Want to get warmed up to watch a bunch of cold competition? Here are five films you should watch right now, from I, Tonya to Cool Runnings.
Photo-Illustration: WIRED Staff; Getty Images; Everett Collection
The Winter Olympics were created a century ago, in 1924, just a few years before the dawn of the talkie. In the 100-plus years that followed, the Games have provided story after story full of cinematic possibility.
Below is a selection of some of the best movies ever made about the Winter Olympics—and the athletes who compete in them. Some are inspiring, some are funny. Others are scandalous or downright heartbreaking. (I, Tonya is both of those last two.) Some are true stories, others are fiction, but all of them will get you amped up for the Games to come.
If you like discovering new things to watch and want something not Olympics-related, please do check out WIRED’s guides to the best movies on Netflix, HBO Max, Hulu, Apple TV, and Amazon Prime.
This story originally appeared in WIRED Italia. It has been translated from Italian.
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Miracle (2004)”,”brand”:{“name”:””},”id”:”6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc6″,”index”:0,”contentType”:”photo”,”offers”:[],”offersLength”:0,”component”:”gallery_slide_component”,”image”:{“altText”:”Miracle”,”caption”:”Kurt Russell in the movie Miracle.”,”contentType”:”photo”,”credit”:”Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures”,”segmentedSources”:{“sm”:[{“height”:180,”width”:320,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc6/master/w_320,c_limit/Miracle.jpg”},{“height”:360,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc6/master/w_640,c_limit/Miracle.jpg”}],”md”:[{“height”:360,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc6/master/w_640,c_limit/Miracle.jpg”},{“height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc6/master/w_1280,c_limit/Miracle.jpg”}],”lg”:[{“height”:576,”width”:1024,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc6/master/w_1024,c_limit/Miracle.jpg”},{“height”:1152,”width”:2048,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc6/master/w_2048,c_limit/Miracle.jpg”}],”xl”:[{“height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc6/master/w_1280,c_limit/Miracle.jpg”}],”xxl”:[{“height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc6/master/w_1280,c_limit/Miracle.jpg”}]}}}” data-testid=”GallerySlideWrapper”>
Courtesy of Walt Disney Pictures
Miracle (2004)
When the Cold War was at its height, the Olympics became a battleground. If the Soviets crushed the United States in ice hockey in 1972, well, eight years later at the Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, the Americans made up for it. To this day, the 1980 ice hockey final where the US took home gold remains one of the most incredible upsets in sports history. In 2004, Gavin O’Connor enlisted Kurt Russell to show audiences how coach Herb Brooks took a group of guys underestimated even by themselves and built a collective capable of beating the Soviet Union, the strongest national team in history, fresh off four consecutive gold medals. Miracle is an epic, throbbing film in which the impossible becomes possible, so much so that American hockey fans will perhaps forever remember the “Miracle on Ice.”
