Miracle Release Date: February 6, 2004 Starring: Kurt Russell, Eddie Cahill, Patricia Clarkson Directed by: Gavin O'Connor
PREMIERE.COM'S REVIEW (posted 2/6/04)
The U.S. hockey team’s improbable victory over the Soviets in the 1980 Winter Olympics is a classic underdog story--it’s David vs. Goliath on ice. Sports Illustrated even voted it the greatest sports moment of the 20th century. Factor in how the victory raised the spirits of a troubled nation stuggling through the Iran hostage crisis, the cold war, and a gas shortage, and the win takes on mythic proportions. So be glad—very, very glad—this is a Bruckheimer-free production.
Not that director Gavin O’Connor (Tumbleweeds) and first-time screenwriter Eric Guggenheim don’t struggle a bit. But it hardly seems fair to complain about the film’s by-the-book elements, considering this is the triumphant sports story that wrote the book on triumphant sports stories. As Herb Brooks, Kurt Russell is the model of a devoted coach, dignified even in a helmetlike ’70s wig and plaid pants of hues and patterns that would embarrass Mr. Furley. His devotion manifests itself in toughness to his players—he’s their coach, not their friend. In one viscerally exhausting scene, he drills the players until they collapse—to the stunned disapproval of his assistant coach (a very funny Noah Emmerich)—and then he makes them work some more. But there’s a method to his madness: In their resentment of him, his players unite. They become a team.
Russell is commanding in this role—note his understated display of joy in a quiet corridor of the rink following the big game. The onscreen team, made up of professional actors who know a little hockey and hockey players who know a little acting, is surprisingly convincing. And the hockey? Oh, the hockey! The puck-flying, stick-slapping, bodies-slamming-against-the-wall action couldn’t be more intense. Miracle is definitely exciting, and it’s family-friendly to boot. Take the kids. They may not buy the "any dream is possible" stuff, but if nothing else, the story might pique their interest in American history. What was it that happened in Iran, again, Dad?
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