Erica Derrick By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

Matho The biggest problem with this movie is it’s a little better than you think it might be, which somehow makes it worse. As in, it takes itself a bit too seriously, which makes most of the movie feel kind of dull.

Philippa All of these films share one commonality, that being a kind of emotional center that humanizes a cast of monsters.

Rexanne It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

longcooljolie As of this writing it is ten years past the release of the movie and a full 34 tears past the actual events. This is the story of one of the greatest sports upsets of all time and one hockey match which loomed larger than just another game.Everyone knows the story of the 1980 Men's Hockey team which stunned the world with an unthinkable Gold medal and a rousing (though stressful) medal round win against a vastly superior USSR team. Sports commentators of the time likened it to seeing a bunch of guys from Canada get together, form a football team and then beat the Pittsburgh Steelers.The producers of the movie deftly set up the context of the political unease between the Soviets and Americans and how America was desperate for some good news back in those days. There was an ongoing hostage crisis in Iran, an energy crisis and a collective crisis of identity for the entire nation.Another way "Miracle" excels is that it shows the human side of the whole preparation for the games and the drama that occurred. There are as many scenes with Herb Brooks and his wife as there are the coach and his players.Finally the hockey game between the Soviets and the Americans is beautifully staged and choreographed and makes the viewer forget he/she is watching a recreation of the event. Everyone in the whole world knows the outcome of the game yet it is still thrilling.Kurt Russell became Herb Brooks just as the group of actor/hockey players became the 1980 American Hockey team. In all, this is one of the greatest sports movies ever made.

Tyler Smith One of the things that make Miracle such a thrilling sports film is the realistic action scenes depicting the ice hockey competitions of the United States Olympic team. Past sports films relied on the use of stunt doubles or professional athletes to perform athletic scenes in place of the main cast. However in filming Miracle, there was clearly no need for stunt doubles as the actors themselves were able to perform the on-ice actions required. This is due to the fact that the actors cast to play the roles of the hockey players in the film were selected primarily based on their ice skating ability rather than particular acting ability. I believe that this casting decision was a tremendous benefit to the quality of the film.As a very fast paced and high intensity game, a hockey film demands an enormous effort to efficiently capture the nuances of the gameplay during filming. While other sports such as football and baseball can be plausibly acted out by professionals in place of the actors because of the stop and start nature of gameplay, hockey must be filmed in a continuous way. Therefore, it is very difficult for actors and stunt doubles to be switched in and out during action scenes while still having the game appear realistic. To solve this problem, the director was faced with two options. He could either cast professional actors and teach them how to play hockey, or he could cast hockey players and teach them how to act. The director, Gavin O'Connor, chose to cast former college and minor league ice hockey players to play the roles of the American and the foreign hockey players in the film.In this case, I believe that casting former hockey players was the right decision and caused the films realism to be enhanced far and above what it would have been if regular actors were forced to learn a game that takes years to master. The cast as a whole had minimal acting experience, but still performed admirably well. The acting was not perfect, but the benefits of the realistic hockey scenes more than make up for any deficit in the theatrical ability of the cast. I can only imagine how deplorable the hockey action scenes would have been if actors who could barely skate were portraying the elite hockey players.In addition to the on-ice ability of the cast, the hockey players cast in the film are nearly perfect in their portrayal of the hockey sub-culture that exists at all levels of competition. With their long hair, foul language, and stoic determination, each and every member of Team USA is a token collegiate hockey player. Obviously, this stems from the fact that they most of the actors were at some point collegiate hockey players.In particular, Mike Mantenuto, who portrays defenseman Jack O'Callahan puts on an incredible performance. His shoulder length hair is a perfect imitation of what a hockey player hopes to achieve. Also, he puts on a very believable show of the grudge his character holds against another player, and the violent way in which the rivalry culminates. Finally, Mantenutos performance during the scene in which he is injured is a perfect enactment of how a hockey player would react to a potentially career ending injury. His face appeared to be emotionless, but his eyes revealed a deep heartbreak that only comes when a player is faced with the end of his career.In conclusion, the right decision was made when it came to casting the members of the United States Olympic hockey team. The hockey players-turned-actors were phenomenal in their portrayal of their real life counterparts. All culminating in what is clearly one of the greatest sports films of all time.

