Who doesn´t like movies whose main character is a cute little girl doing gymnastic or a powerful confident women doing gymnastic or a strong good looking guy doing gymnastic or whoever doing gymnastic?!
I compiled a (surely not complete) list of films about gymnasts & their problems with doing the sport they love (and sometimes hate).
The linked movies are free to watch on YouTube:
- Nadia (1984, part 1 disappeared mysteriously since I watched it; only part 2 to the end available, but it´s still worth to relive the athletic career of the “perfect gymnast” from Romania)
- Little girls in pretty boxes (1997, watch a cute little girl struggling on her way to nearly become an elite gymnast for the United States)
- Perfect Body ( it´s about a gymnast, who develops eating disorders after her coach asks her to lose weight)
- American Anthem (1986, the first part is unfortunately mute – but after that you will see a nice and sometimes unrealistic movie about a “bad boy” returning to gymnastics and a pretty girl, who´s the new gymnast in town… a touch of romance is in the wind! ;-))
- Stick it (2006, a more modern and funny story about the gymnastics world in the United States with fashionable leotards – “it´s not called GymNiceTic” :-))
- Reach For the Sky (1991, two young gymnasts from a small Romanian town want to compete at the best gymnastic school in the country)
- The Gymnast (2006, Making of, sorrowful ex-gymnast Jane falls again in love with the sport and her partner Serena doing an aerial acrobatic act together)
- White Palms (2006, Trailer, watch the troubles between Hungarian coach Miklos- a former gymnastic champion – and young Canadian gymnast Kyle)
- Peaceful Warrior (2006, Trailer, a talented gymnast meets a spiritual guide & suffers a car accident – a very short summary)
At that time…
NADIA
…and this day.
The Gymnast - a gymnastic movie far away from cute little girls
If you don´t know the films yet: Have a nice weekend :-)!
If you know other gymnastics films, please leave a comment!
GymNiceTic 
April 6, 2009 at 7:00 PM |
[…] Click through for details. […]
August 26, 2009 at 11:11 PM |
Great post, there are a few I didn’t know about. Here are a few more –
Dream to Believe/Flying/Teenage Dream –
http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0091065/
Gymkata –
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gymkata
“The film has developed a minor cult following as an unintentional comedy for its dubious premise, poor production quality and low budget. Maxim lists the film as the 17th “Worst Movie of All Time”.[2] Due to the sensitive nature of the film it was banned in Finland in 1986 so as to not offend the USSR.[citation needed]”
I have a bunch of Cirque du Soleil DVDs in my collection as well.
January 16, 2010 at 3:13 PM |
You’ve both mentioned prety much all the gymnastics films I knew, but there’s another film called “The Gymnast” from the 80’s (I couldn’t find it in IMDB). You can download it here: http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=029e2d0fdde7625a8c9e7c56ba37815f4f1bc9ffe4047d06
And I know this one that is not specifically about gymnastics, but there’s some gymnastics in it: “If…” (1968): http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0063850/
You can see those scenes here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4reeEObMeFI
Thanks a lot for this post. I intend to post similar one in my Spanish gymnastics blog hopefully soon. 😀
January 18, 2010 at 12:53 PM |
Oh, I forgot to mention this Soviet one loosely based on Olga Korbut and with actual footage of Olga Korbut and Touricheva in competitions: “Chudo S. Kosichkami” aka Long haired wonder.
Links: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0128119/
http://gymmultimedia.myfastforum.org/about2298.html
January 28, 2010 at 10:08 PM |
If you can find it try to see the movie Lefty based on a true life story of Carol Johnston who did gymnastics (including bars) with one arm being amputated at the elbow.
Rick at gymnasticscoaching has some links here http://gymnasticscoaching.com/new/2007/04/movie-lefty-starring-carol-johnston/
March 15, 2010 at 3:29 PM |
[…] Gymnastic films […]
April 3, 2010 at 3:35 AM |
Any one have a link for where I can watch/buy Reach for the sky? Couldn’t find it on YouTube
May 30, 2010 at 12:40 PM |
i know the movie “reach for the sk” and i want to watch it so bad! do you have any idea of where i can download it???
March 18, 2012 at 2:35 PM |
Finally, someone uploaded “Reach for the sky” on YouTube. I added the link above.
August 18, 2010 at 8:02 AM |
I too am desperate to watch ‘Reach for The Sky’, please if anyone finds it let us know here how we to can watch it! 🙂
Thankx!
♬ “No more candy, no more cake.. no more ice cream, no more belly aches!” ♪ ♫
December 12, 2010 at 9:01 AM |
Theres ‘s also an other movie called “La Championne” its really a good movie i fell in love with it 10 years ago and still love its as much or even more you should look it up!!
PS : Its in french or roumanian
March 15, 2011 at 11:45 AM |
[…] Gymnastics films […]
May 23, 2011 at 2:02 AM |
I love Reaching for the sky (Campioana, La Championne). It was my favorite movie when I was a child. Today, after a long research, I found it!!! I didn’t finish downloading it yet but it’s in english.
Here’s the link: http://rapidlibrary.com/download_file_i.php?file=29316422&desc=Reach+For+The+Sky++1990+.part1+.rar
ENJOY!
January 8, 2012 at 9:41 AM |
i couldnt get the movie to download from the above link but it is available on YouTube now, i watched it the other day – quality isn’t great though.
February 9, 2012 at 10:48 PM |
Short film called ‘chalk’, nominated for a BAFTA 2012
March 19, 2012 at 5:18 PM |
@Fiebie: where can I watch it? I couldn’t find it! Looks pretty interesting…
February 16, 2012 at 2:14 AM |
Was there nota movie in the mid-late 80’s about a family which were gymnists, and they all fell from the Top of the High wire, or the wire gymnists walk across. Some end up Dying and others end up with severe injuries while at a show. Someone in the family, performs outside in front of a large audiance and has a flashback of his or her family falling off the wire? Sound familiar?
March 18, 2012 at 3:53 PM |
[…] Gymnastic films […]
April 29, 2012 at 11:45 AM |
There’s a new film about gymnastics, called A Second Chance, I’m not sure if it’s already in cinemas, but you can check the trailer on youtube. 🙂
August 29, 2012 at 4:57 PM |
Another gymnastic movie is called an American girl McKenna shoots for the stars
June 29, 2013 at 1:48 PM |
July 15, 2013 at 4:51 PM |
Have any of you watched A Second Chance. Tell me if you have and where you watched it.