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Are you ready for some football? The NFL is finally back in full swing, and not a moment too soon. Life just seems a whole lot sweeter when you're able to spend Sundays — and Monday nights ...and Thursday nights — on the couch tuning out your troubles and double-fisting snacks while cheering for the good ol' [fill in your team here]. But, sadly, there are other days of the week that need to be filled. What to do? Don't worry, we've got you covered with our list of the best football movies for you to stream while you're waiting for the next slate of games to kick off..
Varsity Blues (1999)
The psychological mindset of the backup quarterback is complicated. On one hand, you constantly stand in the shadow of the team’s most important player, an understudy to greatness. On the other, a part of you must be secretly rooting for the starter to get injured so you get your moment in the spotlight. Needless to say, Varsity Blues doesn’t dig very deeply into any of that. Instead, this is a high-school romp starring a bunch of really attractive actors and actresses who are well beyond their high school years. Still, when it does try to say something bigger, it hits the mark with surprising accuracy. Dawson’s Creek’s James Van Der Beek plays a hungry, bench-warming Texas play-caller pining for a scholarship who finally gets his shot at the big time when his tough-love jerk of a coach (Jon Voight, now 86) taps him to replace Paul Walker’s fallen star.
Watch it here: Varsity Blues

Paper Lion (1968)
George Plimpton was the undisputed master of participatory journalism. If it meant a good story, he would spar in the ring with heavyweight champs, take a futile cut at a Hall of Fame pitcher’s fastball, or put on a facemask and get in the net to take a turn as an NHL goalie. Adapted from his book of the same title, this delightfully satiric and low-key Walter Mitty tale has Plimpton (well played by a pre-M*A*S*H Alan Alda, now 89) going to training camp with the Detroit Lions with the hope of not just getting through pigskin boot camp but actually making the team. Former player Alex Karras lends some hard-won wisdom and humor, but as expected Plimpton’s one game as a QB goes horribly and hilariously wrong.
Watch it here: Paper Lion
The Waterboy (1998)
There are two kinds of people in this world: Those who find Adam Sandler movies insufferable … and everyone else. You already know which camp you fall into, so consider this your disclaimer. For those who have a sweet tooth for Sandler’s signature brand of sophomoric, man-child hijinks, this is an extremely solid slice of low-brow numbskull entertainment. Here Sandler (now 59) plays Bobby Boucher, a 31-year-old Cajun mama’s boy (Kathy Bates, 77, is perfect) who keeps his local football squad hydrated with “high-quality H2O” and is about as smart as a sackful of hammers. Turns out that beneath his naïve exterior, he’s actually a closet football star thanks to his lifetime of pent-up aggression. Yes, you've seen Sandler do this shtick before, but this is one of the better examples of it. Plus, you’ll want to check it out just for Henry Winkler (now 75), who plays his coach. He’s the movie’s secret weapon.
Watch it here: The Waterboy
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Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 (2008)
There have been plenty of great documentaries made about football. For my money, this is, if not the best, then certainly the strangest. Flashing back to the afternoon of Nov. 23, 1968, these two undefeated Ivy League powerhouses met on the football field to determine who would have bragging rights for the next year. The title comes from a Harvard Crimson headline that followed what would go down as one of the most dramatic, nail-biting football games in college history. With 42 seconds left to play, Yale was ahead 29-13. But through a series of flukes, Harvard came back to even the score. The real treat is watching the players recount the game years later with varying memories, including a certain Harvard player named Tommy Lee Jones (now 75).
Watch it here: Harvard Beats Yale 29-29
80 for Brady (2023)
Contrary to what the previous entries on this list might have you believe, not all football movies have to be about the dudes. Recent estimates from the NFL suggest that 47 percent of the league's audience is female. And assuming Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce can stay together and bring even more of her fans to the sport, then that number might spike even higher. Until then, let's celebrate the legendary ladies of 80 for Brady — Jane Fonda (87), Lily Tomlin (86), Sally Field (78), and Rita Moreno (93). In this funny, frisky comedy about four lifelong friends who go on a girls' trip to see their hero/crush Tom Brady play in the Super Bowl, the message is it's never too late to throw caution to the wind and live a little. Honestly, you could take away the entire football angle and it would still be a blast to see these four stars share the screen. But if they want to throw in some football in the bargain, we're not complaining.
Watch it here: 80 for Brady
Rudy (1993)
High on any sports junkie's list of the greatest sports movies ever made, Rudy is the kind of film that wears its heart unabashedly on its sleeve. And if you find that sort of emotional arm-twisting to be manipulative, you may want to look elsewhere. But if it's a lump in your throat the size of a beach ball you're after, then this is the football flick for you. Sean Astin (now 54) stars as Rudy Ruettiger, a runty blue-collar dreamer whose only aspiration in life is to play football for his beloved Notre Dame. He gets his wish … well, sort of … when he's chosen to be, basically, the team's tackling dummy at practice. Eventually, all of his teammates grow so fond of Rudy that he gets a chance to take the field. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have something in my eye.
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