10 Best Movies Like Home Team

Despite earning middling reviews, the Netflix original movie Home Team is a true, feel-good underdog story of family, perseverance, and ultimately, triumphant glory. The PG-rated family sports film follows Sean Payton (Kevin James), the disgraced head coach of the New Orleans Saints who, while serving a suspension for a national cheating scandal, decides to coach his son’s Pop Warner football team.

Home Team joins a rich tradition of PG-rated family sports movies often based on inspiring true stories featuring real-life heroes both on and off the field (or court). Underdogs coming of age and finding redemption, that’s what makes the best of these kinds of movies so memorable.

Little Giants – Stream On Apple TV+

Those who grew up in the ’90s know how charming and highly rewatchable Little Giants is, a crowd-pleasing underdog story in which a ragtag band of unathletic football players forms a squad to take on the town’s championship team. With hilarious turns from Rick Moranis and Ed O’Neill as rival brothers, the real standout star has to be Becky “Icebox” O’Shea (Shawna Waldron).

The PG-rated family film was far ahead of its time by making Becky the star player as the only female on her team, challenging notions of masculinity and femininity in ways children can easily digest.

The Sandlot – Stream On Disney+

Simply one of the best PG-rated sports movies for kids, The Sandlot is pure childhood nostalgia crystalized in celluloid. The truly inspiring underdog story traces Scotty Smalls (Tom Guiry), a shy and unathletic preteen who moves to a new town and struggles to make friends.

When the town’s baseball star Benny (Mike Vitar) befriends him and asks him to join the team, Smalls has the summer of his life meeting new unforgettable friends and teammates. Far more than a baseball movie, The Sandlot is about the importance of inclusion, friendship, and making lasting bonds that endure for a lifetime.

The Mighty Ducks – Stream On Disney+

Disney does PG sports movies better than most, and The Mighty Ducks is another prime example of an underdog story culminating in rousing cheers. While the franchise begins delivering diminishing returns, the original Mighty Ducks is a much better attempt at the kind of movie Home Team wants to be.

Like Home Team, The Mighty Ducks serves as a personal redemption story for the coach. However, over time, the coach realizes the success of the team is less about his own contributions and more of a result of true teamwork.

Angels In The Outfield – Stream On Disney+

A remake of the 1951 film, Angels in the Outfield is a spiritually uplifting underdog sports movie sure to appeal to Home Team fans. After losing his father and being separated from his mother, young Roger (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) prays to have a family given to him if the California Angels win the AL. Thanks to Al the Angel (Christopher Lloyd), heavenly angels descend and help the team succeed.

While sportsmanship and teamwork play a major role, the movie is really about keeping faith in the face of unlikely odds and the profound impact resilience and perseverance can play in a young person’s life.

Kicking & Screaming – Stream On HBO Max

Aside from being a team sports tale, Home Team is also a story about a father relating to his son. So too is Kicking & Screaming, the PG-rated Disney soccer movie that pairs Will Ferrell and Robert Duvall with hilarious results.

Raised under the thumb of his ultra-competitive dad, Phil is a lovable loser who wants nothing to do with sports. Yet, after agreeing to coach the local youth soccer team, he begins to identify with his father, understand his competitive nature, and overcome his own shortcomings in the process.

Remember The Titans – Stream On Disney+

While the film features slightly older football players who are in high school, there’s no denying the sheer power and emotional impact of Remember the Titans, a true story that couldn’t be more uplifting. The excellent Disney+ sports movie stars the great Denzel Washington as Herman Boone, a Black football coach who went to great lengths to racially integrate the first high school team in Virginia during the 1970s.

As riveting as the on-field action is, football is just one part of a larger underdog tale that strives for racial equality and harmony in a time of legal segregation. The story is inspiring, the acting is terrific, and the message couldn’t be more salient.

Hoosiers – Stream On Apple+

Also defined by top-tier performances and a redemptive arc for its embattled head coach, Hoosiers will always rank as one of the best underdog sports movies across the board. The tear-jerking true story follows Norman Dale (Gene Hackman), a disgraced coach who teams with an alcoholic (Dennis Hopper) to turn a small-town Indiana basketball team into a championship contender.

As Dale and Shooter (Hooper) improve their team and begin winning on the court, the two men begin conquering demons off the court as well, providing a healing path through community and athletics alike.

Invincible – Stream On Disney+

There’s no denying the awe-inspiring true tale of Invincible, another true PG-rated underdog story involving the NFL. Mark Wahlberg stars as Vince Papale, a 30-year-old bartender who goes after his dream of trying out for the Philadelphia Eagles in 1976. Against all odds, Vince makes the team and finds glory on and off the field.

Thought to be too old and too small to compete with the best NFL athletes on the field, Vince proves everyone wrong time again and overcomes every obstacle put in front of him. Real-life NFL coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear) also plays a huge role in Vince’s success, much like Payton in Home Team.

Cool Runnings – Stream On Disney+

While bobsledding and football have zero in common, the charming tone and pleasing tenor of Disney’s underdog sports movie Cool Runnings is too heartwarming to miss. John Candy leads a stellar cast of characters who, despite a lack of experience, help to form Jamaica’s first Olympic bobsledding team.

Aside from the tremendous characters, the film fuses a fish-out-of-water story with an underdog sports tale to transcend the genre and become something totally new and exciting.

The Bad News Bears – Stream On Amazon Prime Video

While it could never be rated PG today, the original Bad News Bears still holds up as one of the most honest and authentic underdog sports movies geared toward kids. Bullying, inclusion, and even abuse are confronted at times, but the end result couldn’t be more heartening and celebratory.

Walter Matthau gives a brilliant turn as Buttermaker, a pool cleaner with a drinking problem who reluctantly decides to coach the pathetically bad local Bad News Bears little league team. Through hard work and genuine team building, Buttermaker leads his team to the championship and learns about himself in the process. Richard Linklater’s 2005 remake is also worth a look.