Entertainment

The Best Movies About Underdogs  

Ranker Film
6.2k votes 1.3k voters 118.7k views 72 items

List Rules Films about underdogs and underdog stories. Vote up the best underdog movies.

There’s nothing more inspirational than a movie about an underdog who is victorious despite all the odds stacked against them. Viewers love films that highlight a noteworthy person’s triumphs – stories like this give us hope and make us want to fight to the end! These kinds of inspirational stories make amazing movies, but what are the best movies about underdogs? Vote up the best films below and see where your favorites rank.
 
The movies on this list tell the stories of an underdog in one way or another. Many of these films were actually based on true events that forever changed our perspectives and left us feeling inspired. Others are completely fictional in nature but inspire viewers nonetheless.
 
This list features the best movies about underdogs including, Hoosiers, Cinderella Man, Million Dollar Baby, Rudy, Miracle, The Jackie Robinson Story, Friday Night Lights, Remember the Titans, and Rocky. Vote up the best underdog films or add one you love that isn't already on the list!

list ordered by
1
Rocky is listed (or ranked) 1 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Sylvester Stallone, Joe Frazier, Burgess Meredith

Is this one of the best motivational movies ever?

Rocky is a 1976 American sports drama film directed by John G. Avildsen. A small-time boxer (Sylvester Stallone) gets a supremely rare chance to fight a heavy-weight champion (Carl Weathers) in ...more
2
Remember the Titans is listed (or ranked) 2 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Hayden Panettiere, Ryan Gosling, Denzel Washington
Remember the Titans is a 2000 American sports drama film produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and directed by Boaz Yakin. The screenplay, written by Gregory Allen Howard, is based on the true story of ...more
3
The Karate Kid is listed (or ranked) 3 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Elisabeth Shue, Ralph Macchio, Pat Morita
The Karate Kid is a 1984 American martial arts romantic drama film directed by John G. Avildsen and written by Robert Mark Kamen, starring Ralph Macchio, who was 22 years old during principal ...more
4
Rudy is listed (or ranked) 4 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Vince Vaughn, Sean Astin, Jon Favreau filmography
Rudy is a 1993 American sports film directed by David Anspaugh. It is an account of the life of Daniel "Rudy" Ruettiger, who harbored dreams of playing football at the University of ...more
5
Warrior is listed (or ranked) 5 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
ryanmcw added Jennifer Morrison, Tom Hardy, Nick Nolte
Warrior is a 2011 American sports drama film directed by Gavin O'Connor and starring Tom Hardy and Joel Edgerton as two estranged brothers whose entrance into a mixed martial arts tournament ...more
6
Cinderella Man is listed (or ranked) 6 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Russell Crowe, Renée Zellweger, Paul Giamatti
Cinderella Man is a 2005 American drama film by Ron Howard, titled after the nickname of heavyweight boxing champion James J. Braddock and inspired by his life story. The film was produced by ...more
7
Cool Runnings is listed (or ranked) 7 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
ryanmcw added John Candy, Malik Yoba, Jay Brazeau
Cool Runnings is a 1993 American sports film directed by Jon Turteltaub, and starring Leon, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis, Malik Yoba and John Candy. The film was released in the United States on ...more
8
Rocky IV is listed (or ranked) 8 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
ryanmcw added Sylvester Stallone, James Brown, Mr. T
Rocky IV is a 1985 American sports film written and directed by Sylvester Stallone, who also starred in the film. The film co-stars Dolph Lundgren, Burt Young, Talia Shire, Carl Weathers, Tony ...more
9
Miracle is listed (or ranked) 9 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Ken Dryden
Miracle is a 2004 American sports docudrama about the United States men's hockey team, led by head coach Herb Brooks, that won the gold medal in the 1980 Winter Olympics. The USA team's victory ...more
10
8 Mile is listed (or ranked) 10 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
ryanmcw added Eminem, Kim Basinger, Brittany Murphy
8 Mile is a 2002 American hip-hop biopic film written by Scott Silver, directed by Curtis Hanson, and starring Eminem, Mekhi Phifer, Brittany Murphy, Michael Shannon and Kim Basinger. The film ...more
11
Braveheart is listed (or ranked) 11 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
ryanmcw added Mel Gibson, Sophie Marceau, Brendan Gleeson
