Rating: 
Summary: The Miracle
Review: Herb Brooks really did the impossible, when you think about. That handful of college kids, beating the best hockey players in the world? Not impossible. Just hard.Having watched the documentary first, I thought Disney (much as I generally dislike it) portrayed the whole thing accurately and fairly.
They actually picked actors that looked like the people they were playing! (Always a plus) There is a major goosebump factor to this movie, yet another tribute to its convincingness. Everything looks SO REAL. As it turns out (we watched some of the DVD extras, the outtakes were HILARIOUS) the people trying out for the parts had first to pass a skating test, if they didn't pass that, then they couldn't even audition. Consequently, there were next to no "skating" doubles, the people were out there doing that themselves. Which is impressive. The movie also conveys what it was meant to: that amid a time of stress for most Americans, this was a much-needed win, and it gave the USA back a bit of the self-respect and courage they had let go. I thought the movie was great (hugely funny) but it only got 4 stars because the language (while I'm sure it was an accurate portrayal) was unnecessary and overly present.
Other than that this was good. Definitely one to hang on to. :-)
Rating: 
Summary: DISNEY! DISNEY! DISNEY...Turd!
Review: Save yourself time and energy, find any old 80s news articles describing the event that took place 2 decades ago and don't bother purchasing nor renting this box office bomb. What was KURT RUSSELL thinking? What made KURT opt to jump on board this DISNEY TRAINWRECK. Was it loyalty towards his old studio (Disney) or simply he needs cash. Does he no longer get credible scripts offered to him? This film plays out like a bad movie of the week on ABC (also owned by Disney). This film did not ignite up screens nor shake up the Box office. A main reason for the total lack of box office magic is the predictable lame dialogue. The musical soundtrack is interesting but not enough to make you run out and purchase this cheesy stinker. Sports fan may want to relieve a moment in time but the average movie buff will find the screen play predictable and the acting rather stiff. Another recent stinker from the folks at Disney, Mickey get out some wine cause this is some first rate old cheese.....you may be patriotic but this film is artistically really really bad!
Rating:
Summary: Great film
Review: A couple factual errors, but overall it captures the environment surrounding the Olympics 1980.
Rating:
Summary: Miracle (2004)
Review: Director: Gavin O'Connor
Cast: Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkston, Noah Emmerich, Sean McCann, Kenneth Welsh, Eddie Cahill, Patrick O'Brien Dempsey, Michael Mantenuto.
Running Time: 136 minutes.
Rated PG for some foul language, but film is suitable for entire family. Although possessing the all-too-similar theme conveyed in all of our society's most popular sports films (such as "Rudy", "Remember the Titans", "Hoosiers", and "Rocky"), the underdog is the easiest character or team to relate to, the only way to root, and the defining winner that is supposed to inspire all of us to strive for the most unreachable, unbelievable goals because "darn it, if they could do it, why can't I?". "Miracle" is no exception, but the reason for its success like the above-mentioned motion pictures is simple-great acting and some excellent sports footage. "Miracle" stages the incredible story set in 1980 about the over-achieving United States hockey team that shocks the unblemished, dominant Soviet Union squad in the semifinal match of the Olympic tournament (this is certainly not a spoiler; it was one of the most publicized sporting events of the past quarter century). Kurt Russell is excellent as the hard-nosed head coach Herb Brooks, who is determined to take this group of ragtag college hockey jocks to the brink of success because of his own personal misfortune at the Games twenty years before. With his wife (Patricia Clarkston) at his side, Brooks toughens up his group of players as no other coach would dare-putting them through grinding drills, making them skate for hours, and proving to them that being a cohesive team is much more important than talent alone. The film is exceptionally directed by Gavin O'Connor, who brilliantly links the importance of the win against the Soviet Union with the awful Cold War taking place that had a terror-grip on the world. "Miracle" has only one major flaw-with all the attention on Brooks, there is little characterization of the rest of the supporting cast (namely the players). While there is emphasis on the troubled goalie (Cahill), many other deserving participants are not dually represented in the picture. With this set aside, "Miracle" is a great story that has been told time and time again, but not usually with this much flair and emotion. A suitable presentation for all ages, it is a film that not only stages some excellent hockey sequences and fine performances, but historically conveys the horrors that political hatred can bring, only to show that hard work and hope can win over all.
