Eight seconds to victory!
by yrnej | created - 23 Mar 2015 | updated - 28 Mar 2015 | PublicThe latest film based on a Nicholas Sparks novel, The Longest Ride (2015), is opening April 10, 2015. It is a love story (natch) set against the backdrop of the world professional rodeo.
Which of these feature films* that explored the rodeo circuit best "ponied up," in your opinion?
Discuss the list here
*minimum 7.0 stars, 25 votes on IMDb
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1. Brokeback Mountain (2005)
R | 134 min | Drama, Romance
Ennis and Jack are two shepherds who develop a sexual and emotional relationship. Their relationship becomes complicated when both of them get married to their respective girlfriends.
Director: Ang Lee | Stars: Jake Gyllenhaal, Heath Ledger, Michelle Williams, Randy Quaid
Votes: 382,371 | Gross: $83.04M
2. Bus Stop (1956)
Approved | 96 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A naive but stubborn cowboy falls in love with a saloon singer and tries to take her away against her will to get married and live on his ranch in Montana.
Director: Joshua Logan | Stars: Marilyn Monroe, Don Murray, Arthur O'Connell, Betty Field
Votes: 12,773
3. The Cowboy and the Lady (1938)
Approved | 91 min | Western
A lonely socialite masquerades as a maid and meets an unpretentious, plain-spoken cowboy who is unaware of her true identity.
Directors: H.C. Potter, Stuart Heisler, William Wyler | Stars: Gary Cooper, Merle Oberon, Patsy Kelly, Walter Brennan
Votes: 1,820
4. Cowboys Don't Cry (1988)
103 min | Drama
As long as Shane Morgan can remember, he has lived on the road with his mother and father, a rodeo performer. Their dreams of making enough money to settle down happily in one place are ... See full summary »
Director: Anne Wheeler | Stars: Ron White, Zachary Ansley, Janet-Laine Green, Valerie Pearson
Votes: 122
5. 8 Seconds (1994)
PG-13 | 105 min | Biography, Drama, Sport
This movie chronicles the life of Lane Frost, 1987 PRCA Bull Riding World Champion, his marriage and his friendships with Tuff Hedeman (three-time World Champion) and Cody Lambert.
Director: John G. Avildsen | Stars: Luke Perry, Stephen Baldwin, James Rebhorn, Cameron Finley
Votes: 5,759 | Gross: $19.60M
6. The Electric Horseman (1979)
PG | 121 min | Comedy, Drama, Romance
A rodeo star past his prime steals his company's horse and rides into the desert, accompanied by a feisty reporter.
Director: Sydney Pollack | Stars: Robert Redford, Jane Fonda, Valerie Perrine, Willie Nelson
Votes: 10,300 | Gross: $61.80M
7. Flicka (2006)
PG | 95 min | Adventure, Drama, Family
Young Katy claims a wild horse as her own -- an effort to prove to her father that she is capable of taking over the family horse ranch one day.
Director: Michael Mayer | Stars: Alison Lohman, Tim McGraw, Maria Bello, Ryan Kwanten
Votes: 8,511 | Gross: $21.00M
8. The Great American Cowboy (1974)
G | 89 min | Documentary, Sport
A documentary about the rivalry between veteran Larry Mahan and newcomer Phil Lyne, as the two vie for the National Finals Rodeo Championship title.
Director: Kieth Merrill | Stars: Larry Mahan, Phil Lyne, Joel McCrea
Votes: 124
9. Here Come the Nelsons (1952)
Approved | 75 min | Comedy
While Ozzie tries to get some publicity for an ad agency, David and Ricky get mixed up with gangsters.
Director: Frederick De Cordova | Stars: Ozzie Nelson, Harriet Nelson, David Nelson, Ricky Nelson
Votes: 249
10. The Hi-Lo Country (1998)
R | 114 min | Drama, Romance, Western
Two cowboys have their friendship tested when they fall for the same girl.
Director: Stephen Frears | Stars: Billy Crudup, Woody Harrelson, Patricia Arquette, Cole Hauser
Votes: 4,576 | Gross: $0.16M
11. Junior Bonner (1972)
PG | 100 min | Drama, Western
Ace Bonner returns to Arizona several years after he abandoned his family, Junior Bonner is a wild young man. Against the typical rodeo championship, family drama erupts.