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Eddie the Eagle (2015)”,”brand”:{“name”:””},”id”:”6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc7″,”index”:1,”contentType”:”photo”,”offers”:[],”offersLength”:0,”component”:”gallery_slide_component”,”image”:{“altText”:”Eddie the Eagle”,”caption”:”Taron Egerton and Hugh Jackman in Eddie the Eagle.”,”contentType”:”photo”,”credit”:”Photograph: Larry Horricks/Twentieth Century Fox”,”segmentedSources”:{“sm”:[{“height”:209,”width”:320,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc7/master/w_320,c_limit/Eddie%20the%20Eagle.jpg”},{“height”:417,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc7/master/w_640,c_limit/Eddie%20the%20Eagle.jpg”}],”md”:[{“height”:417,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc7/master/w_640,c_limit/Eddie%20the%20Eagle.jpg”},{“height”:834,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc7/master/w_1280,c_limit/Eddie%20the%20Eagle.jpg”}],”lg”:[{“height”:667,”width”:1024,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc7/master/w_1024,c_limit/Eddie%20the%20Eagle.jpg”},{“height”:1334,”width”:2048,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc7/master/w_2048,c_limit/Eddie%20the%20Eagle.jpg”}],”xl”:[{“height”:834,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc7/master/w_1280,c_limit/Eddie%20the%20Eagle.jpg”}],”xxl”:[{“height”:834,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc7/master/w_1280,c_limit/Eddie%20the%20Eagle.jpg”}]}}}” data-testid=”GallerySlideWrapper”>
Photograph: Larry Horricks/Twentieth Century Fox
Eddie the Eagle (2015)
At the 1988 Olympics in Calgary, everyone’s hero was not a super-athlete, but rather a short, stocky British big guy named Michael Edwards. While Hugh Jackman’s coach Bronson Peary is fictional, Eddie the Eagle’s detailing of Edwards’ impact on the world is 100 percent real. Prior to the 1988 Games, England had never had its own athlete in ski jumping at the Olympics and his presence there changed everything. Eddie the Eagle is a film with a big heart and many funny moments. Above all, it speaks to themes of rebirth, not giving up, and the fact that, in sports, the real victory is the one against the limits others impose on us.
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Downhill Racer (1969)”,”brand”:{“name”:””},”id”:”6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc8″,”index”:2,”contentType”:”photo”,”offers”:[],”offersLength”:0,”component”:”gallery_slide_component”,”image”:{“altText”:”Gli Spericolati”,”caption”:”Camilla Sparv and Robert Redford in Downhill Racer.”,”contentType”:”photo”,”credit”:”Photograph: Getty Images”,”segmentedSources”:{“sm”:[{“height”:180,”width”:320,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc8/master/w_320,c_limit/Gli%20Spericolati%202.jpg”},{“height”:359,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc8/master/w_640,c_limit/Gli%20Spericolati%202.jpg”}],”md”:[{“height”:359,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc8/master/w_640,c_limit/Gli%20Spericolati%202.jpg”},{“height”:718,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc8/master/w_1280,c_limit/Gli%20Spericolati%202.jpg”}],”lg”:[{“height”:574,”width”:1024,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc8/master/w_1024,c_limit/Gli%20Spericolati%202.jpg”},{“height”:1149,”width”:2048,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc8/master/w_2048,c_limit/Gli%20Spericolati%202.jpg”}],”xl”:[{“height”:718,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc8/master/w_1280,c_limit/Gli%20Spericolati%202.jpg”}],”xxl”:[{“height”:718,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc8/master/w_1280,c_limit/Gli%20Spericolati%202.jpg”}]}}}” data-testid=”GallerySlideWrapper”>
Photograph: Getty Images
Downhill Racer (1969)
Downhill Racer, based on a novel by Oakley Hall, remains one of the first—if not the first—Hollywood films devoted to alpine skiing. When David Chappellet (Robert Redford) is called up to join the US national ski team he is determined to become the world champion, no matter what it takes. In spite of the efforts of his coach, Eugene Claire (Gene Hackman), David refuses to play well with others and appears selfish, narcissistic, and careerist. An encounter with the beautiful but elusive Carole (Camilla Sparv) changes things. Downhill Racer is one of the greatest sports films ever made and by far the best ever about the Winter Olympics, an event many athletes have looked forward to all their lives. Redford gives one of his best performances as a man who is detestable, but also consistent, alone, and tragically chained to a career that defines him as a person. Beautifully shot, with breathtaking sequences, Downhill Racer remains a seminally topical film.
