Review: “˜Miracle’ scores golden balance of emotion, good storytelling
By Daily Bruin Staff
Feb. 4, 2004 9:00 p.m.
“Miracle” Directed by Gavin O’Connor
Walt Disney Pictures
I know almost nothing about sports, but I love sports movies.
“Miracle” is a big, old-fashioned, red-blooded sports
movie that wears its heart on its sleeve, the kind that makes grown
men cry. But unlike last summer’s trying-too-hard equine saga
“Seabiscuit,” “Miracle” succeeds at
balancing sentimentality and good storytelling. It’s a great
family film, but not one you’d be embarrassed taking a date
to. In 1979, with the United States in the midst of terrorist
struggles and gasoline shortages, Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) is
hired to coach the U.S. Olympic men’s hockey team. The USSR
had won every Olympic gold since 1964, and the chances of Brooks
mounting a team strong enough to counter the Soviets were ““
well ““ about as good as the chances of the 2004 Bruins making
it to the Final Four. The fact that we know the outcome (We beat
them.) does not make the film any less enjoyable. The
behind-the-scenes look at how a bunch of naïve college kids
became, as one player puts it, “a family,” is a
familiar staple of the sports movie genre. But director Gavin
O’Connor has put together an appealing ensemble of mostly
unfamiliar faces. The cast is nicely rounded out by current Oscar
nominee Patricia Clarkson as Brooks’ long-suffering wife and
Noah Emmerich as Assistant Coach Patrick. Ultimately,
“Miracle” harkens back to a simpler time, before
Olympic teams were made up of professional athletes. These boys
were in it not for the money or the fame, but for the sheer joy of
playing; they were the original Dream Team. “Miracle”
is a solidly entertaining delight that lets us share in the thrill
of their amazing victory. – Johanna Davy
