Retired football starPeyton Manningis widely considered one of the greatest quarterbacks ever, and for good reason. On top of being a two-time Super Bowl champion, he holds a number of records, including the most MVPs, the most single-season passing yards, and the most single-season passing touchdowns.What followers of the NFL may not know is that Manning is also a big fan of movies, especially ’80s comedies and sports films.
In interviews, he has praisedseveral sports dramas, and he even used to assign a handful of comedies to new players as a bonding exercise. “I’ve kind of tried to get to know these rookies and try to get on the same page with them,“Manning once said. “But what I’m finding out is we don’t speak the same language because we don’t know the same favorite movies.” His recommendations were aimed at correcting that. Here are some of his favorites which the athlete has mentioned repeatedly. Several of them ought to appeal to football fanatics, in particular.
10’National Lampoon’s Vacation' (1983)
Directed by Harold Ramis
“I honestly don’t think you’re going to find the Grand Canyon on this road.” Speaking of the films he used to recommend to new players,Manning explained, “In order to get on the same page with me, you need to watch these five movies so we can repeat lines and quotes.” One of he flicks he used to assign for this purpose wasNational Lampoon’s Vacation, the classic road trip comedy about an ill-fated journey to an amusement park.
Dad Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) is determined to give his family the perfect vacation experience, but his over-enthusiastic plans are thwarted by a series of hilarious mishaps. While this premise is not groundbreaking,Vacationis warm, nostalgic, and packed with enough jokes to maintain the comedic momentum throughout. This recipe resonated:Vacationwas a mega-success, spawning five sequels.Fundamentally, director Harold Ramis does a good job of assembling solid performers and letting them unleash their full powers.Randy Quaidis especially memorable as the zany Cousin Eddie.
9’Fletch' (1985)
Directed by Michael Ritchie
“Can I borrow your towel for a sec? My car just hit a water buffalo.” Chase also puts in a top-notch performance in this crime-comedy as an investigative reporter with a quick wit and knack for disguises. His life gets complicated when he is approached by a wealthy man, Alan Stanwyk (Tim Matheson), who offers him a large sum of money to murder him, claiming he is dying of cancer and wishes to avoid a painful death.
The script hands a game Chase countless killer lines and he delivers them with flair.Fletchwas another one of the movies that Manning always recommends, even though he admits many of the younger players don’t appreciate them. “Most of these guys have never heard of these movies, and they really don’t think they’re funny because it’s a different kind of humor. It’s ’70s, ’80s, ’90s humor,“he has said. The latest film in the franchise,Confess, FletchwithJon Hamm,is also worth checking out.
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8’Stripes' (1981)
Directed by Ivan Reitman
“I’m talking about something important, like discipline and duty and honor and courage.“Stripesis another comedy that Manning assigns as “homework”. It’sa zany military flickstarringBill Murrayas John Winger, a down-on-his-luck cab driver who impulsively enlists in the Army after losing his job, girlfriend, and apartment all in one day. The plot thickens when their unit is assigned to a top-secret mission in Europe, leading to a series of comedic misadventures involving a high-tech military vehicle and a rescue operation behind enemy lines.
Most of the humor stems from the incongruity between Winger’s slacker character and the rigors of army life.He’s the archetypal ’80s burnout: directionless, lazy, apathetic.Murray excels at these kinds of characters, and here he’s on his A-game with both the wordplay and the physical comedy. DirectorIvan Reitman, the brains behindGhostbustersandKindergarten Cop, effectively combines slapstick humor with a feel-good underdog story, highlighting the surprising camaraderie and resilience of these quirky characters.
7’Caddyshack' (1980)
“Now I know why tigers eat their young.” Manning’s cinematic tastes clearly lean toward sports comedies and Harold Ramis films, andCaddyshackfits both criteria. The legendary flick unfolds at the exclusive Bushwood Country Club, where a diverse cast of characters collides in a riotous blend of class conflict and ridiculousness. The story primarily follows Danny Noonan (Michael O’Keefe), a young caddy striving to earn a college scholarship by currying favor with the club’s elitist co-founder, Judge Smails (Ted Knight). However, it’s the surrounding chaos that provides most of the entertainment.
Indeed,the real highlightsare Bill Murray as the eccentric groundskeeper Carl Spackler, who wages a war against a gopher; Chevy Chase as the laid-back, suave Ty Webb, a font of unconventional advice; and, of course,Rodney Dangerfieldas the brash and boisterous nouveau riche golfer boisterous Al Czervik. Some of the jokes feel dated now but, overall,Caddyshackremains enjoyable thanks to the star power of the cast and the breezy, improvisational nature of the jokes and dialogue.
6’The Jerk' (1979)
Directed by Carl Reiner
“He hates these cans!” After establishing himself as a stand-up comic,Steve Martinhit the ground running with his feature debut.The Jerkis an anarchic vehicle for the comedian thatplays to his strengths, perhaps more so than anything he’s done since. It sees him taking on the role of Navin R. Johnson, a lovable but dim-witted man who embarks on a journey of self-discovery. He was raised as an adopted son by a poor Black family in Mississippi, leaves home to seek his destiny, and gets up to all manner of shenanigans.
