A dark horse, the elusive contender in the mix, gets no credit from the crowd until after the fact. All his hard work unseen and unheard, gets celebrated like it was always known in one brief moment of triumph. The spectators could never know the toil and discipline it took to accomplish a great feat. The underdog not only wins through white-knuckled determination, but earns his keep by defining his own sense of success.

The hero’s journey has many roads to walk down. The overwhelming lack of control from fears and doubts creep in and sink in to force their stay. The helping hand of a masterful mentor guides them towards solutions that combat or leave those debilitating thoughts behind with better and consistent actions. After a series of training montages of our unlikely hero, the final moment of what it all led up to, and what it all meant, can be faced and understood. Underdogs have friends, and are themselves, in low places, which is where they learn how to live higher than their circumstances

allow.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

8 Revenge of the Nerds (1984)

     20th Century Fox

Outcasts in awkward, yet smart ways, the group of near and far-sighted nerds from Adams College get the worst of it. Their campus house is burned by jocks, forcing them to live on the outskirts of the school. Bullied by their university’s fraternity and sorority, they band together to battle both unforgiving sexes. With wits and computer science prowess, these nerds redeem and avenge their self-worth to show that having brains is its own brawn.

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

MOVIEWEB VIDEO OF THE DAY

7 The Shawshank Redemption (1994)

     Columbia Pictures

Despite losing to Forrest Gump in the Best Picture category at the Academy Awards, the hope of a new day for a man getting out of jail Scott-free set the tone for prison films thereafter. When you are dealt a bad hand in life, you can let fear take control, or you can use hope to take back control. Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) with the help of his inmate confidant Red (Morgan Freeman) kept his integrity in a hopeless place lacking it. Freedom to start anew is the ultimate redemption and underdog story.

6 Rudy (1993)

     TriStar Pictures

From the director and screenwriter of Hoosiers (1986) came one of the best underdog sports films of all time. Daniel “Rudy” Ruettiger always dreamed and talked about playing football for the University of Notre Dame, the beloved team of his family growing up. Rather than work in a grueling steel mill for the rest of his life, he pursues his dream. He trains his mind, body, and spirit to be the best he can be. He did it for himself, and so can we.

5 The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)

     Sony Pictures Releasing

Will Smith portrays Chris Gardner in this biographical drama, a salesman of portable bone-density scanners. He tries convincing doctors how more convenient they are than X-rays, but the financial investment becomes a liability as he gets divorced and becomes homeless with his son. The will to live is felt through his shattered dignity and resilient words; an underdog fighting not for money, but for nothing more priceless than a life worth living.

4 Back to the Future (1985)

     Universal Pictures

Marty McFly (Michael J. Fox) needs to make a timely rendezvous with his past to save his future. Close calls with alternate timelines and historical bending of the fabric of time is as maddening as it is harrowing. He risks losing his parents, being lost in time, and his own existence, all because his friendly neighborhood scientist decided to build a time machine out of an anachronistic car. For all the ticktock urgency, he made it back right on time.

3 Star Wars (1977)

Luke Skywalker is a moisture farmer on a desert planet who drinks blue milk and lives with his uncle and aunt. He is the primer of underdog origins. By happenstance, he comes across the astromech and protocol droids, R2-D2 and C-3PO, followed by a hermit named Ben AKA Obi-Wan Kenobi, the last of the Jedi Knights. A galaxy of possibilities beseeches Skywalker to fight, of all people, his father, and destroy the Empire. Plus, he was never told that his father was Darth Vader (or that he kissed his sister), so the psychological toll is even greater for his comeback story.

2 The Karate Kid (1984)

Daniel LaRusso (Ralph Macchio) is a Jersey-born, California-raised high schooler living with his mother in an apartment, maintained by their handyman, Mr. Miyagi (Pat Morita). He is the target of ex-boyfriend Johnny Lawrence (William Zabka) after he befriends his former cheerleader-girlfriend, Ali Mills (Elisabeth Shue). Miyagi protects Daniel and eventually teaches him the ways of karate. The film introduced the martial art into the mainstream, and with a simple story of sticking up for yourself and defending what is rightfully yours, you will be prepared for any fight life throws at you.

1 Rocky (1976)

     United Artists

Rocky Balboa (Syvelter Stallone) is the epitome of the underdog. He is an amateur boxer who collects debts more than he lands punches, training to become a prized fighter. He gets a big break when he gets to fight world heavyweight champion, Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers). Through all the negative self-talk, the lowly circumstances, Rocky continued to fight to prove to himself he was not a bum, but a somebody.