What’s up everybody. Welcome back to the Sportcodex Sports Movies bracket, day five edition. Today we will be looking at the matchups of seeds 17-20 vs seeds 48-45.
No recaps today as yesterday’s polls are still ongoing, so let’s get on with today’s matchups.
17. The Karate Kid (1984) vs 48. Above The Rim
The Karate Kid is a family drama directed by John G. Avildsen (Rocky, Lean On Me), who also directed the first two sequels, and stars Pat Morita and Ralph Macchio. It is an underdog tale that follows a young boy who is hounded by bullies until he finds Mr. Miyagi, a resident in the apartment block he lives in, who agrees to teach him self-defense.
Above The Rim is a hood drama directed by Jeff Pollack (Booty Call, Lost & Found) and stars Duane Martin, Tupac Shakur and Marlon Wayans. It follows the story of Kyle Watson, an up-and-coming basketball star who must battle against his relationships with a drug dealer named Birdie as well as his friend who always seems to find trouble.
The Karate Kid has an average RT score of 85.5%, compared to Above The Rim’s average RT score of 67.5%. Eagle-eyed people may notice that Above The Rim has a lower RT score than movies that featured yesterday and that’s a mistake on my part when it came to the seeding. However, it definitely didn’t work to it’s favour getting a higher seed as it has to go up against one of the more popular family movies which also has a newfound resurgence thanks to the Cobra Kai tv show.
18. The Hurricane vs 47. Blades Of Glory
The Hurricane is a boxing biopic directed by Norman Jewison (Fiddler On The Roof, Moonstruck) and stars Denzel Washington. It tells the true story of Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, a boxer wrongly imprisoned for murder, and his battle to prove his innocence.
Blades Of Glory is a figure-skating comedy directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck (Office Christmas Party, The Switch) and stars Will Ferrell and Jon Heder. It tells the story of Chaz Michael Michaels and Jimmy MacElroy, vicious rivals on the figure-skating scene who, due to circumstances, must learn to work together.
The Hurricane has an average RT score of 85%, compared to Blades of Glory’s average RT score of 69% (nice!). There is a serious contrast in this matchup; one movie a true story that deals with injustice and heartache, the other a silly comedy with overflowing flamboyancy.
19. Rudy vs 46. Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby
Rudy is a 1993 football drama directed by Michael Anspaugh (Hoosiers) and stars Sean Astin and Jon Favreau. It follows Rudy, a boy who grew up in a steel mill town with dreams of playing football for Notre Dame. Unfortunately, he wasn’t as smart or as athletic as everyone else and was half the size.
Talladega Nights: The Ballad Of Ricky Bobby is a NASCAR comedy directed by Adam McKay (Anchorman, The Big Short) and stars Will Ferrell, John C. Reilly and Sacha Baron Cohen. It tells the story of Ricky Bobby, one of the greatest NASCAR drivers in history. But things change when a French driver, Jean Girard, arrives on the scene.
Rudy has an average RT score of 84%, compared to Talladega Nights, which has an average RT score of 72%. We have had a bunch of the lower seed films that were penalised by a low critic’s score. Interestingly, Rudy is one of the few higher seeds that has a large variance. With a critics score of 77% and an audience score of 90%!
20. The Way Back vs 45. Invincible
The Way Back is a 2020 drama directed by Gavin O’Connor (Warrior, Miracle) and stars Ben Affleck. It tells the story of Jack Cunningham, a former basketball star who lost his wife due to struggles with addiction, and tries to regain his life by coaching his former high school’s team.
Invincible is a 2006 true story directed by Ericson Core (Togo, the awful Point Break remix) and stars Mark Wahlberg, Greg Kinnear and Elizabeth Banks. Set in 1976, it tells the true story of Vince Papale, a man who embarked on a near-impossible dream of trying to make the Philadelphia Eagles when they decided to hold open tryouts.
The Way Back has an average RT score of 84%, whereas Invincible has an average RT score of 72.5%. Both are similar stories in a way; a person defying odds to reach a goal, whether that goal is redemption or salvation or whatever. The big difference between these is tone. Invincible is a Disney film, so follows the typical Disney tropes and is suitable for the whole family to watch. The Way Back is much darker, and deals with some very heavy themes. Both are worth watching though, so this poll could be close.
There we have it for another day. We are past the halfway point for the first round so still plenty of movies yet to appear. As always, keep it locked on the Sportcodex Twitter account to keep up to date with everything going on.
Until next time, PEACE!