A special kind of adrenaline can be found in sports movies, especially those that center the Olympics as the pivotal event or competition for an athlete’s arc. With the 2024 Olympics taking place July 24-August 11, a round-up of dramatized biopics about famous figures in sports and history seemed in order.
Documentaries chronicling the rise of recent stars are also available to stream, capturing their training in real-time heading into the 2024 Paris Olympics.
RELATED: 2024 Paris Summer Olympics TV Schedule: Full Event, Date & Channel Listings
Below find a list of films set at both Summer Olympics and Winter Olympics throughout history, with the notable 1936 Berlin games featured in a few:
-
EDDIE THE EAGLE, 2016
For those looking for an Olympics-themed crowd-pleaser, look no further than this Dexter Fletcher dramedy based on a true story, which stars Taron Egerton as Eddie “The Eagle” Edwards, a British ski jumper who made history by becoming the first competitor to represent Great Britain in Olympic ski jumping since 1928. Despite his lack of experience and numerous setbacks, Eddie’s determination and resilience earned him a place in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, where he became a beloved underdog. Co-starring Hugh Jackman as Eddie’s coach Bronson Peary, the film premiered to critical acclaim at Sundance in 2016 before going on to release through 20th Century Fox. Eddie the Eagle is streaming on Max and Cinemax as well as extensions of those channels via Prime Video and Apple TV+. – Matt Grobar
-
CHARIOTS OF FIRE, 1981
Directed by Hugh Hudson, Chariots of Fire follows Jewish and Christian track athletes as the pair, who hail from Britain, train to compete in the 1924 Olympics. The film won Best Picture at the Oscars in 1982, and Vangelis’ theme composition for the film will live on forever. Chariots of Fire is streaming via Watch TCM. It is also available to watch on Apple TV+, Prime Video and more. – Dessi Gomez
-
COOL RUNNINGS, 1993
Jon Turteltaub directed Disney’s Cool Runnings, which follows a Jamaican sprinter who, disqualified from the Olympics, seeks out a less-than-desirable coach and former Olympian Irving Blitzer (John Candy) to start the first Jamaican Bobsled team, which debuted at the 1988 Olympics. The film is based on a true story, and it also starsLeon as Derice Bannock, Doug E. Doug as Sanka Coffie, Rawle D. Lewis as Junior Bevil, Malik Yoba as Yul Brenner and more. Cool Runnings is available to stream on Disney+. – Dessi Gomez
-
BLADES OF GLORY, 2007
For some comedy amidst some of the more series films, Blades of Glory (2007) starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder as well as Amy Poehler will provide laughter and competition. Ferrell and Heder play two rival Olympic ice skaters who get stripped of their gold medals and permanently banned from the men’s single competition event. They decide to pair up because the fine print doesn’t say they can’t compete as a duo. Blades of Glory is streaming on Hulu and Paramount+. – Dessi Gomez
-
FOXCATCHER, 2013
Foxcatcher follows U.S. Olympic wrestling champions and brothers Mark Schultz (Channing Tatum) and Dave Schultz (Mark Ruffalo) who join John du Pont’s (Steve Carell) “Team Foxcatcher” to train for the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea. John’s decisions and behavior as a multi-millionaire and leader of the team threaten the success of the athletes. Vanessa Redgrave played Jean du Pont, and the film received five 2015 Oscar nominations. Foxcatcher is available to stream on Peacock. – Dessi Gomez
-
MIRACLE, 2004
Miracle follows the true story of Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell), a former United States Professional Hockey player who coaches the 1980 Olympic team to victory over the Russian team. Miracle is streaming on Disney+. – Dessi Gomez
-
THE BOYS IN THE BOAT, 2023
Based on the 2013 book of the same name by Daniel James Brown, this George Clooney-directed film follows the University of Washington’s crew team to the 1936 Berlin Olympics. Joel Edgerton stars as Coach Al Ulbrickson, and Callum Turner stars as rower Joe Rantz, who becomes part of the team that competes in the middle of the Great Depression for a gold medal in front of Adolf Hitler. The Boys in the Boat is available to stream on Prime Video. – Dessi Gomez
-
RACE, 2016
Stephen Hopkins directed the biopic about Jesse Owens, a Black track and field athlete who competed at the 1936 Olympics amidst the brewing tension of Adolf Hitler’s takeover of Germany through the idea that Aryanism was supreme. Stephan James portrays Owens, and Jason Sudeikis (Ted Lasso) plays Coach Larry Snyder. Jeremy Irons plays the intimidating Avery Brundage. Race is streaming on Netflix. – Dessi Gomez
-
UNBROKEN, 2014
Based on the book by Laura Hillenbrand, Unbroken (2014) follows the true story of former Olympian Louis “Louie” Zamperini, who become a pilot in WW II and spent 47 days on a raft with two crewman before they were found by Japanese navy and taken to Prisoner of War camp. Angelina Jolie directed the harrowing film, which stars Jack O’Connell as Zamperini, Miyavi as Watanabe, Domhnall Gleeson as Phil, Garrett Hedlund as Fitzgerald, Finn Wittrock as Mac, Jai Courtney as Cup and more. Unbroken is streaming on Netflix. – Dessi Gomez
-
THE SWIMMERS, 2022
Based on a true story, the biographical drama follows the Issa sisters Manal and Nathalie, who chase their dreams from war-ravaged Syria to the 2016 Rio Olympics. Sally El Hosaini directed the film, based on the lives of Yusra and Sara Mardini, who survived a bombing in their home country that brings them to flee to Germany. Yusra ultimately competed in the Rio Games despite the stigma of being a refugee. The Swimmers is streaming on Netflix. – Dessi Gomez