Movies Like Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story (1997)

Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story is a 1997 drama film from Steven Hilliard Stern with a MovieMagicScore of 5.4/10. Here are 20 similar films, ranked by real viewer ratings — starting with Personal Best and Swimming Upstream.

Drama

Personal Best

1982

Young sprinter Chris Cahill is having difficulty reaching her potential as an athlete, until she meets established track star Tory Skinner. As Tory and her coach help Chris with her training, the two women form friendship that evolves into a romantic relationship. Their intimacy, however, becomes complicated when Chris' improvement causes them to be competitors for the Olympic team.

5.8

MagicScore

Swimming Upstream

2003

A young man aspiring for recognition of his talents battles against his estranged father's sentiment towards him as the father deals with his own demons.

6.7

MagicScore

Unbroken

2014

A chronicle of the life of Louis Zamperini, an Olympic runner who was taken prisoner by Japanese forces during World War II.

7.4

MagicScore

Race

2016

Based on the story of Jesse Owens, the athlete whose quest to become the greatest track and field athlete in history thrusts him onto the world stage of the 1936 Olympics, where he faces off against Adolf Hitler's vision of Aryan supremacy.

7.3

MagicScore

Uncle Frank

2020

In 1973, when Frank Bledsoe and his 18-year-old niece Beth take a road trip from Manhattan to Creekville, South Carolina for the family patriarch's funeral, they're unexpectedly joined by Frank's lover Walid.

7.3

MagicScore

Summer Storm

2004

Tobi and Achim, the pride of the local crew club, have been the best of friends for years and are convinced that nothing will ever stand in the way of their friendship. They look forward to the upcoming summer camp and the crew competition. Then the gay team from Berlin arrives and Tobi is totally confused. The evening before the races begin, the storm that breaks out is more than meteorological.

6.8

MagicScore

Wilde

1997

Oscar Wilde is a married playwright who has occasionally indulged his weakness for male suitors. After much toil, Wilde debuts 'The Importance of Being Earnest' in London, and a chat at the theatre with Lord Alfred 'Bosie' Douglas leads to a full-fledged romance. However, this affair leads to a legal dispute with Lord Alfred's oppressive father, the Marquess of Queensberry, and, given the local anti-gay laws, Wilde is jailed. Wilde's vast intellect helps him survive until he regains his freedom.

6.6

MagicScore

Guys & Balls

2004

Ecki is a sweet, closeted gay man who works in his family’s bakery and plays goalie in his small town’s soccer team. When he both loses the big game, and is caught flirting with another player, his homophobic teammates throw him out. He vows to return one day with an all-gay team that will grind the heteros into the dust, so he sets off to find his “dream team.” With the help of his nurse sister, Ecki scours local gay bars and eventually assembles a hilariously motley but endearing crew of misfits that includes a leather-daddy threesome, a femme Turk with Beckham fantasies, a secret straight guy in love with the sister, and a seriously cute nurse eager for some private play-time with the goalie. Ecki now has two problems – turning this bunch into a team, and facing his own fears regarding his first romance.

6.1

MagicScore

Big George Foreman

2023

Fueled by an impoverished childhood, George Foreman channeled his anger into becoming an Olympic Gold medalist and World Heavyweight Champion, followed by a near-death experience that took him from the boxing ring to the pulpit. But when he sees his community struggling spiritually and financially, Foreman returns to the ring and makes history by reclaiming his title, becoming the oldest and most improbable World Heavyweight Boxing Champion ever.

7.5

MagicScore

#10

The Iron Claw

2023

The true story of the inseparable Von Erich brothers, who made history in the intensely competitive world of professional wrestling in the early 1980s. Through tragedy and triumph, under the shadow of their domineering father and coach, the brothers seek larger-than-life immortality on the biggest stage in sports.

7.5

MagicScore

#11

Radio

2003

In the racially divided town of Anderson, South Carolina in 1976, football coach Harold Jones spots a mentally disabled African-American young man nicknamed Radio near his practice field and is inspired to befriend him. Soon, Radio is Jones' loyal assistant, and he becomes a student at T.L. Hanna High School. But things start to sour when Coach Jones begins taking guff from parents and fans who feel that his devotion to Radio is getting in the way of the team's quest for a championship.

