Miracle

Kurt Russell should have an Oscar award nomination for his performance as Coach Herb Brooks, the coach for the American team who would compete against the undefeated Soviet Union whose players were all about winning full-time. Kurt Russell is perfect in this role. He has his mannerisms. The film has casted 20 players mostly college aged students to play the actual roles. Patricia Clarkson is perfect as Patty Brooks, the supportive and understanding wife. Al Michaels plays himself who was there when the team performed a miracle. It's a feel good film overall about overcoming the odds. It's a family too. It's also an educational film as well to teach a lesson about teamwork. There are no profanities or violence in it as well except the hockey scenes on the ice but that comes with the territory. It might be the best hockey film of all time. The job was well-done by being faithful and accurate to the story.

Kurt Russell gave an absolute towering performance as the U.S. hockey team coach in charge of getting his team to defeat an excellent Soviet team in the Olympics in this 2004 film. The picture reminded me greatly of the 1988 basketball film where Gene Hackman was also quite a stickler. Though the Russell character of Herb Brooks did ultimately have a heart, he drove his players. His making of players repeat certain items for hours on end was memorable. The picture has a back drop of events occurring in our nation from the turbulent times of the late '60s and '70s. The hockey contest between the U.S. and the USSR became one of a political nature due to the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. Patricia Clarkson plays Russell's wife. She is understanding and when push comes to shove, she stands by her man.

Not the kind of hockey movie I was expecting, especially a Disney one. "Miracle" is a laboring trek to the first game, full of self-doubt and brooding (personified by Kurt Russell, who owns this movie, hands down). The geopolitics hang heavy over all of this, but at least it doesn't devolve into jingoism. But once we get into the Olympic games, it's an energized movie indeed. the payoff isn't USA beating the Soviets (we know the history), it's in the team finally coming together. Really electrifies that final game. Even still, you'd have to be dead inside not to smile when Eruzione pulls the team ahead 4-3. And just try not to get misty during Russell's end narration. A sentimental hay-maker, that one. 8/10

I was wary at first of Disney production of this film. I didn't want the cheesy Mighty Ducks type of sports movie, especially when dealing with the awesome task completed by these players. I thought the film makers did a nice job and the movie itself was quite entertaining. I think it exposes a whole generation to the 1980 U.S. hockey team and what they accomplished. Even though I am not a fan of Kurt Russell, I thought he was very good as Herb Brooks. He had the mannerisms and the voice down very well. Russell is a huge hockey fan himself so I know it was honor for him to play Brooks. For die hard hockey fans, this movie will entertain and it does not poison the game action or what it is really like to play hockey.

It's hard to recreate the magic of a once-in-a-lifetime event, but Miracle comes pretty close. It succeeds in recapturing the spirit of the times, the personality of coach Herb Brooks, the tension of the game, and the exhilaration of Al Michaels' famous call as the clock went to 0:00. While there are plenty of minor things I could quibble about, Miracle's ability to recapture the spirit of the Soviet upset makes it a success. A movie about this subject could easily have been a stinker, but Miracle isn't that at all. It's a great sports movie that suffers only in comparison to the real story. I gave it 8/10.

I was too young to have known anything about this game when it was played in real life, but it was definitely more than a game. It concerned world politics and the cold war. The movie did a good job showing how seemingly impossible it seemed for the young American team to beat the best team in the world who had been playing together for 10 years. And Kurt Russell did a good job as the tough coach who was hard on the players to get the most out of them. I also liked the way the hockey games were filmed. I think hockey is the most boring sport and I don't know any of the rules, but the way it was filmed let the least knowlegdable person follow what was going on. FINAL VERDICT: If you like sports movies, then don't miss this one.