Same Title, Different Plot

Same Title, Different Plot by Joe Brackets Sport Writer on AskHoffa! Goes Hollywood:

The Academy Awards are on Sunday night.  Even though I don’t go to the movies that often, I love the Oscars.  I’m not even really sure why.  Anyway, I decided that today’s blog is going to be a salute to the Oscars, except with a little twist.  So many of the Oscar-nominated movies this year have titles that could easily be used as the title of some sort of sports-related documentary.  So, here’s what I think the plots of those movies might be…

• Amour-Finding love is even more difficult in the incredibly competitive world of professional sports.  Yet these couples did it.  These are the stories of the sports couples that made it.  From Misty May-Treanor and Matt Treanor to Caroline Wozniacki and Rory McIlroy to Danica Patrick and Ricky Stenhouse, Jr., among others.
• Argo-The incredible true story of the 2012 Toronto Argonauts, who overcame tremendous adversity in winning their final five games to go from missing the playoffs entirely to Grey Cup Champions.  A Grey Cup, which was the 100th in history, and just happened to be played on their home field.  Your main character: Ricky Ray, the quaterback brought in to revive the franchise who got the job done in the first season.
• Beasts of the Southern Wild-Big game hunting is a truly remarkable, and extremely dangerous, pastime.  Travel to Africa with a group of courageous adventurers as they go on safari, searching for these beautiful animals in their natural environments.  (I know that’s not exactly sports-related, but with all those hunting shows on NBC Sports Network, I figured it would be right up their alley.)
• Django Unchained-Alright, so it doesn’t work for every movie.  As much as I tried, I couldn’t think of anything for this one.  If you want to give it a try, be my guest.  ‘Cause I’ve got nothing.
• Les Miserables-In English, this translates to “The Miserable.”  This is the story of Cleveland Browns fans, who could only sit there and watch as the Baltimore Ravens, the team that used to be the Browns, won their second Super Bowl in franchise history, while the replacement Browns endured yet another losing season and another coaching change.
• Life of PI-See what life after baseball is like for former Texas Rangers slugger Pete Incaviglia, as he attempts to build a career as a real estate agent while also adjusting to life as a retired Major Leaguer.  This show has TLC or one of those other networks like that written all over it.
• Lincoln-Saturdays in Lincoln, Nebraska forever changed in the Fall of 2011.  Join the Huskers faithful as the team they love makes the transition from the Big 12 to the Big Ten.  Be there as Nebraska forms new rivalries with the likes of Michigan, Ohio State and Purdue, while saying goodbye to old foes Oklahoma and Colorado.
• Silver Linings Playbook-A group of Philadelphia Eagles fans try to justify what happened to their team over the past two seasons, falling flat on their faces under the burden on high expectations.  An example of a silver lining found in the playbook: “At least we finally managed to get rid of Andy Reid.”  (I haven’t seen the actual movie, but I think the actual plot may be something similar.)
• Zero Dark Thirty-What really happened during those 30 minutes when the lights went out at the Super Bowl?  Was it Beyonce’s fault?  Or was it something else?  Dig inside the Super Bowl blackout in this suspense thriller from director Kathryn Bigelow.

And just for fun, here are alternative plots for two movies that aren’t nominated for Best Picture…

• The Master-Just when everyone thought he’d never win another Grand Slam tournament, be there as Roger Federer proves all his doubters wrong.  Join “The Master” as he plows through the field and steamrolls the hometown favorite in the final to win the 2012 Wimbledon title.
• The Impossible-If sports have proven anything, it’s that nothing is impossible.  This documentary looks at some of those unlikely performances that were once considered impossible.  From improbable comebacks to upset wins to unbelievable individual efforts.  Some of these stories you’ll have to see to believe.