With Valentine's Day around the corner, love is certainly in the air. And while February might be best known for being home to the holiday of love, it is also an important month for sports fans, specifically football fans. With both the Super Bowl and Valentine's Day less than two weeks apart, now is the perfect time to indulge in both sports and romance.
With a little help from Hollywood, both rom-com fans and sports fans can enjoy some downtime together by watching a few sports-themed romantic comedies. From romantic grand gestures to epic championship matches between sports teams, these movies are known for catering to both crowds, offering the best of both worlds.
Bend It Like Beckham (2002)
Released in 2002, Bend It like Beckham took the world by storm, earning $104.6 million at the box office against a $6 million budget. Since then, the film has been a cultural phenomenon that has even inspired a stage musical.
The sports rom-com centers on Jess Bharma (Parminder Nagra), a young woman who comes from a strict Indian household who dreams of playing soccer. Unfortunately, her parents won't allow it, but that doesn't stop Jess from trying. Soon, Jess becomes recruited by Jules Paxton (Keira Knightley), a semi-pro soccer player. As if lying to her parents wasn't hard enough, Jess also ends up having feelings for her coach.
Fever Pitch (2005)
Drew Barrymore may be best known for the rom-com in which she stars opposite Adam Sandler (50 First Dates), but Sandler isn't the only co-star with whom Barrymore oozes chemistry. In fact, in 2005, Barrymore shared the stage with post-SNL Jimmy Fallon in the remake of Fever Pitch.
While neither Ben (Fallon) or Lindsey (Barrymore) actually play sports, baseball is a huge focal point of this movie because of Ben's obsession with the Bosten Red Sox. The two fall in love during baseball's off-season, but when it's time to hit the pitcher's mound again, their relationship begins to get rocky, as Ben often buts the game ahead of Lindsey.
Jerry Maguire (1996)
Tom Cruise may be best-known as an action movie star, but back in the day, he dabbled in the romantic comedy genre as well. In 1996, he starred opposite Renée Zellweger in the iconic 90s romantic comedy, Jerry Maguire.
While this movie doesn't have a tone of action when it comes to sports actually being played, it does revolve around the business side of being a professional athlete, since Jerry (Cruise) is a top sports agent. After getting fired from his job, Jerry decides to start his own management firm with the help of Dorothy (Zellweger), the only other coworker who left the office with him after his termination.
Just Wright (2010)
When it comes to romantic comedies, Just Wright is often highly underrated. The 2010 movie stars Queen Latifah and Common and went on to win an NAACP Image Award for Best Writing in a Motion Picture.
The movie centers on Leslie Wright (Latifah), a physical therapist who happens to be obsessed with basketball. Stars align when Leslie finds Scott McKnight (Common), a professional NBA player, in need of help at a local gas station. The two hit it off and begin to fall in love. Eventually, Leslie becomes the physical therapist for Scott's team, which puts a severe strain on their relationship.
Leatherheads (2008)
With a cast that includes Geroge Clooney, John Krasinski, and Renée Zellweger, it seems as if Leatherheads should be one of the most talked-about sports rom-coms of all time, and yet it is not.
The movie is set in the 1920s and follows Dodge Connoly (Clooney) as he attempts to make his football team better and the game itself more exciting. To do this he recruits Carter (Krasinski), who is not only good at the game but also incredibly handsome. The romance part comes in with the introduction of newswoman Lexie (Zellweger), who is hired to dig up on dirt on Carter, but ends up being pursued by both Carter and Dodge, creating an iconic love triangle.
Playing For Keeps (2012)
The 2012 rom-com Playing For Keeps seems to have a little something for everyone, which is why it's a shame the movie went on to become a box office bomb, earning just over half its budget at the box office.
The movie follows George Dryer (Gerald Butler), a former soccer player who has had little success finding work off the field. He's also struggling to reconcile with his ex-wife (Jessica Biel) and son (Noah Lomax). However, when his son's soccer team is looking for a coach, George jumps at the opportunity, figuring he can kill two birds with one stone -- get a job and bond with his son.
She's The Man (2006)
A few months before Channing Tatum shared the screen with his now ex-wife, Jenna Dewan, in the first Step Up movie, he starred opposite Amanda Bynes in the 2006 iconic teen rom-com, She's The Man.
The movie centers on teenager Viola Johnson (Bynes), whose one dream in life is to be a soccer player. Unfortunately, her traditional Southern mom has other plans. Never one to back down, Viola decides to pretend to be her twin brother and attend his boarding school after he decides to take a year off. Not only does Viola make the team, but she also begins to fall for her roommate and team captain, Duke (Tatum). As if that's not enough drama, when her brother comes home earlier than expected, Viola's entire plan is set ablaze.
The Cutting Edge (1992)
When it comes to movies about ice skating, The Cutting Edge is one of the best. Not only did it earn a lot of money at the box office, it also went on to launch a successful franchise that included three sequels.
After losing the 1988 Olympic gold medal, Kate Moseley (Moira Kelly) is more determined than ever to get back to the Olympics and win it all. The only problem is she has a hard time finding a partner that meets her expectations and puts up with her. When all hope feels lost, former Olympic hockey player Doug Dorsey (D.B. Sweeney) steps up to prove that he can do more on the ice than just push a puck around.
Tin Cup (1996)
While most would agree that golf is one of the least exciting and arguably the least sexy sports out there, that didn't stop Hollywood from creating a rom-com around the sport. In fact, the movie even earned Kevin Costner a Golden Globe nomination.
Tin Cup hit theaters in 1996 with Kevin Costner and Rene Russo playing the romantic leads. The movie centers on Roy McAvoy (Costner), who has been stuck working as a golf instructor after getting blacklisted from the PGA. He ends up coaching Dr. Molly Griswolf (Russo), who just so happens to be the girlfriend of Roy's former rival. Things get heated between the two and before long, Roy is attempting to win the PGA Tour and Dr. Molly's heart.
Wimbledon (2004)
Four years after starring in one of the most iconic cheerleading movies of all time that launched the Bring It On franchise, Kristen Dunst tried her hand at another sport: tennis.
Though Dunst might be the driving force of the movie, she's not actually the lead. Instead, the film centers on Peter Colt (Paul Bettany), a struggling professional tennis player who becomes the wild-card pick for the Wimbledon competition. After agreeing to compete, he meets Lizzie (Dunst), an optimistic and talented new tennis player who helps Peter fall back in love with the game.