Athleticism In Comedic Films

The age of comedy and sports are a timeless duo that will never fail to make an audience laugh. There is a specific kind of trope in which the fun, goofy, characters are met with some form of athleticism All across the board we have seen just about every sport being portrayed in a comedic way There has been baseball, basketball, hockey, golf, and everything in between. This niche form of comedy has been around for a very long time and has produced several iconic films in which people continue to love to this day These kinds of films show the hardships and training of sports while, nonetheless, making the audience laugh so hard they kick the wind.

Some of the world s favorite actors are the face of these hilariously loveable films These movies have offered us Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, John C Reilly, Channing Tatum, Tom Hanks; and-seriously, Adam Sandler is almost in every single one of these movies. He cannot be stopped The movie industry has tried, and he just keeps coming back with new movies about sports Furthermore, there is a special kind of trope that as an audience we can view, and that in turn is the pure athleticism in the genre of comedy. With that, here are some of the greatest movies in which we thought made the cut for this specific trope

A slew of movies has graced the earth with their exuberantly funny nature, one of which is Happy Gilmore made in 1996 This movie shows the raw talent of a man named Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) in his golfing endeavors. Happy stumbles upon his golfing talent shortly after figuring out his hockey career is nonexistent due to his lack of skill on the ice This hilarious film goes through the motions of life alongside the thrill of golf, but the trope continues to prevail Happy, though not the brightest and short-tempered, will go to great lengths to save his grandmother's house from being bought out Through trials and tribulations with discipline, skill, and alligators, Happy learns the love of golf This fan favorite film exemplifies athletics at its core while still delivering laughs along the way

This film has numerous twists and turns, making audience members ask themselves “why is Bob Barker in this film?” we re not mad Bob, just curious Not only did this plot offer coaching and the climax to being a great golfer, but it also offered the heart, companionship, and what it looks like to fail and try again This film is arguably the epitome of sports and comedy and to that we say, next movie

In the 2006 film, The Benchwarmers, viewers follow an unlikely group of three men, Gus (Rob Schneider), Clark (Jon Heder), and Richie (David Spade) who were considered “losers” in the thicket of their childhood As redemption, they form a baseball team with the goal of defeating all of the bullies of the little league to give other children the chance to play ball without getting bullied. This film is gut-busting with humor as it follows through the “innings” and outs of baseball and bullies

From showing an agoraphobic man named Howie attempt to fight the sun with a sword to a man named Gus in his protagonist arc, this movie has just about anything you could imagine. We get funny one-liners such as “This is my son Nelson. He's become quite the fart magnet for the neighborhood bullies ” This film shows the true love of baseball whether you’re good at it or not Not only does this film display all of the different levels of athleticism and comedy for this trope, but it also offers the fall of the bullies, character development, and heart. This is truly a movie that will be forever etched in the hall of athletic comedies if that existed of course But alas, the arc of comedic sports films does not stop there! 2006 birthed yet another famously humorous film called Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. This film walks the audience through the life of two NASCAR drivers, who double as best friends, Ricky Bobby (Will Ferrell), and Cal Naughton Jr (John C Reilly)

This amusing and humorous film is filled to the brim with one-liners such as “If you ain’t first, you re last!” and “I’m all jacked up on Mountain Dew!” This comical film is exactly what one would expect when mixing NASCAR with Will Ferrell and John C Reilly This film is a whirlwind of motivation and giggles while simultaneously watching the sport of race car driving. Who doesn t love watching Will Ferrell and John C Reilly play two country race car drivers?

Movie viewers are also able to see movies like She s the Man in which we get comedy, drama, solid plot, and competition between different soccer teams. This movie follows a young girl named Viola (Amanda Bynes) who would do anything to play soccer “Anything” in this scenario, is defined as dressing up as her twin brother in order to play on the boys soccer team due to the girls’ soccer team falling through. But alas, she falls for the infamous Duke (Channing Tatum) while sometimes forgetting she is posing as her twin brother Sebastian

This film showcases comedy in its purest form while allowing people to follow an incredible storyline that is in reference to Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

This movie delivers hilarious lines like “When my eyes are closed, I see you for what you truly are. Which is uuu-glay!” and “Does he have your number? 1-800-BEYOTCH?” Nevertheless, this movie shows the brute training of soccer as well as flashing the comedic side of things The film industry also portrays even the most unconventional sports in which most people would not think of such as Blades of Glory (2006) where Will Ferrell and Jon Heder are Olympic ice skaters Viewers are also able to welcome films such as 2004’s Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story in which the film follows actors Ben Stiller and Vince Vaughn in the dodgeball tournament of a lifetime.

This film is exactly what one would expect it to be about, dodgeball This goofy film has so much to offer such as plot, funny scenes, and most importantly, the art of dodgeball There are so many other films in which the link between sports and comedy are the main focal point of the plot This is a theme in which several movies enjoy exercising, no pun intended. Though this is an idea that was incredibly popular in the early 2000’s, families all over are still able to enjoy the simplicity and humor in films with this particular trope

You name a sport, and there is a comedic version of it People can view tennis, baseball, hockey, basketball, dodgeball, baseketball (arguably not real, at least not with that attitude), cheerleading, race car driving, golf, soccer, and more. Comedy as a whole is a chameleon in which we see it woven through different thematic genres. This article opens up the floor for a slew of films in which we see athleticism going hand in hand with its comedic side If there is anything to take away from this article, it is that comedic sports films have a high chance of having Adam Sandler or Will Ferrell in it Now run, don t walk, to go view one of these hilarious films

Alexandra Webb