The 2024 Paris Olympics are nearly upon us, where the world’s best athletes will compete against each other in 32 different sports. But if the live drama on the field isn’t enough for you, there are plenty of Olympics movies about both real and fictional events that take place during the games.
Here are 11 of the best Olympics movies, spanning both the summer and winter games, a variety of sports, and a mix of genres, too.
Summer Olympics
'Simone Biles: Rising' (2024)
Simone Biles was ranked by ESPN as the 7th greatest athlete of the 21st Century, and with good reason: She's won seven Olympic medals — four of them gold — and has gone undefeated in every all-around competition she's been in since 2013. Yet, she'd had her share of struggles, and spent two years away from the sport following the 2020 Tokyo Games. At 27, she's older than most other gymnasts, but back in form and competing for the U.S. in the Paris Games. This Netflix documentary charts her rise, difficulties, and return to the podium. — Mike Prospero
Stream: Netflix
'Race' (2016)
Jesse Owens was one of the seminal athletes of the 20th Century, winning four gold medals at the 1936 Olympics, so it’s strange that it took 80 years to make a feature film about that accomplishment. "Race" doesn’t quite capture the gold in telling Owens’ story, but it does feature a winning performance from Stephan James as the track-and-field great. Jeremy Irons is predictably slithery as Olympic team official Avery Brundage, and Jason Sudekis gets some pre-Ted Lasso coaching experience as Owens’ college coach. The movie tries to capture the drama of Owens’ triumph against the backdrop of Nazi Germany aiming to use the Olympics for propaganda purposes, and while that’s not always successful, it’s still a compelling watch. — Philip Michaels
Stream: Netflix
'The Boys in the Boat' (2023)
The 1936 Berlin Olympics has probably spawned more movies than any other games, and for good reason: Not only were there a lot of compelling stories to be told, but the political backdrop of Nazi Germany and the specter of WWII loom large in any telling. "The Boys in the Boat" is a proto-"Miracle" for the summer games: A group of ragtag, blue-collar rowers from the University of Washington come together to overcome more elite teams, adversity, and fascism in the '36 Olympic Games. It's a classic underdog story that happens to be true. Directed by George Clooney and starring Joel Edgerton and Callum Turner, and based on the book by the same name. — Mike Prospero
'Richard Jewell' (2019)
Jewel, a security guard at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, prevented a disaster when he spotted three pipe bombs and helped evacuate people from the area before they exploded. However, the FBI leaked that he was a person of interest, sparking unjustified scrutiny by the public. This Clint Eastwood-directed drama looks at the fallout and the toll it took on Jewel until he was exonerated nearly 90 days later, when Eric Rudolph confessed to planting the explosives. Starring Sam Rockwell, Kathy Bates, Olivia Wilde, and John Hamm. — Mike Prospero
Stream: Apple
'Chariots of Fire' (1981)
Even if you’ve never seen "Chariots of Fire," you can probably hum its signature score without any prompting. The movie’s soundtrack by Vangelis has been the background music for many a casual runner for the last four decades. But "Chariots of Fire" offers more than just a memorable title track, as its Best Picture Oscar indicates. The movie tells the real life story of two British runners — Eric Liddell (Ian Charleson) and Harold Abrahams (Ben Cross) — who are driven to compete in the 1924 Olympics for very different reasons. "Chariots of Fire" delivers a riveting story, some great performances and as we mentioned, its theme song is pretty hummable, too. — Philip Michaels
Stream: Apple | Rent: Amazon |
'Personal Best' (1982)
Mariel Hemingway stars as a track and field runner who develops a romantic relationship with a competitor (real-life Olympian Patrice Donnelly) as they try and make the U.S. team for the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. The movie was received warmly by critics, but was a box office failure. The movie also features Scott Glenn as the coach, as well as numerous track and field athletes from the era, such as Frank Shorter, who won the gold medal for the marathon in the 1972 Olympics, and Evelyn Ashford, who has four gold medals and set the record for the 100-meter race. — Mike Prospero
Winter Olympics
'I, Tonya' (2017)
Tonya Harding is one of the most infamous figures in all of sports, due to her ex-husband’s attack on rival Nancy Kerrigan in 1994. "I, Tonya" tells Harding’s side of the story with sympathy, nuance and dark humor. The mockumentary-style format follows her from the age of four, when the young Harding is forced into ice skating by her abusive mother LaVona (Allison Janney). The adult Harding (a transformed Margot Robbie) is clearly talented, but she trades in one stormy relationship for another with eventual husband Jeff Gillooly (Sebastian Stan). Everything about her life is a mess, except for skating, but even that becomes tainted by her poor decisions. What should’ve been her moment of glory — the 1994 Winter Olympics — becomes her ruin instead. — Kelly Woo
Stream: Apple | Fubo | Showtime
'Miracle' (2004)
Do you believe in improbabilities? It’s hard to make a movie that captures the actual drama of the U.S. men’s hockey team defeating the Soviet Union in the 1980 Winter Olympics, but this one comes close. Kurt Russell as the sartorially challenged and temperamental head coach Herb Brooks is just about the only recognizable name, but then again, the U.S. team were a bunch of unknown college hockey players. Smartly, the movie adds in the real play-by-play commentary from Al Michaels as the game clock winds down and the most cliched line in all of sports is said for the first time. — Mike Prospero
Stream: Disney Plus | Rent: Amazon | Apple
'Eddie the Eagle' (2016)
Michael Edwards had no business being an Olympic athlete, but due to a quirk in the rules, was able to qualify as Great Britain's sole representative in the ski jumping competition in the 1988 Calgary Olympics. Taron Edgerton stars as the eponymous Eddie alongside such heavyweights as Christopher Walken, Hugh Jackman, and Jim Broadbent. We’re not spoiling anything by saying that Edwards never comes close to the podium — in fact, he finished dead last — but this easygoing movie is both heartwarming and inspiring. — Mike Prospero
'Cool Runnings' (1993)
Another unlikely Olympic competitor at the 1988 Winter Olympics was the Jamaican bobsled team. This lighthearted Disney comedy stars John Candy as disgraced former U.S. bobsled Olympian Irv Blitzer, who reluctantly becomes the team’s coach as they train in the tropical Caribbean before heading to snowy Canada for the games. It slides down the same tropes as many other underdog sports movies, but it’s a sweet and funny movie regardless. — Mike Prospero
Stream: Disney Plus| Rent: Amazon | Apple
'The Cutting Edge' (1992)
“Toe pick” may be the most unlikely romantic phrase ever, but it will produce a flutter in your heart after seeing "The Cutting Edge." The comedy revolves around world-class pairs figure skater Kate (Moira Kelly), a spoiled prima donna who drives away all potential partners. In comes former hockey player Doug (D.B. Sweeney), who reluctantly agrees to skate with her for a chance at Olympic glory. As they train, they bicker and taunt one another — but also share explosive chemistry. Their feelings threaten to derail their partnership before the 1992 Albertville Olympics, but if they can trust each other to pull off a risky new maneuver, Kate and Doug can not only get that gold medal but something even better — true love. — Kelly Woo
Stream: Hoopla | Apple| Rent: Amazon
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