SpuffyWeb Sadly Over-hyped

Exoticalot People are voting emotionally.

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

BelSports This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

Archon919 "Disappointing" is the best word I could think for this film, especially considering the glowing reviews it receives from some other users.One thing that really spoils the film is that it is unabashedly partial(in both senses of the word). Not only does it present a very selective description of the games (focussing as it does on the US athletics team) but it also contains several inaccuracies, most of which serve to exaggerate the difficulties the US team faced.What is even more disturbing is that all the omissions and mistakes (?), appear to glorify US sportsmanship to the exclusion of other athletes (with a few celebrated exceptions). For example, the viewer is led to believe that the US won the majority of medals in the Games, when in fact they won only one out of four gold medals and one out of 6 total. Similarly, many athletes are portrayed as caricatures of their respective countrymen (thus we have an arrogant Brit, and a wine-swilling French). This attitude does very little service to the Olympic ideals that the film is supposed to celebrate.In conclusion, I believe that this film would appeal to that part of the US audience that is looking for a quick boost of national self-esteem. Those looking for a detailed and historically correct description of the games are advised to look elsewhere.

maoumaou Just 10 days before the Athens 2004 Olympics games, I spent my evening watching this film inspired by the title. In the beginning I thought of the movie as a historical description of the first modern olympic games. Unfortunately a more accurate title would be "The American olympic team during the 1896 Olympic games" since this movie is all about it and nothing else. Four hours of lame dialogues, poor acting, historical inaccuracies and the infinite number of the US national anthem add up to one of the worst movies I've ever seen. Minimum comments for the achievements, the training and the difficulties the other athletes came across.

klynn424 Historically awful. Scarcely an accurate moment in 4 hours of ridiculosity. One cannot keep track of the inconsistencies while watching. As with all track and filed movies, nobody bothers to ask for any track consultants. Events and techniques that weren't even created until the next century are shown. From the shots of runners jogging in a 400 meters to the highly overweight actor portraying the high jump and long jump winner, one would have to know absolutely nothing about track to even be mildly entertained. Likely thrown together in 1984 as a tribute to the games just prior to the LA Olympics.

Moviemom This is a terrific miniseries, a wonderful story splendidly told. The origins of everything from the starting position for sprinters to the impulsive selection of the Star Spangled Banner as the national anthem, this story of the first Olympics in 1500 years is filled with drama, wit, and unforgettable characters.