20 best movies like The Air Up There (1994)

An acclaimed college hoops coach is demoted to a junior varsity team after a public meltdown.

Ivan is a 400-pound silverback gorilla who shares a communal habitat in a suburban shopping mall with Stella the elephant, Bob the dog, and various other animals. He has few memories of the jungle where he was captured, but when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, it touches something deep within him. Ruby is recently separated from her family in the wild, which causes him to question his life, where he comes from and where he ultimately wants to be.

12-year-old Henry Rowengartner, whose late father was a minor league baseball player, grew up dreaming of playing baseball, despite his physical shortcomings. After Henry's arm is broken while trying to catch a baseball at school, the tendon in that arm heals too tightly, allowing Henry to throw pitches that are as fast as 103 mph. Henry is spotted at nearby Wrigley Field by Larry "Fish" Fisher, the general manager of the struggling Chicago Cubs, after Henry throws an opponent's home-run ball all the way from the outfield bleachers back to the catcher, and it seems that Henry may be the pitcher that team owner Bob Carson has been praying for.

Corey refuses to let his emotionally disturbed younger brother Jimmy be institutionalized, and the two run away together. They soon join forces with a resourceful girl, who notices that Jimmy has a special talent: he is a "wizard" at video games and can achieve the high score on absolutely everything he plays. Evading their parents and a sinister bounty hunter, the trio head for a climactic showdown at the national video game championships in California.

When the five puppies stumble upon the Five Power Rings of Inspiron (alien artifacts abandoned on Earth 16 years ago), they all develop super powers, and are enlisted in Captain Canine's battle against the evil Darkon alien Commander Drex. Captain Canine is commander of space ship Megasis and is from the planet Inspiron. He is the mortal enemy of the Commander Drex. In charge of protecting Princess Jorala and the Five Power Rings from Drex, Megasis places the rings in hiding on the planet Earth, and takes the form of a German Shepherd, intending to stay on earth in very deep cover. Adopted by aspiring young comic book artist Ian Shaeffer, and renamed Captain Canine, he spends 16 happy years on Earth, as Ian recounts the stories of his space adventures. But when the five Buddies discover the Power Rings and instantly develop superpowers, Captain Canine has to train them very quickly indeed - for Commander Drex is headed back to earth, and this time he's determined to succeed.

Brian is a 16 year-old who can't play basketball, but he still wants to play like his hero, Kevin Durant. At an Oklahoma City Thunder game, Brian gets chosen to shoot a half court shot which he misses and hits the mascot in the process. Later on, he gets a chance to meet Durant and expresses his desire to play just like him. When Kevin gives Brian the ball, the two unknowingly switch talents.

When Danny O'Shea's daughter is cut from the Peewee football team just for being a girl, he decides to form his own team, composed of other ragtag players who were also cut. Can his team really learn enough to beat the elite team, coached by his brother, a former pro player?

To climb the corporate ladder to success, a guy agrees to coach the company's all girl soccer team with the help of his secret weapon: his fiancee's son.

When a Miami dentist inherits a team of sled dogs, he's got to learn the trade or lose his pack to a crusty mountain man.

When the owner of the Minnesota Twins passes away, he bequeaths the team to his preteen grandson. The newly minted head honcho quickly appoints himself manager, causing unrest in an organisation that struggles to take orders from a 12-year-old.

Jack Cooper (Matt LeBlanc) could be a world-class baseball pitcher if he didn't keep buckling under the pressure. He tries to keep his spirits up after he's traded to a minor league team but loses all hope when he discovers that Ed, one of his teammates, is a chimp. Ed used to be the team mascot, but was promoted to third base when the owners realized he had a talent for baseball. As Jack struggles to get used to his new surroundings, Ed helps him regain his confidence on and off the field.

Phil Weston has been unathletic his entire life. In college he failed at every sport that he tried out for. It looks like his 10-year old son, Sam, is following in his footsteps. But when Phil's hyper-competitive dad benches Sam, Phil decides to transfer his son to a new team which needs a coach. Phil steps in to be the temporary coach and immediately begins to butt heads with this dad over this new competition in their lives.

When a Jamaican sprinter is disqualified from the Olympic Games, he enlists the help of a dishonored coach to start the first Jamaican Bobsled Team.

