There are a ton of uplifting feel-good movies like The Blind Side for fans of the Oscar-winning sports drama to enjoy. Inspired by the heartwarming true story chronicled in Michael Lewis’ 2006 book The Blind Side: Evolution of a Game, the movie was written and directed by John Lee Hancock. The Blind Side stars Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher, an offensive lineman who – with the help of his adoptive parents, Leigh Anne and Sean Tuohy, played by Sandra Bullock and Tim McGraw respectively – rose from humble beginnings to become a star football player in the NFL.

When it was released in 2009, The Blind Side was a huge box office hit that grossed more than $300 million worldwide (via Box Office Mojo). Bullock won the Academy Award for Best Actress and the film itself was nominated for Best Picture. The Blind Side touched audiences with its inspirational tale of parenthood, athleticism, and overcoming adversity. From the underdog sports story of The Way Back to the parenting triumphs of King Richard to the heartwarming adoption storyline of Instant Family, there are plenty of great movies like The Blind Side.

10 Remember The Titans (2000)

Denzel Washington on a football field in Remember the Titans

Much like The Blind Side, Remember the Titans is a touching true-life story about a high school football team. Denzel Washington plays Herman Boone, a coach who was tasked with integrating the T.C. Williams High School team in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1971. While it’s not entirely historically accurate, Remember the Titans is an iconic, uplifting football movie. Washington gives a phenomenal performance in the Remember the Titans cast, similar to Bullock in The Blind Side, which keeps the audience engaged with the story.

  • Available to stream on Disney+

9 The Way Back (2020)

Ben Affleck on a basketball court in The Way Back

Ben Affleck stars in The Way Back as Jack Cunningham, a construction worker whose alcohol addiction has destroyed his marriage and his career. He gets a second chance when he’s hired to coach the high school basketball team on which he was once the star player. Much like The Blind Side, The Way Back is a heartfelt character study about the triumph of the human spirit told through the lens of a sports drama. Affleck anchors the movie with a deeply moving portrait of redemption.

  • Available to stream on Prime Video

8 Trouble With The Curve (2012)

Clint Eastwood and Amy Adams in a baseball stadium in Trouble with the Curve

One of the few Clint Eastwood movies he didn’t direct himself in, Trouble with the Curve revolves around an aging baseball scout played by Eastwood whose declining health is affecting his career. He sets off on one last scouting trip in an attempt to reconnect with his estranged daughter, played by a well-matched Amy Adams. Similar to The Blind Side, Trouble with the Curve is a story about parenthood wrapped up in a sports movie. Where The Blind Side is a mother-son movie, Trouble with the Curve is a father-daughter movie. Eastwood’s easy on-screen chemistry with Adams carries the film.

  • Available to stream on HBO Max

7 Coach Carter (2005)

Samuel L Jackson on a basketball court in Coach Carter

Coach Carter tells the true story of Richmond High School’s basketball coach Ken Carter, who notoriously suspended his undefeated team due to their poor academic performance. Samuel L. Jackson gives a typically mesmerizing performance in the title role, backed up by terrific supporting turns from Channing Tatum in his film debut and Octavia Spencer as the mother of one of the players. Coach Carter is carried by powerful acting and energetic direction, and it has the same uplifting, feel-good quality that made The Blind Side so moving.

  • Available to rent on Apple TV

6 Big Daddy (1999)

Adam Sandler and Cole Sprouse on the street in Big Daddy

Adam Sandler plays one of his most likable characters, Sonny Koufax, in Big Daddy. Sonny is an aimless slacker whose girlfriend dumps him for being unambitious and irresponsible. He sees the opportunity to turn that around when his friend’s long-lost son Julian, played by the Sprouse twins, arrives on his doorstep in need of a father figure. Sonny adopts Julian and adapts to the challenges and responsibilities of fatherhood with plenty of laughs and feels along the way. Like The Blind Side, Big Daddy makes a compelling case for nurture in the age-old nature versus nurture debate.

  • Available to stream on Hulu

5 Invincible (2006)

Mark Wahlberg on a football field in Invincible

Invincible tells the unbelievable true story of Vince Papale, a bartender who unexpectedly became a professional football player when the Philadelphia Eagles held open tryouts for the public in the 1970s. Mark Wahlberg stars as Papale opposite an equally well-cast Greg Kinnear as his supportive coach, Dick Vermeil, who came up with the idea for the Eagles’ public tryouts. Much like The Blind Side, Invincible was inspired by the true story of an underdog who defied the odds to become a football star in the NFL.

  • Available to stream on Disney+

4 Friday Night Lights (2004)

Billy Bob Thornton talking to the team in Friday Night Lights

Before it was turned into a popular TV show, H.G. Bissinger’s book Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream was adapted into a movie. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Coach Gary Gaines, who leads the 1988 Permian High School Panthers football team to their shot at the state championship. Along the way, the players deal with personal problems that interfere with their game. Similar to The Blind Side, Friday Night Lights is an inspirational drama about a high school football team.

  • Available to stream on Netflix

3 The Longshots (2008)

Ice Cube and Keke Palmer with a football in The Longshots

Whereas The Blind Side is a mother-son story told on the football field, The Longshots is an uncle-niece story told on the football field. The Longshots is based on the life of Jasmine Plummer, the first-ever female quarterback for a Pop Warner football team. Ice Cube stars as washed-up football player Curtis Plummer, who gets a new lease on life when he coaches his niece Jasmine’s football team. A young Keke Palmer gives an impeccable performance as Jasmine, and The Longshots has real heart that makes it endearing.

  • Available to rent on Apple TV

2 Instant Family (2018)

Mark Wahlberg and Rose Byrne looking off-screen in Instant Family

Rose Byrne and Invincible’s Wahlberg star in Instant Family as Ellie and Pete Wagner. When they decide to start a family, they consider adoption and end up taking in three siblings: 15-year-old Lizzie, played by Isabela Merced; 10-year-old Juan, played by Gustavo Escobar; and six-year-old Lita, played by Julianna Gamiz. Like The Blind Side, Instant Family is a heartwarming story about how adoption changes the lives of both parents and children for the better. Instant Family was based on director Sean Anders’ own experience of fostering and then adopting three siblings, so there’s a ring of authenticity to the story.

  • Available to stream on Paramount+

1 King Richard (2021)

The Williams family at a tennis court in King Richard

Will Smith won the Academy Award for Best Actor for his turn as the title character in King Richard. Richard Williams is the father and coach of tennis legends Venus and Serena Williams who encouraged them to pursue their dreams and become sporting icons. The Williams sisters are both credited as executive producers on the film. King Richard is a tribute to the power of a father’s love and support. Like The Blind Side, it explores the impact that a parent’s encouragement can have on an athlete’s prospects for a bright future.

  • Available to stream on HBO Max