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| MIRACLE | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Director: Gavin O'Connor Stars: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Eddie Cahill, Patrick O'brien Demsey Rated: PG Score 6.5 |
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| In 1980 "The Empire Strikes Back" was in theaters, John Lennon was shot, gas was $1.25 a gallon, the cold war was on and the American hockey team took the gold medal at the winter Olympics against seemingly impossible odds. Broadcaster Al Michaels asked the millions viewing at home: "Do you believe in miracles? Yes!" | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Kurt Russell plays coach Herb Brooks, a hard edge man who takes his game seriously. He wants to win and is not taking anybody's suggestions no matter how high up they are. He is choosng the team, he is calling the shots. The players go in with dreams of being a champion, but nobody takes it more seriously than Herb. He see's this as a chance to win a medal, to lay to bed a regret he had in his own past. The players find him very hard but quickly Herb gains their respect - he knows more than the way they play now will stay with them for the rest of their life. There may never be a second shot, and whether or not you win or lose, you gave it 110% even when you wanted to give up. He trained them well and turned these boys into men. At least that is how the movie glamorizes this famous sports moment in history. Kurt Russell gives a really outstanding performance. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| It was a very dramatic moment - the U.S. has not won since 1960. The soviets ruled the sport and for those of us who remember, this was during the cold war when it always seemed to be a battle of the powers. These were hometown kids, they were the American dream realized and when they won we felt like we had won more than just a medal. Unfortuantely the real Herb Brooks died in a car accident shortly after the film was finished. The downside to the movie was also what made it work - it was all about Herb. Because of that the sub-characters suffered, it was hard to keep up with all of them. You feel for these kids who are being just ridden into the ground by this coach who doesn't seem to care at all about how they feel..at times it feels like he hates these kids. But Herb knows what it's like to live with a lifetime of dissapointment. These kids..fortunately...never did. It's a feel good movie, even for those not into hockey (be wary, it has alot of hockey playing scenes). Overall I liked it, but it doesn't have a lasting memory, which is why i scored it a little low. The real thing was better, but an inside peek of history gave insight that these kids didn't win against the best Soviet players because of luck. |
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