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Luke Wilson’s 2024 sports movie You Gotta Believe is trending on Netflix, and these 10 movies are the perfect next watches for those who enjoyed the film. You Gotta Believe was released on August 30th, 2024, and tells the story of an underdog Little League baseball team trying to make their way to the Little League World Series. You Gotta Believe is based on a true story of a Little League baseball team from Fort Worth, Texas.
Although You Gotta Believe didn’t necessarily shine at the box office, earning just $1.4 million according to Box Office Mojo, streaming platforms may have been exactly what You Gotta Believe needed to succeed. Not only is You Gotta Believe trending on Netflix, but also, the movie has an impressive 90% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes (despite its 56% score with critics). Given the evident popularity of the movie, these 10 movies are perfect next watches for those who enjoy You Gotta Believe.
10
The Mighty Ducks
Released In: 1992
The Mighty Ducks (1992) is the first of three movies in the larger Mighty Ducks trilogy, and since its early 90s release, The Mighty Ducks has become a cult classic, especially for the generation who grew up with the movie. Like You Gotta Believe, The Mighty Ducks is about a group of kids on an underdog sports team, in this case, a hockey team. The twist to this movie is that a lawyer, Gordon Bombay, is heading the team as required community service following a drunk driving incident.
Like many movies of this kind, You Gotta Believe among them, The Mighty Ducks has plenty of heart and messaging about camaraderie, hope, and understanding what truly matters in life. Interestingly, The Mighty Ducks has a somewhat similar Rotten Tomatoes score divide, with a very low 27% from critics and a 65% from audiences. While The Mighty Ducks’ audience score isn’t as high as You Gotta Believe’s staggering 90%, it does suggest audiences enjoy the movie—and the nostalgia surely helps.
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9
Million Dollar Arm
Released In: 2014
In the 2014 movie Million Dollar Arm, Jon Hamm starred as J.B. Bernstein, a sports agent who wants to recruit Indian cricket players to try out for Major League Baseball after seeing the similarities between baseball pitching and cricket bowling. Although he manages to find some promising new recruits, it’s no easy task to convince others in the industry that his approach will work, given they are very different sports. Many even perceive J.B.’s efforts as little more than a publicity stunt.
This movie is different from You Gotta Believe in that it isn’t based on a kids’ sports team, but Million Dollar Arm and You Gotta Believe share themes of hope and perseverance. Much like the team in You Gotta Believe, the players in Million Dollar Arm—Dinesh and Rinku specifically—face an uphill battle to victory, even if their respective challenges are distinct. Yet another similarity between Million Dollar Arm and You Gotta Believe is the fact that Million Dollar Arm is also based on a true story.
8
We Are Marshall
Released In: 2006
We Are Marshall stands out on this list as the most devastating in terms of plot, even if the messages of hope and strength common in this genre are still very prevalent in the movie. The events of We Are Marshall are triggered by an absolute tragedy: a plane crash claims the lives of 75 Marshall University football players, coaches, and boosters. Following this devastating event, Jack Lengyel (Matthew McConaughey) steps in as coach, trying to restore the school’s football team amid this terrible grief.
Like other inclusions on this list, We Are Marshall is based on an incredible true story, making the movie feel all the more poignant. The movie doesn’t have the highest Rotten Tomatoes score, with a 48% with critics and 79% with audiences, but that isn’t reflective of the major impact the plot has. Although it might not be the lighthearted, kid-focused movie You Gotta Believe is, both movies reveal how transformative sports can be, and both are brilliant watches.
7
The Perfect Game
Released In: 2009
One of the closest comparisons to You Gotta Believe is The Perfect Game, a 2009 movie about a kids’ baseball team that also faces daunting odds. In The Perfect Game, this story specifically centers on a group of young boys from Mexico who aim to become the very first non-United States team to win the Little League World Series. Yet again, this movie is based on a true story.
The Perfect Game has a fairly even divide between audience and critic scores on Rotten Tomatoes, with a 60% critic score and a 70% audience score. Although that doesn’t quite compete with You Gotta Believe’s current 90% audience score, the movie is certainly worth a watch. Like many sports stories, The Perfect Game shares messages of hope and determination, although this story in particular does so by exploring how race, class, and levels of access can play a role in this journey.
6
Angels In The Outfield
Released In: 1994
Angels in the Outfield is yet another cult classic on this list. The movie was released in 1994 and centers on Roger, a young boy living in foster care. Roger’s absent father told him that he would bring the family back together again if the Los Angeles Angels made it to the World Series, which Roger took literally. Because of that, he began praying for God to help the Angels. Surprisingly, real-life angels actually do come down and play alongside the baseball team.
