gangstahippie
Hockey is my favourite sport to watch, pretty much the only sport i really watch and am into. I love reading and watching movies about it.Slap Shot is the classic hockey comedy. Directed by George Roy Hill and starring Paul Newman, the film follows a minor league hockey team known as the Charlestown Chiefs who after hearing they will be folded by the end of the season decide to play more violently/dirty in order to attract more popularity.The film has some very funny moments, great performances and is a must-watch if you're a fan of ice hockey or even a fan of sports films in general.This film, Goon and Puck Hogs are the only R-rated comedies about ice hockey I can think of.The sequel to this film is nowhere near as good and I haven't even bothered watching the third film as its Rated PG and seems to be more like mighty ducks, even though I do love the Hanson Brothers.9/10
videorama-759-859391
Watching this again, made me realize, just what a great if uniquely natural actor we lost. I'll be honest, I don't really like films, centered around sport, especially basketball or golf, although I did like Blue Chips and Caddy shack. What makes Slap Shot a winner, owes much to it's script, that really screams profanity, and doesn't mind getting bloody, hence the R rating, with comedic themes, and great characters. The Chiefs, a dying ice hockey team, led by Reggie Dunlop, (Newman O,naturel and great) earns their wins with dirty plays, instigated by insults, towards the opposing team. Slap Shot also has another plus: The Hanson Brothers, savages, who join Reggie's team. They also brought their little toy cars, and train set, which I guess, really makes them unique. The only guy, not for the dirty play is Newman's second man, Braden (Ontkeon, who's cheating on his average looker of a wife (Crouse, who's so entertaining, thanks to her anger) We have an older randy player, who likes to ramble on with old tales, as well as some ethnic players, one not really getting the character exposure he should of, while the other one, opens the movie, in what you could say, is a funny and hurtful interview. Why I like this film so much, to me is an enigma. I guess partly, it's because the players really get bloody, where the blood looks real, but too, like I said at the beginning, a lot of thanks, goes to the screenplay. We have two young female fans, in matching attire with matching hooters. One scene has Newman, going off at a would be female representative, who folds, as she can make more money the other way, thus making Newman spout an unsavory remark, firily, about the woman's little boy. We pretty much know how the film ends, with that "last game must win", scenario, only this victory doesn't go the way you think. Newman's performance really pulls you in, and there's fine work, from veteran, M Emmet Walsh, as a sports writer, while other performances from our other playes (double meaning) captivate too. Slap shot is a well made sports film, just as good now as it was then, comedy with does of drama then blend beautifully, with a great beating music track, attached. Definitely one for sport movie fans, regardless of the movie's age.
Scott44
I recommend people read "Hilarious, oddly influential dark sports comedy" (ggh6; 27 July 2001). Also, "Funny, cynical and irreverent" (JohnRouseMerriottChard, 27 September 2008); "Enjoyable romp" (Big Neil-2, 20 July 2002) and "...a hockey game broke out (Gary M. James; 8 May 2001)."Slap Shot" is a very complex movie. It works very well as a sports comedy that that can seen in a party setting. For many people, that is all it needs to be.I really like how it looks. The extensive use of natural lighting, the grainy quality of the film is appealing. I also admire George Roy Hill's visual style. There are a number of interesting compositions.The opening credits begin in a cutaway section of what was previously the blue square of an American flag. The finish concludes with a parade for the Charleston Chiefs. The Chiefs win using disreputable tactics. It is hard to deny that Slap Shot is making a statement about the falsity of American life; i.e., Americana.Then there is the homophobic quality (which Gary James mentions in his 8 May 2001 review). If one reads between the lines, Slap Shot can be viewed as an out-of-the-closet statement for Paul Newman. (If not Newman, then his character, Reg Dunlap.) Contrary to what many have written, Newman's Reg Dunlap does not originate the idea that if the Chiefs become a goon-squad it will bring in a financially depressed crowd. Reg Dunlap is a classic weather vane. What he thinks this minute is determined by who is around him. He cannot decide which woman he wants. He also repeatedly contradicts himself about what style of hockey he wants his team to play. (He even tells the police he thinks the Hanson brothers should be locked up, then works for their release.) Given the transient nature of Reg Dunlap's opinions, and the clearly identifiable scenes where Dunlap encounters the subject of homosexuality, it seems easy enough to interpret these scenes as Newman (or Dunlap) acknowledging that he has a gay impulse, regardless of what Dunlap says about homosexuality in scenes where he is more in control.Slap Shot depicts not not just the corruption of hockey, but also with American society. We are made to believe both are acceptable. Like the team's fanatical boosters, we are rooting for the Chiefs to win by using disreputable tactics.There is a powerful sense of indoctrination in Slap Shot. It does make the audience welcome thuggishness and the breakdown of civil society. (If the CIA made it that would explain why.) I laughed from start to finish, and the introduction of the Hanson brothers to ice is a riot. Slap Shot is amusing. There are many layers of interest beyond the mirth.
wes-connors
Despite getting up in years, foul-mouthed ice hockey coach Paul Newman (as Reggie "Reg" Dunlop) still plays with his young team. Unfortunately, the "Charlestown Chiefs" are big losers. Then, they start to play rough. Violent antics end their losing streak and Mr. Newman's brawling icemen are suddenly bruising for the championship. They're also filling the stands with blood-thirsty fans...With outrageous comedy, writer Nancy Dowd and director George Roy Hill capture the sport well; there is a lot of truth here, satirical and otherwise. Newman receives his main support (more or less) from closet exhibitionist Michael Ontkean (as Ned Braden) and their possibly gay manager Strother Martin (as Joe McGrath). As a boozing neglected wife, Lindsay Crouse (as Lily) is a stand out. Especially noteworthy are the hilarious "Hansons" (Jeff Carlson, Steve Carlson & David Hanson).******** Slap Shot (2/25/77) George Roy Hill ~ Paul Newman, Michael Ontkean, Strother Martin, Lindsay Crouse