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I, Tonya (2017)”,”brand”:{“name”:””},”id”:”6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc9″,”index”:3,”contentType”:”photo”,”offers”:[],”offersLength”:0,”component”:”gallery_slide_component”,”image”:{“altText”:”I Tonya”,”caption”:”Sebastian Stan, Margot Robbie, and Allison Janey and I, Tonya.”,”contentType”:”photo”,”credit”:”Courtesy of Neon”,”segmentedSources”:{“sm”:[{“height”:180,”width”:320,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc9/master/w_320,c_limit/Io,%20Tonya.jpg”},{“height”:360,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc9/master/w_640,c_limit/Io,%20Tonya.jpg”}],”md”:[{“height”:360,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc9/master/w_640,c_limit/Io,%20Tonya.jpg”},{“height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc9/master/w_1280,c_limit/Io,%20Tonya.jpg”}],”lg”:[{“height”:576,”width”:1024,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc9/master/w_1024,c_limit/Io,%20Tonya.jpg”},{“height”:1152,”width”:2048,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc9/master/w_2048,c_limit/Io,%20Tonya.jpg”}],”xl”:[{“height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc9/master/w_1280,c_limit/Io,%20Tonya.jpg”}],”xxl”:[{“height”:720,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafc9/master/w_1280,c_limit/Io,%20Tonya.jpg”}]}}}” data-testid=”GallerySlideWrapper”>
Courtesy of Neon
I, Tonya (2017)
What happened between figure skaters Tonya Harding and Nancy Kerrigan before the 1994 Winter Olympics (if you know, you know) filled headlines for weeks if not months. It’s the stuff of lore. A few years later, those names drifted from memory. Craig Gillespie’s I, Tonya brings them back and gives its titular character a backstory most of the headlines about the incident never did. It’s a film that’s about obsession, careerism, classism, envy; it’s also about a girl with great talent whose earnest efforts are destroyed and thwarted by poor choices and the often-horrible people in her orbit. An often grotesque film, it’s a bit of a dramedy, full of frenetic editing and many moments of breaking the fourth wall.
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Cool Runnings (1993)”,”brand”:{“name”:””},”id”:”6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafca”,”index”:4,”contentType”:”photo”,”offers”:[],”offersLength”:0,”component”:”gallery_slide_component”,”image”:{“altText”:”Cool Runnings”,”caption”:”John Candy in Cool Runnings.”,”contentType”:”photo”,”credit”:”Courtesy of Imagine Films Entertainment”,”segmentedSources”:{“sm”:[{“height”:192,”width”:320,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafca/master/w_320,c_limit/Cool%20Runnings.jpg”},{“height”:384,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafca/master/w_640,c_limit/Cool%20Runnings.jpg”}],”md”:[{“height”:384,”width”:640,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafca/master/w_640,c_limit/Cool%20Runnings.jpg”},{“height”:768,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafca/master/w_1280,c_limit/Cool%20Runnings.jpg”}],”lg”:[{“height”:614,”width”:1024,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafca/master/w_1024,c_limit/Cool%20Runnings.jpg”},{“height”:1229,”width”:2048,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafca/master/w_2048,c_limit/Cool%20Runnings.jpg”}],”xl”:[{“height”:768,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafca/master/w_1280,c_limit/Cool%20Runnings.jpg”}],”xxl”:[{“height”:768,”width”:1280,”url”:”https://media.wired.com/photos/6973c1ed0b6f61693b8dafca/master/w_1280,c_limit/Cool%20Runnings.jpg”}]}}}” data-testid=”GallerySlideWrapper”>
Courtesy of Imagine Films Entertainment
Cool Runnings (1993)
One of the finest comedies of the 1990s and by far the most famous film about the Winter Olympics, Cool Runnings is a stone-cold classic. During the 1988 Games in Calgary, the members of the Jamaican bobsled team gained international attention for being the first bobsleigh team from the Caribbean country to compete in the Winter Olympics. Cool Runnings takes many liberties with the true story, but its undefeated mix of demented irony, gags, and heart make it a good time just the same. It also, at its core, is about sportsmanship and sharing in a common dream. Beautifully directed, with John Candy in fine form as the team’s coach, it remains to this day the film that best speaks to the true spirit of the Winter Olympics, of how ultimately there is room for everyone in the sports it hosts.