Although the story might be a bit out of the ordinary, this movie has become beloved for a reason. In addition to the common features of the inspirational sports narrative, Angels in the Outfield explores themes of home, family, acceptance, and love. It’s also worth noting, the movie stars a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Roger, and he is truly delightful in the role.
In addition to the standard inspirational sports narrative, Angels in the Outfield explores themes of home, family, acceptance, and love.
5
The Rookie
Released In: 2002
The Rookie (2002) starring Dennis Quaid is yet another baseball movie, although this one has quite a different angle. Rather than an entire team, The Rookie focuses on the story of Jimmy Morris, a baseball coach who believes he has lost his chance to ever achieve his dream of becoming a Major League Baseball player. However, when he realizes he still has a solid pitch, he has an opportunity to change his fate. Especially given the unique perspective, The Rookie is a stand-out on this list.
Critics on Rotten Tomatoes seem to agree, as The Rookie currently has a respectable 84% critic score, with many singing the praises of Quaid’s acting, the father and son dynamics, and the storytelling. This is also a movie based on a true story, which makes the narrative that much more profound. While The Rookie may not feature a group of underdog kids, it is nevertheless the perfect watch after You Gotta Believe.
4
Hoosiers
Released In: 1986
Hoosiers is an incredibly popular basketball movie from 1986. The story centers on Coach Norman Dale (Gene Hackman), who is hired to coach a high school basketball team after having an unsuccessful career at the college level. Under his direction, the high school takes a massive turn for the better, entering into the state tournament. In a sense, Hoosiers is therefore a mix of You Gotta Believe and The Rookie, as it focuses not only on the coach’s own redemption arc but also the story of the team.
Currently, Hoosiers has an incredible 91% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, and the audience score isn’t far behind at 88%. The film is beloved for its heart, its characters, and its emotional stakes. Hoosiers is loosely based on a true story, setting it apart from many of its counterparts on this list. Whereas many of the others are more or less directly drawn from a real-life story, Hoosiers is really just inspired by a real team from 1954. Nevertheless, Hoosiers is easily one of the best movies like You Gotta Believe.
3
Rudy
Released In: 1993
Although Rudy is another movie on this list that isn’t baseball-specific (nor is Rudy based on an entire team), this movie is a perfect watch after You Gotta Believe. Rudy is based on the real-life story of Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger, who wanted to play football for the University of Notre Dame no matter what it took, although that proved to be quite challenging, in part because of his stature. In the movie, Rudy is played by Sean Astin, who also delivers a brilliant performance.
Rudy is truly one of the most inspirational sports movies of all time, and its messaging is for even those who don’t play sports. Ultimately, Rudy is really the story of someone not giving up on their dreams no matter the odds, and the universality of that message and the emotional beats of the movie make it an incredible watch every time. With a 90% score on Rotten Tomatoes as well, it’s clear that Rudy is a great fit for those who enjoy You Gotta Believe.
Rudy is really the story of someone not giving up on their dreams no matter the odds.
2
Remember The Titans
Released In: 2000
Remember the Titans is also considered one of the most inspirational sports movies, and for good reason. Remember the Titans is based on the true story of T.C. Williams High School in Alexandria, Virginia, in 1971 (although aspects of the story were fictionalized). Following desegregation, this school faced extreme racial tensions, including on the school’s football team. However, Remember the Titans depicts how the team ultimately came together and grew to care for each other under the guidance of Coach Herman Boone.
Currently, Remember the Titans has a massive 93% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, and there are a host of reasons for that. For one, Denzel Washington’s performance as Coach Boone continues to be celebrated, even 25 years after the movie debuted. The themes of Remember the Titans are also still needed to this day, perhaps giving the movie the staying power it clearly has.
1
The Sandlot
Released In: 1993
The very best movie like You Gotta Believe is the 1993 classic The Sandlot. Like You Gotta Believe, The Sandlot focuses on a young group of kids on a baseball team, although in The Sandlot, this team is not an official team in the way that You Gotta Believe’s is. Instead, The Sandlot is really about a group of neighborhood kids who come together and form deep friendships, even as the movie centers on baseball.
Ultimately, the themes of The Sandlot are really friendship, childhood, and family, all of which make it a feel-good movie every watch. While it might not result in an epic national championship game in the way that many other movies on this list do, The Sandlot has the perfect amount of heart. Each of these 10 movies, based on their shared themes and stories, would be the perfect next watch following Luke Wilson’s You Gotta Believe, now trending on Netflix.
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