Best movies like Hardball
Last updated March 2024
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Plot Summary:
An aimless young man who is scalping tickets, gambling and drinking, agrees to coach a Little League team from the Cabrini Green housing project in Chicago as a condition of getting a loan from a friend.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 33000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Sport
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: feel good, emotional, suspense, serious, tear jerker, touching, sad, black comedy, cult classic, exciting
Best tv shows and movies like Hardball (2001):
Similar in 87%
Major League: Back to the Minors (1998)
Plot Summary:
At the behest of Roger Dorn -- the Minnesota Twins' silver-tongued new owner -- washed-up minor league hurler Gus Cantrell steps up to the plate to take over as skipper of the club's hapless farm team. But little does he know that Dorn has an ulterior motive to generate publicity with a grudge match between the big leaguers and their ragtag Triple A affiliate.
IMDB Rating: 4.7
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 100 min
Plot tags: humorous, feel good, realistic, semi serious, road movie, unusual plot structure, entertaining, melancholic, splatter, idiotic
Similar in 90%
The Sixth Man (1997)
Plot Summary:
Antoine and Kenny Tyler are NCAA college basketball players, and Antoine is the star. Suddenly Antoine dies of heart attack and Kenny has to fill his shoes as leader of team. Some time later, Antoine returns as a ghost and helps Kenny in game and in life, but Kenny changes in the process and doesn't quite like it.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 6000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Fantasy, Romance, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: humorous, inspirational, semi serious, touching, suspense, black comedy, feel good, buddy comedy, exciting, sentimental
Similar in 86%
The Bingo Long Traveling All-Stars & Motor Kings (1976)
Plot Summary:
Tired of the slave-like treatment of his team's owner, charismatic star Negro League pitcher Bingo Long takes to the road with his band of barnstormers through the small towns of the Midwest in the 1930's.
IMDB Rating: 6.8
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Comedy, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: road movie, black comedy, sentimental, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 82%
Major League (1989)
Plot Summary:
When Rachel Phelps inherits the Cleveland Indians from her deceased husband, she's determined to move the team to a warmer climate -- but only a losing season will make that possible, which should be easy given the misfits she's hired. Rachel is sure her dream will come true, but she underestimates their will to succeed!.
IMDB Rating: 7.2
IMDB Votes: 75000
Genere: Comedy, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 107 min
Plot tags: funny, humorous, talky, semi serious, realistic, cult classic, feel good, parody, satirical, slapstick comedy
Similar in 88%
Bad News Bears (2005)
Plot Summary:
Morris Buttermaker is a burned-out minor league baseball player who loves to drink and can't keep his hands to himself. His long-suffering lawyer arranges for him to manage a local Little League team, and Buttermaker soon finds himself the head of a rag-tag group of misfit players. Through unconventional team-building exercises and his offbeat coaching style, Buttermaker helps his hapless Bears prepare to meet their rivals, the Yankees.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 23000
Genere: Comedy, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 113 min
Plot tags: stylized, touching, feel good, humorous, semi serious, funny, clever, talky, hilarious, exciting
Similar in 81%
I'm Bout It (1997)
Plot Summary:
I'm Bout It is a 1997 film by rapper Master P. The plot details his life in a New Orleans uptown ghetto. Master P wrote, directed and acted in the film.