Rating:
Summary: Chris from France is a f%#!@ing moron
Review: To the guy whose subject line reads "Total American Crap": of course the movie primarly ignores the other teams and focuses on America - the film is ABOUT the American team and their incredible, 7-month journey from undisciplined college kids to world champions. Your thoughts probably echo scores of other bitter foreigners who denounce anything American as glorified and overly patriotic. Get a life.
Rating: 
Summary: A weak movie and an unfitting tribute a wonderful moment.
Review: Kurt Russel delivers a pretty believable performace, but that is the only good thing that can be said about the film.
The rest of the cast and the director fail to create much of an emotional buildup for what should be a tremendous emotional movie. Yes they picked the guys that can play hockey and were able to get nice shots that they would not be able to get with stunt doubles. But that was at a huge cost to acting ability. And they choregraphed some nice plays, but in the end the whole thing plays a lot more like a documentary than a dramma. Thats aside from the cheap and weak attempts to villify the soviet team. And that is why this film is a failure. It does not go beyond what you can get from any of the documentaries on the Miracle. Do not waste your money. Wait for it to hit cable and you will be satisfied with a sigle viewing of this mediocrity. No reason to add it to your video library.
Rating: 
Summary: A great family film
Review: Miracle is a great movie. The opening credits establish the mood of the country going in the 1979 by showing clips of the oil crisis, Viet Nam, the Iran Hostage affair and all of the other things happening in the 1970s. This opening helps the younger viewer realize that the story you are about to see was not only a miracle, but something the country really needed. Kurt Russell is great as Minnesotan Herb Brooks. He's a tough coach who does in his own way with hockey players of his choosing. All of the players do a superb job on and off the ice. None of the kids are well known actors, but they might be someday. The development of the team chemistry is fun to watch. The hockey games are fun to watch. This movie has a lot of hockey even before the memorable match with the Soviets. This takes away some of the dramatic effect since there is only so many ways you can portray exciting hockey. I enjoyed this movie because it is a flag-waving patriotic movie. It doesn't try to be, but by just telling the story as it was, it is an inspring film about a great team and its great coach.
Rating:
Summary: Good job by Disney & Kurt Russell.
Review: I saw the HBO documentary about what led up to the preparation of the 1980 games for the American team & they certainly 'cleaned up' some of the dialouge, but all in all I though they did a good job with the movie. And as far as "Chris from Paris France" is concerned, seeing as the movie was based on a true story ABOUT the underdog American team beating the overpowering Russians, it's kind of a giveaway that the Americans win. *shaking head*
Rating:
Summary: Total American Crap.
Review: This movie ignores all the other teams that played in the olympics and focuses only on America. Which I suppose we should except from America. Second this film ingores all the corruption that even allowed the Americans to win the game. Stupid over glorified movie not worth watching. The Soviets are the true winners of that game not the Americans. This movie is full of lies. I find it funny how in American movies America always wins. Americans stop being sheep.
Rating:
Summary: Miracle Scores A Winner
Review: Miracle is an inspirational story told without too much Disney fluff, thanks in large part to director Gavin O'Connor. His attention to detail is fantastic. Casting was dead on for this one too. As a Chicago Blackhawks fan, I'd followed the budding career of defenseman, Jack O'Callahan (Michael Mantenuto) who was property of the Hawks at the time. I can honestly say all the actors looked like their real life counterparts, especially the players & coaches of the USA & USSR teams. Hockey plays were re-enacted with incredible precision. After I got done watching it, 1980 didn't seem that long ago. In addition, Miracle offers some of the most dynamic cinematography for a sports movie since Seabiscuit last year. The editing is some of the best I'd ever seen for any movie. It baffles the mind how much film they had to go through to make to this movie with all the multiple camera angles employed. To fully appreciate this endeavor, I would recommend watching the making-of documentary. Also try to listen to the Herb Brooks interview. I say listen because it's shot with a very unsteady handheld camera. I couldn't bear to watch it & quickly turned off the video. What no tripod available? But I digress beacuse that was the only problem I had with this dvds' production. The roundtable discussion was a nice touch. In conclusion, I strongly recommend Miracle to the curious or casual fan alike. For the hockey fanatic, it's probably the best movie depiction of the actual speed of the game... I believe!
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