazing movie.”

Wildcats

Plot: A athletics coach decides she wants to take over a high school’s football team.
Stars: Goldie Hawn, Woody Harrelson, Wesley Snipes.
Why it’s great: Without this movie, we may never have had True Detective (season one).
Typical YouTube comment: ”Been a fan of little league sports movies I’ve never even heard of this.”

Semi-Tough

Plot: Hilarity ensues when a love triangle forms between two professional football players and the owner’s daughter.
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Kris Kristofferson, Jill Clayburgh.
Why it’s great: Both Reynolds and Kristofferson were actually gifted football players in college and that comes across in on-the-field scenes.
Typical YouTube comment: ”I love this movie too. The Pony Express piss flask was to funny.”

Any Given Sunday

Plot: A coach must juggle a meddling owner and the inflated ego of his new QB after losing his favourite player to injury.
Stars: Al Pacino, Jamie Foxx, Dennis Quaid, Cameron Diaz.
Why it’s great: Forget about that speech, this is actually a very good football movie with Pacino pitching his performance perfectly.
Typical YouTube comment: ”Elizabeth Berkley who played on Saved By The Bell tv show was in this as a prostitute and Al Pacino had sex with her.”

The Longest Yard

Plot: A former football player serving time is ordered by the warden to put together a team of inmates to take on — but deliberately lose to — the prison guards.
Stars: Burt Reynolds, Eddie Albert, Richard Kiel.
Why it’s great: Because it’s not the Vinnie Jones football remake.
Typical YouTube comment: ”I met Richard Kiel once. He was very nice man. RIP, Richard Kiel.”

Little Giants

Plot: A rag tag band of misfits dropped from the local pee-wee football team form their own squad led by the coach’s nerdy brother
Stars: Ed O’Neill, Rick Moranis, John Madden
Why it’s great: You learn the important — and very 90s lesson — that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.
Typical YouTube comment: ”Aww 90′s… why did you have to leave us?”

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