Best known as the production designer on most of the Farrelly Brothers films, Sidney J. Bartholomew Jr. makes his directorial debut with this family-friendly soccer comedy. Real-life twin brothers Dylan and Cole Sprouse play a pair of soccer-playing kids severely lacking in skill on the field. But when they pledge to win, they have to pull it together or face the wrath of a local bully. Just 4 Kicks also stars Tom Arnold and features an appearance by soccer pro Cobi Jones. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

Maggie Peyton, the new owner of Number 53 - the free-wheelin' Volkswagen bug with a mind of its own - puts the car through its paces on the road to becoming a NASCAR competitor.

Bachelor football star Joe Kingman seems to have it all. He is wealthy and carefree, and his team is on the way to capturing a championship. Suddenly, he is tackled by some unexpected news: He has a young daughter, the result of a last fling with his ex-wife. Joe must learn to balance his personal and professional lives with the needs of his child.

The film centers on a fight promoter (Mark Feuerstein) deeply in debt to his crooked rival. Desperate for a new fighter that will help him win back everything he owes, the promoter catches a break when a 450-pound church handyman (Paul "Big Show" Wight) who has spent his entire life in an orphanage agrees to wrestle on behalf of his fellow orphans.

A successful professional baseball player gets his ego in check via an unreality check when he travels back in time to his boyhood sandlot ball-playing days.

Two Asian-American "surfer-dude" brothers discover they are the long lost princes from a China Sea Island. Part of their inheritance are magically-induced martial arts prowess. Using their new powers they act to overthrow the island's current dictator, a despotic madman.

Shattered illusions are hard to repair -- especially for a good-hearted zebra named Stripes who's spent his life on a Kentucky farm amidst the sorely mistaken notion that he's a debonair thoroughbred. Once he faces the fact that his stark stripes mark him as different, he decides he'll race anyway. And with help from the young girl who raised him, he just might end up in the winner's circle.

Larry Guthrie, who loses his first love to the town hot shot, decides to win her back by volunteering with the children at her after-school program. When Larry accidentally tells the kids the Tooth Fairy is make-believe, he soon is transformed into a tutu-clad fairy with the "sentence" of collecting teeth.

A veterinarian who can communicate with animals travels abroad to search for a giant sea snail.

Mario and Luigi, plumbers from Brooklyn, find themselves in an alternate universe where evolved dinosaurs live in hi-tech squalor. They're the only hope to save our universe from invasion by the dino dictator, Koopa.

Ray, an ex-con and widower, is planning a coin heist with two accomplices to help him to buy his own bakery. However, he doesn't expect his son Timmy, who was living with Ray's sister, to show up at the house right in the middle of planning. Timmy is ignored and Ray and his buddies pull off the heist. Timmy gets his father's attention by stealing the coins and hiding them. To get them back, his father must take him to a number of different places and treat him like he enjoys his presence. They grow fond of each other but Timmy won't stay with his dad unless he gives up the coins.

A head cheerleader's life takes an unexpected twist when her rifle-like throwing arm takes her from the sidelines to becoming her middle school’s starting quarterback. Bella Dawson is a confident, caring and talented teenager, who suddenly finds herself fulfilling a lifelong dream but also having to navigate the world of her teammates Troy, Sawyer and Newt, without losing her two best friends, Pepper and Sophie from the cheer squad.

After losing his wife seven years earlier, the eccentric Dr. John Dolittle, famed doctor and veterinarian of Queen Victoria’s England, hermits himself away behind the high walls of Dolittle Manor with only his menagerie of exotic animals for company. But when the young queen falls gravely ill, a reluctant Dolittle is forced to set sail on an epic adventure to a mythical island in search of a cure, regaining his wit and courage as he crosses old adversaries and discovers wondrous creatures.

In a depressed Texas town, British foreign exchange teacher Anna attempts to inject some life into her hopeless kids by introducing them to soccer. They're terrible at first, but Anna and her football-hero assistant whip them into shape. As they work overtime, the pair help kids build their self-esteem and also get involved in solving family squabbles.

Camp Hope is a summer retreat for overweight boys run by a kindly couple who make the campers feel comfortable with their extra pounds. But when tyrannical fitness guru Tony buys the camp, he puts the kids on a cruel regimen that goes too far. Sick of the endless weeks of "all work and no play," the kids stage a coup and reclaim their summer of fun.

The true story of Jasmine Plummer who, at the age of eleven, became the first female to play in Pop Warner football tournament in its 56-year history.

