Miracle on Film.

So I’ve seen a few films lately, but I haven’t written much about them. I don’t know why; maybe because they didn’t move me all that much. That is, until last night’s movie.

Last week I saw “The Cooler”, which is actually a very entertaining film, a love story really, that demonstrates how love can conquer all problems. It stars William Macy as a guy who’s such a loser that he’s actually employed by a Las Vegas casino to “cool off” gamblers when they get on hot streaks. This guy’s luck is so bad that it literally rubs off! All he has to do is stand next to you, and no matter what game you’re playing…blackjack, craps, slots…you’ll lose. But when he falls in love, all bets are off….sorry, I couldn’t help myself!

One of the best parts of this film is Alex Baldwin’s portrayal of an old-school casino boss. He was fantastic!

So “The Cooler” was good, but it wasn’t “last night’s movie.”

Then I saw “The Dreamers”, Bernardo Bertolucci’s latest cinematic effort. This is an NC17 rated look at three young adults in Paris in the late ‘60’s, as they….well, as they romp around naked for the most part. An interesting movie for sure, and great gutsy performances by the young unknowns as they bared all…but what was it about? I still don’t know. There were aspects of incest, but to what end I have no idea. If anyone has any idea what Bertolucci was trying to say, please let me know.

So “The Dreamers” was fun to watch, but confusing. And it also wasn’t “last night’s movie.”

I attended “last night’s movie” with a group of friends and business associates who usually don’t have the time to do such frivolous things as go to movies. But when they DO got to see a film, it’s usually an inspirational, positive-message-type of movie. So when they suggested we get together and catch of viewing of “Miracle”, I jumped at the chance, even though I had no interest in seeing the movie until they mentioned it. I guess it really does matter who you see films with.

“Miracle”, of course, is the dramatized re-telling of the story of the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team, and their “miraculous” gold medal run in the Winter Olympics at Lake Placid, New York. For those that don’t recall, back in those days the Olympic teams were still made up of amateur athletes…these were college players, not professionals…and the best team in the world was from the Soviet Union, a group of older men who had dominated the sport like no other team for at least 15 years up to that point.

In other words, there was no way in Hell that the U.S. team was supposed to beat them. Of course, what would an inspirational movie be if the underdog didn’t overcome the impossible odds and triumph? One of my movie-going friends joked afterwards “I knew what was going to happen, but I didn’t want to spoil the surprise for you!” Heck, EVERYBODY knows what the outcome will be (or was), but what we DIDN’T know was the story behind the story. And it’s one heck of a story.

Kurt Russell really impressed me as the gruff coach of the team. He’s the only name star in the film, and he’s all that’s needed. I have no idea where they got a bunch of skating actors to play the team, but they must have been real hockey players, and they did just fine with the acting.

Unless you are hopelessly cynical, this is a movie that will make you smile and clap and cheer and even cry. It is a FANTASTIC piece of inspirational material, proving that even the best can be beaten by the ones with the most heart. It showcases the values of determination, persistence, hard work and belief in oneself. The buildup to the showdown was edited perfectly, and even though we all know how it ends, the movie STILL has you sitting on the edge of your seat during the showdown.

“Miracle” is a great movie. Treat yourself to it, and take some youngsters with you. Today’s kids need to see this stuff.

More later…
Paul