DVD Review
by Kevin Carr
| MOVIE: ***** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: ***** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Kurt Russell as HERB BROOKS Patricia Clarkson as PATTY BROOKS Noah Emmerich as CRAIG PATRICK Sean McCann as WALTER BUSH Kenneth Welsh as DOC NAGOBADS Eddie Cahill as JIM CRAIG Patrick O’Brien Demsey as MIKE ERUZIONE Rated PG Studio: Walt Disney Directed by: Gavin O’Connor Back to DVD Review Home |
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I’m not a big sports fan. Never have been. Probably never will be. I couldn’t name five professional basketball players if I had a gun to my head. My wife loves this, of course, unless I use it against her in order to make her change the channel from that wretched home improvement show “Trading Spaces.”
So, to see that “Miracle” billed as “the true story behind the greatest moment in sports history” doesn’t really impress me much. I’m more interested in knowing if it’s a good film.
And, boy, is it ever. In this year’s wake of Walt Disney films based (or inspired by) true stories - from the wildly inaccurate “Hidalgo” to the uplifting “Calendar Girls” - it’s nice to finally see one that strives to keep true to the original story.
Some sports films are only appealing to fans of the game. For example, films like “The Legend of Bagger Vance” and the Kevin Costner film “Tin Cup” are only interesting if you’re a golfer. It takes a special movie like “Major League” or “The Replacements” to appeal to a broader audience.
But “Miracle” isn’t just about hockey. It’s about something bigger. “Miracle” is about American victory - through the values that made us great, like perseverance, determination and teamwork.
Younger moviegoers don’t remember what it was like during the Cold War. They don’t remember what it was like when there was the constant threats from the East and the West to boycott the Olympic games. They don’t remember what it was like to see movies in the theater like “Rocky IV,” “War Games” and just about any James Bond adventure - and really have them mean something. They don’t remember what it was like to go to sleep seriously wondering if the world would still be there again tomorrow.
“Miracle” does its best to remind us of what it was like to live during those times. It opens with a visual montage of the 1970s, detailing everything from the significant (like resignation of Richard Nixon and Vietnam) to the insignificant (like Billy Beer and Pong).
There’s a message in “Miracle” that got us through the Cold War. That message is that a winning team is not made of stars. A winning team is about the team. There’s no room for people like Maurice Clarett, who try to cheat the system for personal glory. What made the 1980 Olympic Hockey Team winners was that they worked as a unit - something too many athletes today ignore, and too many sports fans give them a pass on.
There are two elements of movie making that lift “Miracle” beyond your average film. The first is Kurt Russell’s Oscar-worthy performance as coach Herb Brooks. Instead of portraying a caricature of Minnesota cliches, as if he just stepped off the set of “Fargo,” Russell checks his actor ego at the door and becomes Herb Brooks.
The other element to the film that makes it stand out is the spectacular hockey footage. This is achieved by a variety of techniques, in which director Gavin O’Connor and his cinematographer really thought outside of the box. They get the camera closer to the players, closer to the puck and closer to the action than I’ve ever seen. Even though we all know how the movie will end, this in-your-face shooting keeps the excitement and action high.
The extras on this double-disc DVD are excellent. The only thing missing would be at least clips and highlights from the original hockey game - if not the entire event. Still, there’s plenty on the DVDs that make this a great selection.
First, you’ll find everything you’d expect from a basic DVD. There’s a commentary by director Gavin O’Connor, editor John Gilroy and director of photography Daniel Stoloff. There’s also a “Making of Miracle” featurette as well as some pretty funny outtakes.
Included on the second disc are several additional documentaries, including a “From Hockey to Hollywood: The Actors’ Journey,” which follows the casting process to choose hockey players who could act. Another excellent and informative featurette is “The Sound of Miracle,” which makes the otherwise mundane process of sound mixing seem exciting by showing how the recordists manufactured all of the sounds of the hockey game.
Sports fans should enjoy the 41 minute “Miracle ESPN Roundtable with Linda Cohn,” which features an off-the-cuff talk with Kurt Russell and original team members Mike Eruzione, Buzz Schneider and Jim Craig.
One of the most touching aspects of the DVD is an extremely rough video clips of Herb Brooks as he discusses his history with the filmmakers. Brooks died in a car accident as principal photography wrapped up, never having a chance to see the film. This serves as a nice tribute to a man who accomplished the impossible almost a quarter of a century ago.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. THX certified, including THX optimizer. Widescreen (2.35:1), enhanced for 16x9 televisions. French language track; English language subtitles for the hearing impaired.