7.3

MagicScore

#12

The Damned United

2009

Taking over Leeds United, Brian Clough's abrasive approach and his clear dislike of the players' dirty style of play make it certain there is going to be friction. Glimpses of his earlier career help explain both his hostility to previous manager Don Revie and how much he is missing right-hand man Peter Taylor.

7.2

MagicScore

#13

Battle of the Sexes

2017

The true story of the 1973 tennis match between world number one Billie Jean King and ex-champ and serial hustler Bobby Riggs.

6.8

MagicScore

#14

The Phantom of the Open

2022

Maurice Flitcroft, a dreamer and unrelenting optimist, managed to gain entry to The British Open Golf Championship qualifying in 1976 and subsequently shot the worst round in Open history, becoming a folk hero in the process.

6.7

MagicScore

#15

In from the Side

2022

Mark, a new and inexperienced rugby club member, finds himself drawn to Warren, a seasoned first team player. When a series of happenstances at an away fixture lead to a drunken encounter, Mark and Warren unwittingly embark on a romantic affair they struggle to hide from their partners and teammates.

6.6

MagicScore

#16

Morgan

2012

Morgan is the inspiring story of Morgan Oliver, a gay young athlete determined that a bicycle accident that left him paralyzed will not change him. He takes a chance on love when he meets Dean Kagen on a basketball court. Dean helps Morgan train for the same race in which he had his accident. But when he sees that Morgan will risk everything to win, Dean walks out. Left alone to face the race and demons that caused his accident, Morgan teeters between what he needs and what he wants. Can he find the strength to pull himself back up again?

5.7

MagicScore

#17

Punch

2022

Jim is preparing for his first professional fight but begins to rethink his life's trajectory and his sexuality after tangling with Whetu, a gay Maori boy who spends his days in an old shack down by the beach.

5.7

MagicScore

#18

The Swimmer

2021

Erez, a rising star in the Israeli swimming scene, arrives at a godforsaken training camp held in a boarding school. The winner of the competition held there wins one ticket to the Olympics. There he meets Nevo, beautiful, gifted, who awakens subconscious desires in him. However, their swimming coach does not believe in friendships between competitors. Warned to stay away from Nevo, Erez is still too attracted to him. In between practices, he attempts to act upon his feelings…

5.4

MagicScore

#19

Bohemian Rhapsody

2018

Singer Freddie Mercury, guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor and bass guitarist John Deacon take the music world by storm when they form the rock 'n' roll band Queen in 1970. Hit songs become instant classics. When Mercury's increasingly wild lifestyle starts to spiral out of control, Queen soon faces its greatest challenge yet – finding a way to keep the band together amid the success and excess.

8.0

MagicScore

#20

Rocketman

2019

The story of Elton John's life, from his years as a prodigy at the Royal Academy of Music through his influential and enduring musical partnership with Bernie Taupin.

7.3

MagicScore

Frequently asked

What are the best movies like Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story?

The top films similar to Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story by MovieMagicScore are Personal Best (5.8), Swimming Upstream (6.7), Unbroken (7.4). Each shares drama themes and is ranked by real viewer ratings, not critics or studios.

Is Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story worth watching?

Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story holds a MovieMagicScore of 5.4/10 from 22 viewer ratings.

What kind of movie is Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story?

Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story (1997) is a drama film directed by Steven Hilliard Stern, starring Mario López, Michael Murphy, Jeffrey Meek.

Where can I find more recommendations like Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story?

Browse the full ranked list above, or explore more drama recommendations on MovieMagicScore, where every list is ordered by genuine viewer ratings.

Keep exploring

Movies like Personal Best Movies like Swimming Upstream Movies like Unbroken Movies like Race Movies like Uncle Frank Movies like Summer Storm

About movies like Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story

This ranked list pairs Breaking the Surface: The Greg Louganis Story (1997), a drama film from Steven Hilliard Stern, with similar titles by genre, theme and cast overlap (fans of Mario López take note). Unlike critic-driven sites, every position here is ordered by MovieMagicScore — a rating built only from real viewers, with no studio marketing or paid placement. Scores update as more people rate, so the list stays current.

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