Sports Illustrated recently reported a strange phenomenon going on among college and pro football teams. A number of coaches had decided to show Denzel Washington’s movie Remember the Titans before a big game. It turned out that almost every underdog team that viewed the movie the night before the game pulled off the upset the next day. Upon reading this, I thought, “Squash needs a movie.”
That isn’t to say that squash has never appeared in the movies. On the contrary, squash has appeared in a number of movies (and if you were to include the number of times it is mentioned so that the viewer “gets” that the person talking is a snob, the number is very high).
The first movie that I can remember where squash was shown is the classic Love Story. It isn’t crucial to the story, but Ryan O’Neal plays some squash as a Harvard undergrad. The most recent movie I can think of is Wall Street (or maybe it was the other Michael Douglas movie The Game). Again, squash was not the focal point of the story.
So what is a squash player with a big match the next day to do? Well, we probably need to borrow some sports movies for ourselves. So, in order to help that process, I came up with three criteria.
First, I tossed out movies about team sports. Some of them are good motivating movies, to be sure, but let’s face it: doubles notwithstanding, squash is mano-a-mano.
Second, I dropped the idea that these have to be good movies. Most of them aren’t bad, but – with one notable exception – none has won any academy awards. That doesn’t mean they aren’t fun.
Finally, I limited the choices to one per sport. This may be harsh, but, hey, strongest survive. Gotta problem with that?
So here are my top choices for movies that can get a squash player pumped (and perhaps lead to an insight or two).
Vision Quest (1985)
Wrestling is the sport, and Matthew Modine plays the high school wrestler who has some brains, too. His training is very tough (however, don’t go out and start running in a rubber suit like he does – wrestling has some strange ideas), his growing pains are a bit corny and the movie turns out to be oddly inspiring. If you rent it, yes, that really is a young Madonna singing in the bar.
American Flyers (1985)
Some people are going to be annoyed that I didn’t pick Breaking Away as the biking film, but I’m guessing that most of you probably never saw this early Kevin Costner film about two brothers – one of whom is dying – who enter a grueling bicycle marathon. One of the performance tests in the film still motivates me when I am doing sprint training. A classic root-for-the-good-guys film (by the same guy who later went on to write Breaking Away – so leave me alone), it’s worth checking out
Without Limits (1999)
I am leaving off Chariots of Fire, too. Without Limits was one of the better movies of last year that no one saw. A docudrama about one of the greatest American runners in history, Steve Prefontaine, it does a better job than almost any fictional account of showing the obsessiveness, cockiness and hard work it takes to be the best. Surprisingly affecting.
The Karate Kid (1984)
Most of you probably remember this movie. It is a real audience pleaser that is unabashedly manipulative and old-fashioned in its values. Directed by the same guy who directed the original Rocky movie, the Karate Kid shows how sports can increase self-confidence – particularly for teenagers. Also, I defy anyone who sees the movie not to want to go out and find their own personal Pat Morita. A fun exploration of the relationship between mentor and athlete.
Searching for Bobby Fischer (1993)
Is chess a sport? I’m not getting into that debate here, but this movie (which is also based on a true story) is not quite a cautionary tale for parents of athletes, but it does a very fine job of showing how close the line is between allowing a child to excel at something and taking the enjoyment out of it. This may be the best movie of the bunch.
Rocky (1976)
If Searching for Bobby Fischer isn’t the best movie, this one is. People are always surprised to be reminded that the original Rocky actually won an Oscar. It happened to be the one for Best Picture. The sequels became increasingly cheesy, but rent the first one again sometime, and you may find yourself screaming “Adrian” after your next match. This is the granddaddy of motivation films. Bring it out for the big one.
