Memorable, crazy movie

How sad is this?

It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Like the great film, it's made with a great deal of visible affection both in front of and behind the camera.

There really haven't been a lot of hockey movies made over the years. I can think immediately of "Slap Shot" - which was a comedy and not a serious hockey movie. There was "The Mighty Ducks" - but that was more of a kids movie than anything. And I can remember that the story of the US gold medal win in the 1980 Winter Olympics (the same story told in this movie) was told in 1982's TV movie "Miracle On Ice." There may have been others, but I can't think of them. But however many there may have been I find it hard to believe that they would have been better than this version of the story.It's a hockey movie. From beginning to end it's a hockey movie. On and off the ice, in the dressing room and the board room and in Herb Brooks' home - it's a hockey movie. But it does a truly superb job of blending in what was going on in the world at the time - which is really what made the whole story so dramatic in the first place. The 1970's had been a bad decade for the United States. Watergate and Vietnam and the Arab oil embargo and a sputtering economy. As the decade closed the US Embassy in Iran was seized and American diplomats there were taken hostage and the Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan. The Soviet Union seemed to be in the ascendance, and the United States seemed to be in a downward spiral. Who would have thought that hockey - which was really not much more than a niche sport in the US at the time - would be the start of an American resurgence?This movie focuses on Herb Brooks - who was the coach of that US Olympic team. Kurt Russell played the part, and played it well. Brooks had a passion for hockey and for the job of coaching this team. It was a passion that became an obsession, fuelled by the fact that in 1960 (when the US had also won a surprise Olympic hockey gold medal) he had been the last player cut from that team before the Games began. Brooks took on the job and demanded complete control over the program. He drove the players - hard; almost to the breaking point at times. He was their coach and not their friend; he wasn't looking to win popularity contests. It was a fascinating portrayal of the man, who tragically died not long before this film was released. Brooks was the focal point of what was happening. The players, on the other hand, were a team. In the movie, that means that Russell dominates. The actors who played the players kind of fade into the background. Patricia Clarkson does a decent job as Brooks' wife Patti - who sometimes resents her husband's obsession with the job and team and game - and Noah Emmerich is decent enough as assistant coach Craig Patrick - who's often uncomfortable with Brooks' coaching methods - but this is Kurt Russell's movie, and the 1980 US Olympic hockey team was Herb Brooks' team, and Russell pulls it off well.The on-ice action is brilliantly staged and seems absolutely authentic. Even though we know the outcome, the movie did a great job of building up the suspense of that US-Soviet game, as a bunch of American college players take on the mighty and experienced Soviet hockey machine, which was professional in all but name, which had taken 2 of 3 games against a team of NHL All-Stars (blasting the NHL'ers 6-0 in the final game) in a tournament held a few months before the Olympics, and which should have crushed the US team. Like most anything that chronicles the tournament, the movie tends to skip quickly over the fact that the US still had to beat Finland after beating the Soviet Union to win the gold medal. With everything happening in the world at the time, of course, what really mattered was that the United States beat the Soviet Union. There will never be another hockey game like that 1980 game. It's probably matched in drama only by Game 8 of the "Canada-Russia" series of 1972. Hockey is such an international sport now, the best players are all familiar to us because most of them (wherever they're from) play in the NHL, and the top countries are all capable of beating each other on any given night, so this type of upset and drama could probably never be reproduced. I'm not an American, so the patriotic aspect of this film eluded me, but I am (like all good Canadians) a hockey fan - and I have to say that Disney put out one fine hockey movie with "Miracle." (9/10)

I really, really like this movie. Except for the parts that, upon re-watching years later, are annoying or just inaccurate. First, the positive. The inspiration / miracle factor, comes through in spades. Kurt Russell is great as the mean yet human after all coach Herb Brooks. This movie depicts the formation of teamwork, real camaraderie, and overcoming early reactions to the Soviet team with visceral emotion and life. The opening narrative was one of the most powerful setting-establishers I have seen. The movie is nearly as inspiring as watching the game itself (which is perhaps the best sports match ever, Rocky eat your heart out). I really wanted to rate this a 10.I wish this movie would have stayed more consistent with how the story played out in real life. The story was incredible enough that events didn't need to be over dramatized, exaggerated or downright falsified. I can't go into details without revealing spoilers, but they are easy to find with minimal googling. I also wish this movie had more profanity. With the intensity of emotions that existed...I understand it is Disney, but Coach Herb is said to have used very strong language at times, and watering his tongue down did not help the storyline. Lastly, there was way too much stick-to-wall-thumping at the end, and not enough showing the hockey game. The first viewing I didn't notice, or mind, but upon re-watching, I asked myself, "Were so many cut-scenes of the same kind of bench reaction really necessary?"This movie had a je ne sais quoi about it that really sets it apart from most of Hollywood. Miracle on Ice is probably one of America's proudest and most triumphant moments in her history. This movie really captures that feeling. I just think that with some better editing, less exaggeration of certain aspects (Jim Craig was great but not THAT amazing), and not watering down strong tongues who lashed out, this could have been a truly perfect 10 film.

After a tumultuous decade, there is a "crisis of confidence" in America. University of Minnesota head coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) is hired to coach the US hockey team for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid. They are heavy underdogs. The Soviets even beat the NHL All Stars. The US team consists of amateurs who haven't got a job in the pros. Brooks intends to pick team players rather than individual stars. His assistant coach Craig Patrick (Noah Emmerich) is unconvinced. His marriage to Patti (Patricia Clarkson) suffers. He pushes his boys to the limit in training. With gas shortages and the new Iranian hostage crisis, there are few bright spots for America but this US team of underdogs will perform a miracle.This is a movie of great moments. There is nothing quite as compelling as the forced skate after tying the Norwegians. Kurt Russell is solid anchoring this movie. Maybe there's a limitation with the truth but this movie needs greater conflict. Somebody needs to be the villain who keeps threatening to take the team away from Herb. Also the players don't get enough attention. One player could be highlighted to fill out more drama. The players end up being all jumbo together. It would be nice to highlight one specific relationship of a player with Herb.

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.