IMDB Rating: 4.8
IMDB Votes: 354
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 110 min
Plot tags: hood, independent film, tense, rough, serious, realistic
Similar in 75%
Mr 3000 (2004)
Plot Summary:
Aging baseball star who goes by the nickname, Mr. 3000, finds out many years after retirement that he didn't quite reach 3,000 hits. Now at age 47 he's back to try and reach that goal.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 15000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: humorous, inspirational, stylized, touching, feel good, black comedy, realistic, semi serious, funny, light
Similar in 89%
The Replacements (2000)
Plot Summary:
Maverick old-guard coach Jimmy McGinty is hired in the wake of a players' strike to help the Washington Sentinels advance to the playoffs. But that impossible dream hinges on whether his replacements can hunker down and do the job. So, McGinty dusts off his secret dossier of ex-players who never got a chance (or screwed up the one they were given) and knits together a bad-dream team of guys who just may give the Sentinels their title shot.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 69000
Genere: Comedy, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 118 min
Plot tags: feel good, humorous, inspirational, intense, realistic, sincere, funny, entertaining, hilarious, motivational
Similar in 81%
Sunset Park (1996)
Plot Summary:
A white school teacher takes over a talented, but undisciplined black high school basketball team and turns them into a winning team.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 2000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 99 min
Plot tags: hood, humorous, grim, sincere, touching, feel good, captivating, realistic, semi serious, funny
Similar in 81%
The Man from Left Field (1993)
Plot Summary:
After taking a job managing a little league team, a homeless man inspires the kids to reach for it all and they inspire him to reclaim his life.
IMDB Rating: 5.8
IMDB Votes: 302
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 96 min
Plot tags: uplifting, touching, feel good, humorous, emotional, realistic, semi serious
Similar in 76%
Bleacher Bums (2001)
Plot Summary:
Adapted from a 1979 stage play written by Chicago's Organic Theater Company, BLEACHER BUMS details the exploits of a group of baseball fans as they sit in the bleachers of Lakeview Park watching a game between the hometown Bruins take on the St. Louis Eagles. Marvin (Brad Garrett) and Decker (Peter Riegert) gamble. So does Zig (Wayne Knight), even though his wife constantly nags him about the money he loses. Meanwhile, blind Greg (Matt Craven) enjoys the game through pretty Melody (Sarain Boylan), who describes it to him. A seasoned ensemble case of TV and film veterans create winning chemistry in this slice-of-life comedy.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 480
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 115 min
Plot tags: humorous, realistic, semi serious, feel good, offbeat, talky
Similar in 82%
Stick It (2006)
Plot Summary:
Haley is a naturally gifted athlete but, with her social behavior, the teen seems intent on squandering her abilities. After a final brush with the law, a judge sentences her to an elite gymnastics academy run by a legendary, hard-nosed coach. Once there, Haley's rebellious attitude wins her both friends and enemies.
IMDB Rating: 6.4
IMDB Votes: 30000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Sport
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 103 min
Plot tags: feel good, teen, funny, inspirational, exciting, humorous, epic, cult classic, sexy, realistic
Similar in 90%
The Bad News Bears (1976)
Plot Summary:
An aging, down-on-his-luck ex-minor leaguer coaches a team of misfits in an ultra-competitive California little league.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 25000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 102 min
Plot tags: inspirational, talky, intense, humorous, exciting, touching, feel good, clever, realistic, funny
Similar in 77%
Finding Buck McHenry (2000)
Plot Summary:
When an 11 year old boy gets cut from his Little League baseball team, he sets out to form his own team.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 282
Genere: Drama, Family, Sport
Country: Canada, USA
Duration: 94 min
Plot tags: sentimental, touching, feel good, humorous, uplifting, realistic, non-linear, semi serious
Similar in 77%
Jump In! (2007)
Plot Summary:
Story revolves around a young boxer, Izzy Daniels, who trains to follow in his father's footsteps by winning the Golden Glove. When his friend, Mary, however, asks him to substitute for a team member in a Double Dutch tournament, the young man discovers a hidden passion for jump roping.
IMDB Rating: 5.4
IMDB Votes: 8000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Family, Romance, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 85 min
Plot tags: humorous, feel good, realistic, semi serious, teen
Similar in 78%
Summer Catch (2001)
Plot Summary:
A coming-of-age romantic comedy set against the backdrop of the Cape Cod Baseball League. Local boy Ryan Dunne (Freddie Prinze Jr.), now a pitcher for Boston College, meets Tenley Parrish (Jessica Biel), the daughter of a wealthy couple who summer on the Cape. Ryan and Tenley fall in love, much to the chagrin of their families, while Ryan clings to one last hope of being discovered and signed to a pro baseball contract.
