Whether you work Monday through Friday in an office or at home, Friday is the day that most of us look forward to. It’s the day when we know we’re going to get a break after. It’s the light at the end of the tunnel and whether you do anything different from the rest of your week’s routine or not – it’s Friday, man. It all seems a lot lighter on Friday.
Why?
Easy, here comes the weekend and for most of us, the weekend is a great heaving sigh for a mental breather. Physically, we’re charged up and mentally we’re relaxing. It’s a great combination on the body. Even your Friday workouts will seem better, easier and sometimes shorter. So as part II of our quest to put the fun back into Friday, check out these inspirational films that will get your blood pumping and the feeling like you want to go out and accomplish more for yourself physically and personally.
1. Miracle – There’s never been a more inspirational sports team than the 1980 U.S. Men’s Olympic Ice Hockey squad (well, so long as you live in the U.S., anyway), a collection of college athletes who shocked the world by knocking off the vaunted Russian team at the Lake Placid games.
2. White Men Can’t Jump – Woody Harrelson and Wesley Snipes team up to con African American basketball players by hustling them into playing him for money. They work on the theory that white men can’t jump – and you really want to shoot some hoops when this is done.
3. Chariots of Fire – Just the name brings to mind the haunting theme and the images of men running on the beach. The movie also promotes the qualities of commitment, fraternity and perseverance. It tells the story of Eric Lidell and the British Track Team during the 1924 Olympics.
4. Bend it Like Beckham – All Jess wants to do is play soccer like her hero, British star David Beckham. Unfortunately, her super-traditional Sikh parents forbid her from even booting a ball. Instead, they want her to settle down like her bigger sister and find a nice boy to marry. When she starts playing behind her parents’ backs, there’s energy about soccer that even has me up and wanting to kick the ball around.
5. Major League – A trophy-wife inherits the Cleveland Indians after the death of her husband. She wants out of Cleveland, so she assembles a squad of players so bad that her team will fail horribly and she can move to Miami. However, this unlikely squad of players unites the city and beat the Yankees in a one-game playoff.
6. The Greatest Game Ever Played – By far one of the most inspirational sports movies to come out. The movie focuses on the sport of golf and refers to one very specific 1913 U.S. open that pitted England’s old pro Harry Vardon against the American upstairs Francis Quirmet.
7. Remember the Titans – Denzel Washington faces tough prejudices as the first black coach of a high school football team in racial Virginia. His team becomes champions, they face adversity and some live and some die. It’s a hard, emotional journey to watch, but it talks about fitness of the mind, body and soul.
8. The Natural – The best baseball film ever made period. Robert Redford’s best performance. It’s the story of an athlete who could, did and succeeded.
9. The Bad News Bears – The original with Walter Mathau, you can’t help but grin at curmudgeon Mathau and the kids that did.
10. The Longest Yard – Adam Sandler turns in a moving performance as a washed out athlete who had it all and threw it away. He finds his pride, his honor and his sport behind bars in a match that pits prisoners against guards.
So check out one of these movies this weekend and enjoy some fun, as you get inspired. Remember, a lot of these are based on true stories and what’s more fantastical than real life heroes?