8 Must See Movies For Sports Writers and Journalism Fiends
Once you get the sports writing bug, it tends to consume everything about your life. In my experience, nearly every waking hour is spent trying to improve , whether it be through actual writing or research of the craft. And while reading is a sure-fire way to improve your work, film also holds a legitimate place on the learning hierarchy. Most of the movies that have helped me aren’t even sports related, though. In fact, you’d be hard-pressed to even find a 100-percent sports journalism movie. But, as sports writers, always remember that you’re a writer first and foremost, and when you find a good story you need to tell it.
Here, on the heels of The Post being released, we’ll outline some of the best films for sports writers and journalists, each selected to help educate and inspire your sportswriting career.
All The President’s Men (1976)
The Godfather of journalism in film, All The President’s Men stars a young Dustin Hoffman and Robert Redford as two young writers from The Washington Post. Together, Hoffman and Redford go to great lengths uncovering the true story of the Watergate scandal and prove how quality news research can have a national effect.
In 2010, ATPM was preserved in the National Film Registry for it’s cultural significance.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
1977 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor (Jason Robards), Best Sound, and Best Art Direction
Midnight In Paris (2011)
Definitely the best Woody Allen movie of our generation. Midnight In Parisfollows a screenwriter (Owen Wilson) around Paris as he contemplates the novel he is working on. The story eventually takes a few wild turns, and each time that happens, it seems like a new A-list performer appears. This film will teach you a lot about the history of literature and is definitely an inspiring tale.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
2012 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nobody Speak: Trials of the Free Press (2017)
Just released by Netflix, this documentary is quickly becoming a hit. The film follows a few recent cases of uber-rich people and their assault on mainstream media — I’m guessing you can think of the obvious one.
Nobody Speak covers a wide-range of media platforms; including the blogosphere, newspapers, and television.
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
Spotlight (2015)
This is All The President’s Men for the millennial era. In fact, since this movie came out, there has been a LeBron/Jordan-type argument over which film is better.
Spotlight features a group of reporters from the Boston Globe, as they put together a story that has been seemingly swept under the rug. The cast is outstanding, with Mark Ruffalo and Michael Keaton headlining, but the subject matter is a little touchy (child molestation). However, like ATPM, it shows how quality reporting can be more than just words on a paper.
Rotten Tomatoes: 96%
2015 Academy Award for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay
Cobb (1994)
One of the few films where sports-writing is prominently featured, Cobb focuses on Ty Cobb and the writer he hired to write his biography. Tommy Lee Jones plays Cobb and Robert Wuhl plays the writer. This film teaches sports writers the golden rule — write the truth.
Rotten Tomatoes: 64%
Zodiac (2007)
Probably the best overall movie on our list, Zodiac follows the story of the famous Zodiac killings in the late-1960’s. Like All The President’s Men and Spotlight, the cast is what makes the film — Robert Downey Jr. and Jake Gyllenhaal both star as members of the San Francisco Chronicle who are thrown directly in the middle of the case.
These reporters get captivated by the murders…and had they been just some run-of-the-mill clock punchers, that would not have been the case. If you are on the fence about becoming a journalist, this film will likely push you over the edge — the write way.
Rotten Tomatoes: 89%
The Paper (1994)
The Paper is the absolute best depiction of how a newsroom operates and is probably Ron Howard’s most underrated film. From lowly fact-checkers, to columnists, to the editior-in-chief and beyond, you will get a top-to-bottom look at how the morning paper gets put together. The cast is, again, totally off the chain, with Robert Duvall, Glenn Close, Randy Quaid, and Michael Keaton (again).
Rotten Tomatoes: 88%
Unguarded (2012)
There were a bunch of examples I could have used here, but Unguarded is one of the best of its kind. The film, which is directed by documentary king Jonathan Hock, follows Chris Herren and his descent from the NBA to drug addiction.
This 30 for 30 is relevant to writers because of the subject matter. Nowadays, we can’t make our living just writing about games; there are too many publications (that are much bigger) doing precisely that. Instead, we need to find the story behind the box score, the human interest stuff that tugs at people’s heart strings. This film does precisely that, and is a solid blueprint for behind-the-scenes storytelling.
Rotten Tomatoes: 93%
As always, thanks for reading! Stay tuned for more great writing from Slackie Brown.