IMDB Rating: 5.1
IMDB Votes: 17000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Romance, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 104 min
Plot tags: romantic, sentimental, feel good, humorous, realistic, semi serious, sexy, sensual, happy, light
Similar in 89%
Barbershop 2: Back in Business (2004)
Plot Summary:
The continuing adventures of the barbers at Calvin's Barbershop. Gina, a stylist at the beauty shop next door, is now trying to cut in on his buisness. Calvin is again struggling to keep his father's shop and traditions alive--this time against urban developers looking to replace mom & pop establishments with name-brand chains. The world changes, but some things never go out of style--from current events and politics to relationships and love, you can still say anything you want at the barbershop.
IMDB Rating: 5.7
IMDB Votes: 16000
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 106 min
Plot tags: funny, humorous, feel good, hilarious, black comedy, hood, realistic, semi serious, sentimental, parody
Similar in 81%
A League of Their Own (1992)
Plot Summary:
As America's stock of athletic young men is depleted during World War II, a professional all-female baseball league springs up in the Midwest, funded by publicity-hungry candy maker Walter Harvey (Garry Marshall). Competitive sisters Dottie Hinson (Geena Davis) and Kit Keller (Lori Petty) spar with each other, scout Ernie Capadino (Jon Lovitz) and grumpy has-been coach Jimmy Dugan (Tom Hanks) on their way to fame. Madonna and Rosie O'Donnell co-star as two of the sisters' teammates.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 119000
Genere: Comedy, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 128 min
Plot tags: feel good, sentimental, touching, sweet, witty, intense, realistic, humorous, light, inspirational
Similar in 77%
Streetballers (2009)
Plot Summary:
Defining street basketball as America's new favorite pastime, it is a story driven by passion, faith, and achieving goals. A story capturing the poetic nature of street basketball, highlighting the struggles endured on and off the court by the purest of athletes. Constantly searching for sanity in the midst of alcoholism, racism, and drugs, John Hogan and Jacob Whitmore, two junior college basketball players, find release and therapy while competing at one of the most competitive and poetic street courts in the U.S. Both men must spend an entire summer helping one another overcome their adversities. Their dedication and love for the game of basketball transcends from the playground courts into each of their dysfunctional households where the two boys play the constant role of the father figure. Together, the two boys paint a sad and delightful portrait with their innocence, concerns, and faith in the unknown.
IMDB Rating: 5.6
IMDB Votes: 383
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: sincere, touching, serious, emotional, realistic, independent film, spiritual
Similar in 89%
From the Rough (2013)
Plot Summary:
The coach of a women's swim team parlays her success into an opportunity to build her school's men's golf team.
IMDB Rating: 6.6
IMDB Votes: 1000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 97 min
Plot tags: uplifting, captivating, touching, feel good, serious, inspirational, sincere, realistic
Similar in 89%
Pride (2007)
Plot Summary:
In this uplifting film based on a true story, coach Jim Ellis (Terrence Howard) shocks the community and changes lives when, aided by a local janitor (Bernie Mac), he sets out to form Philadelphia's first black swim team. But the odds are against them as they battle rigid rules, racism and more.
IMDB Rating: 6.3
IMDB Votes: 7000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: Germany, USA
Duration: 109 min
Plot tags: inspirational, uplifting, serious, emotional, realistic, sincere, touching, crying, exciting, road movie
Similar in 84%
Coach Carter (2005)
Plot Summary:
Based on a true story, in which Richmond High School head basketball coach Ken Carter made headlines in 1999 for benching his undefeated team due to poor academic results.