The amazing story of sports commentator Stepan Vershinin, which loses its prestigious place on television. In search of a new job, he becomes part of unusual competitions.

When a tiny intergalactic starship crashes into the bedroom of middle-schooler Rod Allbright, he is enlisted by the extraterrestrial Galactic Patrol, a group of out-of-this-world lawmen, and must race to save the world from Total Planetary Disaster with his cousin Elspeth.

A Heffley family road trip to attend Meemaw's 90th birthday party goes hilariously off course thanks to Greg's newest scheme to get to a video gaming convention.

Former CIA spy Bob Ho takes on his toughest assignment to date: looking after his girlfriend's three kids, who haven't exactly warmed to their mom's beau. And when one of the youngsters accidentally downloads a top-secret formula, Bob's longtime nemesis, a Russian terrorist, pays a visit to the family.

Story revolves around a young boxer, Izzy Daniels, who trains to follow in his father's footsteps by winning the Golden Glove. When his friend, Mary, however, asks him to substitute for a team member in a Double Dutch tournament, the young man discovers a hidden passion for jump roping

While trying to save their childhood orphanage, Moe, Larry and Curly inadvertently stumble into a murder plot and wind up starring in a reality TV show.

A lonely cat living in a mall pet shop has a sour outlook on life until, in the midst of the holiday rush, she’s swept up into a robbery and a friendship with a human girl.

Travel writer Lemuel Gulliver takes an assignment in Bermuda, but ends up on the island of Liliput, where he towers over its tiny citizens.

Uncle Drew recruits a squad of older basketball players to return to the court to compete in a tournament.

A disgraced basketball coach is given the chance to coach Los Amigos, a team of players who are intellectually disabled, and soon realizes they just might have what it takes to make it to the national championships.

Dodger, a criminal monkey, belongs to a crooked street performer but escapes his life of crime only to end up in the arms of Eva, an innocent little girl whose mother has no idea that her daughter is harboring a fugitive.

Professional daredevil and white-suited hero, The Great Leslie, convinces turn-of-the-century auto makers that a race from New York to Paris (westward across America, the Bering Straight and Russia) will help to promote automobile sales. Leslie's arch-rival, the mustached and black-attired Professor Fate vows to beat Leslie to the finish line in a car of Fate's own invention.

After discovering a magical mask, an 11-year-old aspiring wrestler enters a competition to become the next WWE superstar by using special powers from a magical mask.

Born into a tight-knit wrestling family, Paige and her brother Zak are ecstatic when they get the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to try out for the WWE. But when only Paige earns a spot in the competitive training program, she must leave her loved ones behind and face this new cutthroat world alone. Paige's journey pushes her to dig deep and ultimately prove to the world that what makes her different is the very thing that can make her a star.

A foster boy is befriended by a lost dog who turns out to belong to the President of the United States. The boy decides to run away from the foster home to return the canine to the White House -- "Because it's the right thing to do!"

Three young boys, Rocky, Colt and Tum Tum together with their neighbor girl, computer whiz Amanda are visiting Mega Mountain amusement park when it is invaded by an army of ninjas led by evil Medusa, who wants to take over the park and hold the owners for ransom. Kids and retired TV star Dave Dragon, who made his farewell appearance at the park at the time the ninjas appeared, have to break Medusa's vicious plans.

Eight years after the third film, the OSS has become the world's top spy agency, while the Spy Kids department has since become defunct. A retired spy Marissa (Jessica Alba) is thrown back into the action along with her stepchildren when a maniacal Timekeeper (Jeremy Piven) attempts to take over the world. In order to save the world, Rebecca (Rowan Blanchard) and Cecil (Mason Cook) must team up with their hated stepmother. Carmen and Juni have since also grown up and will provide gadgets to them.

An 11-year old phenom wrestler with an undefeated record, Kace Gabriel gives up the sport to write/direct a movie. He believes that if the film makes his best friend, Charlie, laugh on Christmas Day it will awake the boy from a coma.

This time our already familiar family moves to Africa in order to save endangered wildlife.

In Depression-era London, a now-grown Jane and Michael Banks, along with Michael's three children, are visited by the enigmatic Mary Poppins following a personal loss. Through her unique magical skills, and with the aid of her friend Jack, she helps the family rediscover the joy and wonder missing in their lives.

Two siblings who discover their seemingly normal mom is a former thief in witness protection. Mom is forced to pull one last job, and the kids team up to rescue her over the course of an action-packed night.