Are you bummed that the coverage from Rio is over?
Do you miss watching Michael Phelps, Brianna Rollins and Simone Bile kill it every night in sports that you knew nothing about two weeks ago, but now feel like you know enough to determine scores before the judges announce them?
Well, I can't put them back on your screen. Sorry! I can, however, suggest some great movies that you can watch that will keep the Olympic touch burning in your heart for just a little while longer.
1. "The Gabby Douglas Story," 2014.
We'll start with something very relevant; an Olympic champion from the last summer Olympics who also won a gold this summer. The real life "Girl On Fire" melted hearts across the nation after her outstanding performance in the 2012 Olympics that made her the first African American to be named an Individual All-Around Champion. The movie follows her childhood and early teenage years while she trained with Liang Chow, a former Chinese Olympic gymnast, who also trained Shawn Johnson. The movie aired on Lifetime in 2014, and is now available for purchase here.
2. "Foxcatcher," 2014.
Taking a more serious turn, this movie is based on a true story. The Academy Award Nominated movie starring Steve Carell, Channing Tatum and Mark Ruffalo is next on the list. This drama/thriller follows a former member of the U.S. wrestling team, Mark Schultz, who joined an elite wrestling team. The stories follows Mark's experiences in the Foxcatcher team and the Seoul Olympics, and documents how his career played into the wrongful death of his brother, Dave, who was also a wrestler. You can watch the movie on multiple platforms for a small fee, such as Google Play, iTunes, YouTube, Vudu, and Amazon Video.
3. "The Bronze," 2015.
Don't take this raunchy, foul mockumentary too seriously. Melissa Rauch, who you know better as Bernadette from "Big Bang Theory", stars as Hope Ann Greggory, the foul-mouthed, washed-up gymnast who won a bronze medal despite a serious injury in the 2004 Olympics. Haley Lu Richardson charms audiences as a nieve up-and-coming gymnast with big dreams of winning a gold medal with her idol as a coach. Sebastian Stan takes a step away from the Marvel Cinematic Universe to portray a pompous coach for the US Womens Gymnast team who won a gold medal the same year Hope competed. Follow the antics of Olympic hopefuls in this ridiculously hysterical movie, but proceed with caution; it's rated R for a reason. You can buy "The Bronze" on Google Play, iTunes, YouTube, Vudu, and Amazon Video.