Theflyace The greatest moment in recent Olympics history was the so-called "Miracle on Ice," when the amateur Hockey team from the U.S. defeated the long time Soviet champions at Lake Placid. The journey was a long and arduous one, with the players being driven to top condition both mentally and physically by coach Herb Brooks. In 2004, Walt Disney Pictures produced a recreation of the events leading up to and including the legendary event, with disgustingly underrated actor Kurt Russell as Coach Brooks. The result is not only a really inspirational but down-to-earth adaptation, but Russell in his career-defining role.The year is 1980. America is at a low point in terms of spirit and morale. Iran has taken hostages, Gas is running low, and the Soviets seem to be dominating the Middle-East with no one to stop them. To the U.S. Olympic committee, they have no chance to beat the longstanding champions of the USSR, so they decide to give college students the chance to play under Coach Herb Brooks. Brooks is a hard man determined to knock the Soviets off their pedestal, but not for reasons you would think. There is some bad luck to begin with but the team eventually makes it to Lake Placid and begin their legendary game against the Soviets.What makes Miracle so impressive is the fact that it focuses more on Herb Brooks than it does the team members. Brooks has unfinished business with the Soviets, as he was cut from the 1960 team the week before the games, the only team to beat the Soviets up to that point. He is a rather blunt and mean man who pushes the team to their limits. he makes absolutely no bond with anybody, as he sees this as the way to intimidate his team into performing at their highest levels. But with all this, there is a likability to Brooks that make him all the more three-dimensional, not just a cartoon over-the-top coach.The key to what I just said and the pure ingredient to what makes the film work is Kurt Russell. Here, he paints the portrait of a hurt and driven man who not only wishes to fulfill some need for vindication, but to give people the joy that was taken from him at the eleventh hour. He also looks the part, with the hair, jowl, and even those silly outfits that were considered to be cool back in the day. This is a great performance, one that I really believe was robbed of an Oscar. Not just a nomination, but a full Oscar win. Russell is Herb Brooks, hands down.The recreation of the events are also really good. The Soviets aren't portrayed as the bad guys, but the team that they just have to beat for Brooks. They aren't stereotypical Russian bad guys, but people we don't know apart from what we saw on the television screen in 1980. Its strange how one can often forget that this movie was produced by Disney. One would think the movie is schmaltzy and sugar-coated, but this is one of those exceptions. I think the only thing Disney couldn't allow was strong language that may be prevalent in hockey, but we can forgive them for that one.There has been an argument that there are too many sports movie clichés to be found in this movie. Well, I don't see any of them, except for one. Patricia Clarkson plays the stereotypical housewife who does nothing but complain. I don't watch the scenes with her or I try to mute whatever she says when she talks with Kurt Russell. Other than that, there is nothing to gripe about. I think the reason that critics see them as clichés is because the elements that seem familiar, are actually based on real events and dialog. I never saw this as anything more than history being put onto film with a Hollywood crew and actors. It seems to be and actually is very faithful.This is a good film. There are some slow spots, and maybe some flaws, but none that were easy to notice or try to notice. Kurt Russell is exceptional, and makes this a must see sports film.

Syl Kurt Russell should have an Oscar award nomination for his performance as Coach Herb Brooks, the coach for the American team who would compete against the undefeated Soviet Union whose players were all about winning full-time. Kurt Russell is perfect in this role. He has his mannerisms. The film has casted 20 players mostly college aged students to play the actual roles. Patricia Clarkson is perfect as Patty Brooks, the supportive and understanding wife. Al Michaels plays himself who was there when the team performed a miracle. It's a feel good film overall about overcoming the odds. It's a family too. It's also an educational film as well to teach a lesson about teamwork. There are no profanities or violence in it as well except the hockey scenes on the ice but that comes with the territory. It might be the best hockey film of all time. The job was well-done by being faithful and accurate to the story.