Ready, set, hike! A good football flick will have you cheering from your couch like you’re watching your home team pull off a game-clinching play from the stadium stands. Classic football movies stir up those warm fuzzies because the sport itself can be so inspiring — the underdog comebacks, the life-altering opportunities, and the camaraderie between teammates. If you’re the kind of fan who tracks every update of the 2026–2027 NFL season — from the preseason beginning Aug. 6 to the Super Bowl — you might be wanting even more football for your football. Luckily, you can watch plenty of football films and sports documentaries in between NFL games on Netflix. Learn more about the season’s schedule on Tudum.
When you’re not streaming live games, harken back to some well-loved nostalgic stories, including Rudy’s odds-defying journey to Notre Dame and Coach Gary Gaines’s fight for Texas football greatness. Read on to learn more.
Director Peter Berg’s 2004 sports drama is based on H.G. Bissinger’s 1990 book and stars Billy Bob Thornton (Bad News Bears) as Gary Gaines, the head coach of the Permian High School football team in Odessa, Texas. The gridiron-obsessed town’s high expectations of both Gaines and his players prove nearly overwhelming. As they take hits on and off the field, the team will have to come together under Coach Gaines’s leadership to achieve their town’s state championship dream — and secure their own futures. Derek Luke (13 Reasons Why), Jay Hernandez (The Long Game), Lucas Black (Legion), Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound), Tim McGraw (The Blind Side), and Connie Britton (Nashville) co-star.
