Who doesn’t love a good sports movie speech? That moment in the film when all seems lost, then some masterfully delivered dialogue, usually accompanied by some awesome orchestral music, steers the athlete(s) on to victory. Here are four of the best.
You Make Sure They Remember
Remember The Titans is a modern-day classic with stellar performances by Denzel Washington, Will Patton, and the rest of the cast. However, the best scene has to be just before the third act when Patton's character calls the defense together and gives a rallying cry that is guaranteed to give you shivers.
A Game of Inches
In the final act of Any Given Sunday, Robert De Niro has to get his players to overcome the resentment and drama that had been plaguing the team, or their season is over. What comes next is a speech that encapsulates everything great about the sport of football. And, of course, it’s a great speech. Robert De Niro could read a pamphlet about tax law and make it sound like Shakespeare.
No Pain
With all the great montages and dialogue in the Rocky franchise, there aren't many quote/unquote, "sports movie speeches." Quality over quantity and all that. One speech that does stand out is in Rocky IV. In the final act, Rocky is fighting Ivan Drago, the Russian behemoth who killed his friend, Apollo Creed. Drago seems indestructible until Rocky gives him a nasty cut over his eye. Smelling blood, Rocky attacks. When he returns to his corner, the music swells and his trainer, Duke, emphatically tells Rocky that he's broken the illusion. That Drago isn't a machine. He’s a man. It’s not a long speech but it turns the tide and signals the beginning of the end for Drago.
Keep Moving Forward
As we said above, when it comes to sports movie speeches, the Rocky movies don't have many but the ones they do have stick with you. Arguably the best speech comes in the franchise's fifth installment, Rocky Balboa. Rocky comes out of retirement to fight a boxer 20-plus years his junior, and Rocky's son makes the whole situation about him, asking his father to save himself and his son the embarrassment of losing. What comes next is a speech about perseverance that has transcended the movie itself. Seriously, you can buy wall art with this speech on it. And deservedly so.
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