IMDB Rating: 7.3
IMDB Votes: 168000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA, Germany
Duration: 136 min
Plot tags: motivational, inspirational, touching, hood, feel good, captivating, teen, intense, philosophical, sexy
Similar in 82%
Hoosiers (1986)
Plot Summary:
High school basketball is king in small-town Indiana, and the 1954 Hickory Huskers are all hope and no talent. But their new coach -- abrasive, unlikable Norman Dale -- whips the team into shape ... while also inciting controversy.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 50000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA, UK
Duration: 114 min
Plot tags: inspirational, emotional, realistic, exciting, sincere, captivating, entertaining, independent film, scary, motivational
Similar in 84%
The Rookie (2002)
Plot Summary:
Jim Morris never made it out of the minor leagues before a shoulder injury ended his pitching career twelve years ago. Now a married-with-children high-school chemistry teacher and baseball coach in Texas, Jim's team makes a deal with him: if they win the district championship, Jim will try out with a major-league organization. The bet proves incentive enough for the team, and they go from worst to first, making it to state for the first time in the history of the school. Jim, forced to live up to his end of the deal, is nearly laughed off the try-out field--until he gets onto the mound, where he confounds the scouts (and himself) by clocking successive 98 mph fastballs, good enough for a minor-league contract with the Tampa Bay Devil Rays. Jim's still got a lot of pitches to throw before he makes it to The Show, but with his big-league dreams revived, there's no telling where he could go.
IMDB Rating: 6.9
IMDB Votes: 37000
Genere: Drama, Family, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 127 min
Plot tags: feel good, inspirational, sentimental, touching, uplifting, entertaining, light, sweet, realistic, sincere
Similar in 79%
The Final Season (2007)
Plot Summary:
True story of Kent Stock, who in the early 90's, gives up a job and ditches his wedding plans to take over as head coach as the Norway High School baseball team. Kent must win over his players and convince them and himself that he can fill their former coach's shoes and that they can go out winners. In the summer of 1991 Norway High's baseball tradition ended on a triumphant but sombre note.
IMDB Rating: 6.5
IMDB Votes: 3000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 119 min
Plot tags: sentimental, sincere, touching, realistic, historical drama, serious, captivating, emotional, independent film
Similar in 88%
McFarland, USA (2015)
Plot Summary:
A track coach in a small California town transforms a team of athletes into championship contenders.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 41000
Genere: Biography, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 129 min
Plot tags: inspirational, touching, uplifting, feel good, exciting, sentimental, serious, light, emotional, sweet
Similar in 88%
Gridiron Gang (2006)
Plot Summary:
Teenagers at a juvenile detention center, under the leadership of their counselor, gain self-esteem by playing football together.
IMDB Rating: 7.1
IMDB Votes: 80000
Genere: Biography, Crime, Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 125 min
Plot tags: inspirational, hood, realistic, serious, sincere, rough, exciting, motivational, sentimental, epic
Similar in 81%
The Natural (1984)
Plot Summary:
An unknown middle-aged batter named Roy Hobbs with a mysterious past appears out of nowhere to take a losing 1930s baseball team to the top of the league in this magical sports fantasy. With the aid of a bat cut from a lightning struck tree, Hobbs lives the fame he should have had earlier when, as a rising pitcher, he is inexplicably shot by a young woman.
IMDB Rating: 7.4
IMDB Votes: 52000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 138 min
Plot tags: inspirational, romantic, sentimental, atmospheric, touching, realistic, feel good, emotional, sad, serious
Similar in 78%
Calvin Marshall (2009)
Plot Summary:
A college student is determined to become a Major League Baseball star, but finds his true calling instead.
IMDB Rating: 5.9
IMDB Votes: 739
Genere: Comedy, Drama
Country: USA
Duration: 93 min
Plot tags: touching, feel good, humorous, semi serious, sentimental, freeze frame, realistic, independent film
Similar in 83%
Million Dollar Baby (2004)
Plot Summary:
Despondent over a painful estrangement from his daughter, trainer Frankie Dunn isn't prepared for boxer Maggie Fitzgerald to enter his life. But Maggie's determined to go pro and to convince Dunn and his cohort to help her.
IMDB Rating: 8.1
IMDB Votes: 713000
Genere: Drama, Sport
Country: USA
Duration: 132 min
Plot tags: emotional, sad, touching, depressing, bad ending, bleak, harsh, poignant, motivational, sentimental