Review: Miracle

       As a member of the 18-24 year old male demographic, I know that what my peers and I enjoy is what the world will give us. We consume the most media, and as such most media is directed towards us. And one of the things we like, for better or for worse, is sports. Sports dominate our culture. In the dining halls at my university ESPN is the default station for the televisions. Super Bowl sunday is treated as an unofficial holiday in the United States. Men can talk sports with each other even if they have just met. It's something almost all of us share and can bond (and sometimes divide) over. So it makes sense that most (if not all) sports movies are aimed at young male adults. So it seems odd that in 2004's Miracle, a film filled with 20-something athletes, the film focuses on the much older coach, hardly bothering to even differentiate between the players. Sure, Miracle is a sports movie, but more essentially it is a character study of Herb Brooks.

Based on the true story of the 1980 Olympic United States Hockey Team, Miracle traces the journey of Herb Brooks, played remarkably well by Kurt Russell, from arguing his way into the position of head coach, to training a ragtag group of college kids, to ultimately (spoiler alert? C'mon people it's the MIRACLE ON ICE) winning the gold medal at Lake Placid over the heavily favored Soviet team. Russell plays Brooks with an air of mystery, distancing himself from the players to the point that they become resentful of him. While the team gels and improves through the cunning use of montages, we also see the political situations of the time playing out in news reports; the Iran hostage crisis, Russia invading Afghanistan, and the energy crisis all remind that the game at the end of the film has political implications beside the desire for Olympic gold.

Overall the script is pretty solid; it is based off of one of the greatest stories in the history of sports after all, so there isn't much room to screw it up. However, I did find the scenes revolving around how the time commitment involved in coaching the US National Hockey Team gets in the way of Herb Brooks family life. There is a scene like this in just about every story about a man who needs to work hard at something to succeed, be it in sports or business. Patricia Clarkson, who plays Brooks' wife, is reduced to whining about how much time her husband works and how little time he spends with his family. These scenes are a drain on the film and are a waste of Clarkson's talent. 
This film however, does a great job of avoiding many of the other pitfalls of modern sports movies. It's not about how the players' quirkiness provide the answer, it's not about the girl, or even the villainous opponents they have to overcome. When the American finally play the Soviets, they aren't depicted as the bad guy, but rather simply as the other team. This movie is about working hard  and winning games as a result of that hard work. Ultimately the film does well, but it doesn't really do anything above and beyond what you expect. It delivers all of the emotional and inspiring notes you anticipate from a movie based on this story, but nothing more. It's a feel-good movie and if you don't feel good after watching this movie than you are probably not an American. The acting is uneven, with Russell giving a fantastic performance but most of the players (save Eddie Cahill, who does a great job as Jim Craig, the goalie) are athletes making their acting debuts and as such give mediocre performances at best. However, because of the film's focus on Brooks rather than the players it is easy to overlook this and cheer along with Al Michaels. Do you believe in miracles? YES!

Rating: 7/10 - Virtuous