Here are Cinephile Corner’s 10 recommendations for movies like Air:
Moneyball
Moneyball might not look or sound like your typical sports movie, but that’s precisely what makes it the greatest one ever made. Directed by Bennett Miller and written by Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian, this 2011 adaptation of Michael Lewis’ bestselling nonfiction book isn’t just about baseball—it’s about systems, failure, reinvention, and what it means to succeed on your own terms. At its core, it’s a somber, deeply human character study, anchored by what may be the best performance of Brad Pitt’s career.
The Iron Claw
The Iron Claw is a powerful reminder of the human spirit being both enduring and fragile. It’s a movie that redefines what a sports movie can be, leaving viewers emotionally spent and profoundly moved. This is, without a doubt, one of 2023’s greatest achievements in filmmaking, a confirmed *masterpiece* that will linger in your mind and heart long after the final bell rings.
Uncut Gems
Uncut Gems compounds tension about as well as any movie made in the 2010s. Josh and Benny Safdie announce themselves as filmmakers to keep an eye on moving forward with this grisly thriller set in the world of high stakes sports gambling. Adam Sandler and Kevin Garnett co-star, along with a supporting cast for the ages.
Next Goal Wins
Taika Waititi’s signature humor, a double-edged sword that can either delight or alienate audiences, is on full display in Next Goal Wins, for better or for worse. The movie, much like a soccer match with sporadic moments of excitement, struggles to maintain a consistent rhythm.
BlackBerry
Zipping through the years of the rise and fall of the first texting cellphone, the aptly-titled BlackBerry serves as a fantastic tale of corporate greed and those incapable of dealing with the success and fame that comes with building new technology. Incredible acting and direction contributes to one of 2023’s best movies.
The Social Network
The Social Network might not be a “perfect” movie in a traditional sense, but it’s as close as any film has come in the 21st century. Directed by David Fincher and written by Aaron Sorkin, this 2010 masterpiece remains endlessly rewatchable, endlessly quotable, and deeply resonant in ways that continue to evolve with time. I’ve seen it more than any other movie—memorized its rhythm, its cutting dialogue, its thumping Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross score that pulses through every moment. It’s a film that never loses its edge, no matter how many times you revisit it.
Everybody Wants Some!!
I can probably count on one hand the movies I’ve rewatched more often than Everybody Wants Some!!, and that’s because Richard Linklater’s secret masterpiece is one of the most endlessly watchable films of the 2010s. Its 117 minutes fly by with the kind of effortless charm that makes you want to live inside it, following a team of college baseball players during the final weekend before classes begin at a mid-sized Texas university in 1980. Freshmen move into the house, parties blur together, baseball practice tests egos, and friendships form so naturally you wish you were dropped right into the middle of it.
F1 The Movie
F1 The Movie is not in the same league as Top Gun: Maverick or Only the Brave, but it’s a clear step above Joseph Kosinski’s more uneven efforts like Tron: Legacy or Oblivion. It’s a little formulaic, a bit heavy-handed with its exposition, and sometimes hampered by one-note supporting characters. But when it’s in motion—when the cars are screaming down straights, weaving through chicanes, and risking it all on the final lap—it’s exactly the kind of summer movie spectacle we don’t get enough of anymore. Not a podium finish, but definitely worthy of a strong showing in the points.
Ferrari
Considering he hadn’t made a movie since Blackhat in 2015, Michael Mann’s long-awaited return to the big screen, Ferrari, is incredibly succinct and satisfying. It’s a scorching melodrama that burns with the intensity of its titular character’s relentless ambition. This isn’t anywhere near a sugarcoated biopic; it’s a raw, unflinching exploration of Enzo Ferrari’s inner demons, where the pursuit of automotive excellence takes a brutal toll on personal relationships and those around him.
Who Killed the Montreal Expos?
Who Killed the Montreal Expos? faces the ugliest truth in professional sports: relocation feels like a civic death. The Netflix documentary opens on the raw wound that still lingers in Quebec and then works backward through the money, politics, and misplaced priorities that turned the Montreal Expos into the Washington Nationals in 2005. It sketches the particular economics of Major League Baseball, where payrolls rise with local revenue and there is no salary cap to even the field, and shows how that system punishes a franchise without a modern public-funded stadium or a deep-pocketed owner willing to spend.
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