Director: Sam Peckinpah | Stars: Steve McQueen, Robert Preston, Ida Lupino, Ben Johnson
Votes: 6,835 | Gross: $0.15M
12. A Lady Takes a Chance (1943)
Passed | 86 min | Comedy, Romance, Western
Facing forty, a NYC spinster on a bus tour of the West encounters a handsome rodeo cowboy who helps her forget her unsuitable city suitors.
Director: William A. Seiter | Stars: Jean Arthur, John Wayne, Charles Winninger, Phil Silvers
Votes: 1,457
13. The Lusty Men (1952)
Passed | 113 min | Action, Drama, Sport
Retired rodeo champion Jeff McCloud agrees to mentor novice rodeo contestant Wes Merritt against the wishes of Merritt's wife who fears the dangers of this rough sport.
Directors: Nicholas Ray, Robert Parrish | Stars: Susan Hayward, Robert Mitchum, Arthur Kennedy, Arthur Hunnicutt
Votes: 3,657
14. The Misfits (1961)
Not Rated | 125 min | Drama, Romance, Western
A divorcée falls for an over-the-hill cowboy who is struggling to maintain his romantically independent lifestyle.
Director: John Huston | Stars: Clark Gable, Marilyn Monroe, Montgomery Clift, Thelma Ritter
Votes: 23,430 | Gross: $8.94M
15. Pardners (1956)
Passed | 90 min | Comedy, Western
A rich momma's boy returns west with the son of his murdered father's partner to foil a gang trying to gain control of his family ranch.
Director: Norman Taurog | Stars: Dean Martin, Jerry Lewis, Lori Nelson, Jeff Morrow
Votes: 1,744 | Gross: $7.92M
16. The Ride (I) (1997)
PG | 101 min | Drama, Family, Sport
A has-been cowboy is given a second chance at the hands of an unexpected teacher.
Director: Michael O. Sajbel | Stars: Michael Biehn, Brock Pierce, Charles Young, Clarence Felder
Votes: 536 | Gross: $0.19M
17. Ride 'Em Cowboy (1942)
Approved | 82 min | Comedy, Drama, Western
Two peanut vendors at a traveling rodeo show get in trouble with their boss and hide out on a railroad train heading west. They get jobs as cowboys on a dude ranch, despite the fact that ... See full summary »
Director: Arthur Lubin | Stars: Bud Abbott, Lou Costello, Dick Foran, Anne Gwynne
Votes: 1,736
18. The Rounders (1965)
TV-PG | 85 min | Comedy, Western
In Sedona, two aging cowpokes bust broncos, charm local ladies and bet on outcomes at the rodeo.
Director: Burt Kennedy | Stars: Glenn Ford, Henry Fonda, Sue Ane Langdon, Hope Holiday
Votes: 1,913
19. Stir Crazy (1980)
R | 111 min | Comedy, Crime
Set up and wrongfully accused, two best friends are sent to prison for a crime they didn't commit. However, no prison cell can keep them locked in a cage.
Director: Sidney Poitier | Stars: Gene Wilder, Richard Pryor, Georg Stanford Brown, JoBeth Williams
Votes: 30,401 | Gross: $101.30M
20. Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo (2009)
Not Rated | 90 min | Documentary
'Sweethearts of the Prison Rodeo' goes behind prison walls to follow convict cowgirls on their journey to the 2007 Oklahoma State Penitentiary Rodeo. In 2006, female inmates were allowed to... See full summary »
Director: Bradley Beesley | Stars: Danny Liles, Jamie Brooks, Brandy Witte, Crystal Herrington
Votes: 66 | Gross: $0.01M
21. The Valley of Gwangi (1969)
G | 96 min | Action, Adventure, Family
A cowboy named Tuck Kirby seeks fame and fortune by capturing an Allosaurus living in a Mexican valley and putting it in a wild west show. His star attraction, called the Gwangi, turns out to have an aversion to being shown in public.
Director: Jim O'Connolly | Stars: James Franciscus, Gila Golan, Richard Carlson, Laurence Naismith
Votes: 4,953
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