"THE MIRACLE MATCH"
DVD Review
by Rachel Buccicone
| MOVIE: **** (out of 5 stars)
DVD EXPERIENCE: *** (out of 5 stars) STARRING Gerard Butler as FRANK BORGHI Wes Bentley as WALTER BAHR Jay Rodan as “PEE WEE” WALLACE Zachery Ty Bryan as HARRY KEOUGH Patrick Stewart as older DENT McSKIMMING Gavin Rossdale as STANLEY MORTENSEN Rated PG Studio: Buena Vista Directed by: David Anspaugh Back to DVD Review Home |  |
Disney loves to make movies based on actual events; especially when those stories involve sports. The Disney studios have given us “Remember the Titans,” “Miracle,” and now “The Miracle Match.” Like its football and hockey counterparts, “The Miracle Match” delivers an inspiration-packed tale of triumphant underdogs.
The film is an account of the 1950 American World Cup team. Directed by David Anspaugh (“Rudy”), the formation of the soccer team is told in flash-back form by Dent McSkimming (Patrick Stewart), the reporter who witnessed it all.
The tryouts for the World Cup team are held in St. Louis; so first, we are introduced to the rough Italian players from this city. These men must make the decision, and surmount any obstacles, to travel to New York. Once in New York, they encounter the east coast half of their team. These two different groups have the challenge of learning to work together. Unfortunately, this cooperation does not transpire before a practice game against England’s team. Wearing makeshift uniforms, the American team suffers a loss in the practice against England. This discourages the players, and with no one believing in them, the team dreads their trip to Brazil.
It is in Belo Horitzonte, Brazil that the World Cup games are held in 1950. One June 19, America has its first match is against the same English team that crushed the team before. All hold out little hope until they finally undergo a formal presentation of thier official team uniforms. It seems these uniforms were the only items necessary to inspire the historic upset that followed.
Anspaugh rounded up a nice cast for this film. Gerard Butler (“The Phantom of the Opera”), Wes Bently (“The Four Feathers”), Jay Rodan (“Footballers’ Wives” [TV]), and Zachery Ty Bryan (“Home Improvement” [TV]) combine to create a nice rag-tag group of Italian soccer jocks. Patrick Stewart (“X-Men” trilogy) makes a nice narrator, and Gavin Rossdale (“Constantine”) as the lead English player is thrown in for good merit. The cast isn’t terribly star-worthy, but all work well together.
Anspaugh has utilized great set scenery of 1950s St. Louis, as well as the rustic streets of Brazil. The costuming is period accurate and adds to the feel of this bygone era.
The DVD disappoints when it comes to extras. The only bonus feature offered is a paragraph about the National Soccer Hall of Fame. Not a featurette about the Hall of Fame, just a few sentences summing up its function. So while the movie is pretty good, the DVD lacks any further motivation to purchase it. To this end, unless you pride yourself on a collection of soccer DVDs, you may want to simply rent this one.
Specifications: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound. Widescreen (2.40:1). English language track. French and Spanish Subtitles.
