10 Most Irritatingly Improbable Sports Movies
You might call it the Superbowl of nitpicking about contrived plot elements.
There are few things in life more inspirational and uplifting than a good old-fashioned sports movie. The underdogs overcome seemingly insurmountable odds, winning the big game and sticking it to the more traditionally athletic/wealthy/Russian rivals (seriously, when it's an international competition featured in a sports film, the villain is almost always Russia or a former USSR satellite).
But in pursuit of a feel good, come from behind victory, filmmakers have a tendency to bend the conventional rules of reality. Sometimes you see that "Based on a True Story" descriptor and think, "Really? Is it really?"
Because let's face it, you could make a film about the Battle of Ypres cast entirely with penguins and claim that it was based on a true story - hey, the battle did happen, didn't it?
But the worst offenders are films that don't just bend the truth, they come up with nonsensical plot lines that could never actually happen by any stretch of the imagination, and are just offensive to anyone who either plays or watches the sport in question.
10. The Ringer
The Ringer operates in this sort of weird space between being shockingly offensive and actually treating people with intellectual disabilities in a surprisingly progressive and forward-thinking way, by only really making fun of the quote unquote normal people.
But regardless of how one feels about the movie as a whole, it's impossible to overlook the key aspect of the film: the fact that Steve Barker, played by Johnny Knoxville, is somehow able to just show up on race day and compete in the Special Olympics.
The audience is expected to believe that there are no forms or documentation you need to provide to enter the Special Olympics? This movie is going to stand there and look its viewers in the eye and insist that your ability to participate is down to the whims of some random low-level volunteer and how charming she thinks you are?
And what's more, that someone who faked their way into the Special Olympics wouldn't be strung up and set on fire for being the worst person in the history of the world? There are certain things that society doesn't forgive, and one of them happens to be pretending to have an intellectual disability for your own personal gain (no matter how noble your intentions may be).