It’s a rags-to-riches-and-back-to-rags story that revels in its own absurdity.There’s no deeper meaning or emotional nuance to the story. The movie is just a roller coaster of undiluted gags, lurching from one zany set piece to the next. This is precisely why it works. Manning includedThe Jerkamong his five all-time favorites, alongside the aforementionedVacation,Fletch,Stripes, andCaddyshack. “Those are my classics,“he has said.
5’The Longest Yard' (1974)
Directed by Robert Aldrich
“If you’re thinking about winning this game, then you’re as crazy as he is.” Paul Crewe (Burt Reynolds) is a former professional football quarterback disgraced for point shaving. After a drunken joyride in a stolen car, Crewe lands in a harsh Southern prison where the warden, Hazen (Eddie Albert), coerces him into assembling a team of inmates to play a brutal exhibition game against the prison guards. Initially reluctant, Crewe sees an opportunity for redemption and begins training a motley crew of convicts.
The Longest Yardwas directed byRobert Aldrich, the filmmaker behind war movies and Westerns likeThe Dirty DozenandUlzana’s Raid. This one is more cartoonish, melding intense action with dark humor.The Longest Yardis certainly over-the-top, but a winning performance from Reynolds compensates for a lot.Not all critics embracedThe Longest Yardon release, but it has since become a minor sports classic. “That’ll probably win for best football movie in my book,“Manning said.
4’Remember the Titans' (2000)
Directed by Boaz Yakin
“Maybe we’ll learn to play this game like men.” In 1971, Herman Boone (Denzel Washington) becomes the head coach of the newly integrated T.C. Williams High School football team in Alexandria, Virginia, much to the chagrin of the displaced white former head coach, Bill Yoast (Will Patton). The community is fraught with racial tension, and Boone faces the challenge of uniting his players into a single, cohesive team.
Remember the Titanscould’ve descended into feel-good clichés but, instead,it stays compelling thanks to talented performers and a script that acknowledges the era’s social tensions.Washington is well cast as Boone, especially in the scenes where he subjects the players to his rigorous training regimen. Entertainment Weeklyaptly notedthat his role is like “Martin Luther King Jr.andVince Lombardirolled into one.” Although Manning citedThe Longest Yardas his favorite football flick,he added, “There’s some pretty good competition withRemember the TitansandNorth Dallas Forty.”
Remember The Titans
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3’North Dallas Forty' (1979)
Directed by Ted Kotcheff
“You had better learn how to play the game, and I don’t mean just the game of football.“North Dallas Fortyis a rawer, grittier look at professional football. Based on the semi-autobiographical novel byPeter Gent, it starsNick Nolteas wide receiver Phil Elliott. The narrative delves into the brutal realities behind the glitz and glamor of the sport. It focusing on Elliott’s struggles with the physical toll of the game, substance abuse, and the dehumanizing aspects of team management.
Nolte turns in a moving performance as a player whose intelligence and sensitivity set him apart from his more macho teammates. His outspokenness, in particular, soon makes him a target for the owner and coach, who would prefer that the players stay in line. Tensions rise both on the field and off, culminating in a climactic game that refreshingly avoids genre formulas. Some of the monologues get a little melodramatic, and some scenes feel unnecessary, but, in the final analysis,North Dallas Fortysucceeds thanks to its authenticity.
2’The Best of Times' (1986)
Directed by Roger Spottiswoode
“She’s gonna leave me as soon as I fix her car.“The Best of Timesrevolves around Jack Dundee (Robin Williams), a middle-aged banker haunted by a high school football game in which he fumbled a crucial pass, costing his team the championship. To reclaim his self-respect and the town’s honor, Jack convinces his former teammate and local hero, Reno Hightower (Kurt Russell), to help him organize a rematch against their old rivals, the Bakersfield Tigers.
It’s essentially a small-town comedy, poking fun at this insular, sport-obsessed community that takes its local football team far too seriously. The plot gets a little predictable, butthe movie deserves praise for the way it handles themes of nostalgia, aging, and the pursuit of lost youth.The chemistry between Williams and Russell does most of the heavy lifting, but that’s not a problem. Talking about the best fictional quarterbacks in movies,Manning said simply, “We gotta have Kurt Russell fromThe Best of Times.”
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1’Varsity Blues' (1999)
Directed by Brian Robbins
“I’m a good boy. I’ve always been good.“Varsity Bluescenters on Jonathan “Mox” Moxon (James Van Der Beek), a thoughtful and academically inclined backup quarterback who is suddenly thrust into the spotlight when the star player (Paul Walker) suffers a career-ending injury. Under the oppressive and win-at-all-costs coaching of Bud Kilmer (Jon Voight), Mox grapples with the pressures and moral dilemmas of his new role.
Varsity Bluesis a bleaker kind of sports movie.It uses the genre’s stock elements, like tragic injuries, a demanding coach, and a climactic final game, but examines them with a sharp eye. Rather than celebrating these aspects of the sport, it skewers them. Coach Kilmer is presented as a villain and sporting glory is shown to be a poisoned chalice. Mox sees through it all, expressed in his famous line, “I don’t want your life”. Clearly, this resonated with Manning on some level. Continuing his list of the best quarterbacks in film,he said, “We also need to have Mox […] fromVarsity Blues.”