Braveheart is a 1995 epic historical medieval war drama film directed by and starring Mel Gibson. Gibson portrays William Wallace, a 13th-century Scottish warrior who led the Scots in the First ...more
12
Invincible is listed (or ranked) 12 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Elizabeth Banks, Mark Wahlberg, Randy Couture
Invincible is a 2006 sports film directed by Ericson Core set in 1976. It is based on the true story of Vince Papale, who played for the Philadelphia Eagles from 1976 to 1978. Mark Wahlberg ...more
13
Million Dollar Baby is listed (or ranked) 13 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Clint Eastwood, Morgan Freeman, Hilary Swank
Million Dollar Baby is a 2004 American sports drama film directed, co-produced and scored by Clint Eastwood, and starring Eastwood, Hilary Swank and Morgan Freeman. This film is about an ...more
14
The Mighty Ducks is listed (or ranked) 14 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
joe_beak95 added Joshua Jackson, Emilio Estevez, Dan Tamberelli
The Mighty Ducks is a 1992 American sports comedy film directed by Stephen Herek, starring Emilio Estevez. It was produced by Avnet–Kerner Productions and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures. It ...more
15
Ford v. Ferrari is listed (or ranked) 15 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Christian Bale, Matt Damon, Jon Bernthal
Ford v. Ferrari is a 2019 action biographical drama film directed by James Mangold. An eccentric, determined team of American engineers and designers, led by automotive visionary Carroll Shelby ...more
16
Seabiscuit is listed (or ranked) 16 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Elizabeth Banks, Jeff Bridges, Tobey Maguire
Seabiscuit is a 2003 American biographical sports psychological-drama thriller film based on the best-selling non-fiction book Seabiscuit: An American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand. The film is ...more
17
The Fighter is listed (or ranked) 17 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
ryanmcw added Amy Adams, Christian Bale, Mark Wahlberg
The Fighter is a 2010 American biographical sports drama film directed by David O. Russell. Fledgling boxer Micky Ward (Mark Wahlberg) tries to escape the shadow of his more famous but troubled ...more
18
Slumdog Millionaire is listed (or ranked) 18 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
ryanmcw added Freida Pinto, Anil Kapoor, Irrfan Khan
Slumdog Millionaire is a 2009 British drama film directed by Danny Boyle, written by Simon Beaufoy, and produced by Christian Colson. It was co-directed in India by Loveleen Tandan. It is an ...more
19
Hoosiers is listed (or ranked) 19 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Gene Hackman, Dennis Hopper, Barbara Hershey
Hoosiers is a 1986 sports film written by Angelo Pizzo and directed by David Anspaugh. It tells the story of a small-town Indiana high school basketball team that wins the state championship. It ...more
20
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Sto... is listed (or ranked) 20 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Ben Stiller, Chuck Norris, Vince Vaughn
DodgeBall: A True Underdog Story, commonly referred to as DodgeBall, is a 2004 American sports comedy film produced by 20th Century Fox and Red Hour Productions, written and directed by Rawson ...more
21
Moneyball is listed (or ranked) 21 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
ryanmcw added Brad Pitt, Jonah Hill, Robin Wright
Moneyball is an American 2011 biographical sports drama film directed by Bennett Miller from a screenplay by Steven Zaillian and Aaron Sorkin. The film is based on Michael Lewis's 2003 ...more
22
Major League is listed (or ranked) 22 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Charlie Sheen, Tom Berenger, Rene Russo
Major League is a 1989 American sports comedy film written and directed by David S. Ward, starring Tom Berenger, Charlie Sheen, Dennis Haysbert, Wesley Snipes, James Gammon, Bob Uecker and ...more
23
A League of Their Own is listed (or ranked) 23 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Madonna, Tom Hanks, Rosie O'Donnell
A League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League. Directed by Penny Marshall, the ...more
24
Stand and Deliver is listed (or ranked) 24 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
bboutette added Andy Garcia, Edward James Olmos, Lou Diamond Phillips
Stand and Deliver is a 1988 American drama film based on the true story of high school math teacher Jaime Escalante. Edward James Olmos portrayed Escalante in the film and received a nomination ...more
25
The Rookie is listed (or ranked) 25 on the list The Best Movies About Underdogs
Dennis Quaid, Brian Cox, Rachel Griffiths
The Rookie is a 2002 sports drama film directed by John Lee Hancock and produced by Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the true story of Jim Morris, who had a brief, but famous Major League ...more