Rating: 
Summary: Do you believe in miracles?
Review: An excellent film that really captured the reality of the 1980 Winter Olymipics. I was about 9 years old and I remeber when Mike Eruzione scored the winning goal, I was just in awe. It was an amazing thing to watch then as it is now. The whole story is about a young group of gifted hockey players coming to beat the USSR. The talented, and no stranger to these kinds of films, Kurt Russel effectively portrays the tough, no-nonsense coach whos goal is to beat the USSR and win that gold medal he almost got when he was cut from the 1960 US Olympic Hockey team. Patrick O'Brien Demsey plays Mike Eruzione who's only goal is to survive and, of course, win. Both Russel and O'Brein were just outstanding. The who movie was inspirational, fun, and very moving. This moment in time gave us a ray of hope in a world that was being flooded with "Bad News". And this movie did just that to remind us that miracles do happen when you least expect them.
Rating:
Summary: Almost makes me care about hockey
Review: People my age probably remember where they were when John and Bobbie Kennedy were shot, when Armstrong stepped onto the moon, when the Challenger blew up, when the Berlin Wall came down. Perhaps even when the U.S. Olympic hockey team beat the unbeatable Soviets in 1980. And I don't even care for hockey that much.MIRACLE is the story of that legendary upset, and the grueling training that led up to that glorious moment, told from the perspective of the coach, Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell). A member of the 1960 Olympic squad, Brooks was cut from the team a week before its first Olympic match and subsequent gold medal victory. After that, the USSR Olympians dominated the sport for the next twenty years. Through his "boys", Brooks sought personal redemption and an end to Soviet hegemony. The first film of 2003 of Oscar caliber was SEABISCUIT, the story of an earlier underdog. Although, as of this review, the Academy Awards have yet to be handed out for 2003, MIRACLE is perhaps the first 2004 release deserving of next year's Oscar consideration. Not for Best Picture, but for Russell as Best Actor (though I didn't believe for a moment that was the actor's real hair). MIRACLE is about Coach Brooks. While the young actors that portray the twenty-some players do a creditable job, they're all pretty much lost against the background of team identity. And that's as it should be because their amazing victory was, and necessarily had to be, a team effort. This point is effectively made for the audience during a tortuous set of punishment drills after a poorly played exhibition match against the Norwegian national team when one of Herb's players finally correctly answers the question he constantly poses, "Who do you play for?" It's a moment of revelation for all concerned. Just as the horse race action in SEABISCUIT almost made me go down to the track and squander the mortgage payment on a first-ever bet, MIRACLE's camera work on the ice almost morphed me into a rabid hockey puck. You, the viewer, are right there in the thick of the furious melee expecting to be slammed against the boards or slashed with a stick at any moment. There's an adrenaline rush not felt with, say, curling. At the film's end, a voiceover by Russell-Brooks reminds us that, soon after the 1980 Gold Medal upset, America's Olympic hockey team was opened to pro players of the National Hockey League to thus create the "Dream Team" concept - but no Olympic squad since then has ever captured "the dream". Honor is due Brooks and his amateurs.
Rating:
Summary: Miracle
Review: Miracle is a straightforward account of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team, and how they came to be. The story is told, for the most part, from the perspective of head coach Herb Brooks (Russell) as chooses the team and then shapes them into the champions that they will become. He has many unorthodox ways that rub his players, assistant coaches, and Olympic committee members the wrong way. But, Brooks has a plan. He knows exactly what needs to be done to bring home the gold. He also has a personal stake in the matter: he was cut from the Olympic team just before they won the gold medal in the 1960 Olympics. The hockey games are well choreographed and are able to generate a level of tension despite the fact that the outcome is known to all. Russell gives a fine performance as a coach who has just one goal: to win. This is a good family that is inspiring and will leave you with a warm feeling inside after it is over.
Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced fun.
Review: This is the second Disney live-action film in recent months which I expected to be mediocre but was, instead, really good (Pirates of the C was the other). Kurt Russell's Oscar-quality performance and the terrific soundtrack drive this film forward with an exciting momentum. The film only drags when the side plot involving Brooks' wife comes into play. Thankfully, the director does not linger on this element for very long - most of the screentime going to Brooks' putting his players through the furnace in order to forge a team. I highly recommend this film as an exciting, emotional, intelligent and wholesome piece of entertainment grounded in historical reality.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Movie I have ever seen
Review: I loved this movie and it was my favorite. I can't wait till it comes out on DVD because i am going to buy it right away. Anyone is stupid not to see this movie. Kurt Russell is a great actor in it.
Rating:
Summary: fantastic!
Review: went to see this movie today-fantastic is all that i can say. kurt russell and the whole cast did a wonderful job. i like that they added in all sorts of news events happening at the time, things i had forgotten.(i was a senior in h.s. then.) take the family, rent it, buy it!!! sometimes we need movies such as this to remind us to set high goals, struggle to get there, then the rewards are great for our hard work. Something we sometimes forget about in our "disposable/want it now" society.
Rating:
Summary: Very Well Done
Review: For those of you who remember the late 70's and up to the 1980 Winter Olympic Games in Lake Placid this movie is quite nostalgic. This was based primarily on the life of Herb Brooks during his work to get the 1980 U.S. Olympic Hockey team together. It shows the struggles that coaches go thru when having to cut players that are true athletes in order to make the roster at its maximum. It was by far one of the best sports movies I have ever seen and will probably get my vote for movie of the year. If you are a sports fan it is well worth the money to see and is a must see for any hockey fan. The portrayal of Herb Brooks by Kurt Russell was phenomenal. For anyone who coaches any sport this is a must see movie. Hockey fans you get your share of on ice time as well as the story of Coach Brooks and the players.
Rating:
Summary: (4 1/2) More Than A Hockey Game
Review: This is a wonderful recreation of the events which culminated in the truly memorable moment when a team composed of U.S. college students (true amateur athletes) managed to defeat what was undoubtedly the best hockey team in the world (the Russian national team) during the 1980 Olympics and then subsequently win the gold medal. As the turbulent decade of the seventies came to a close, America had been buffeted by a political scandal and presidential resignation, rampant inflation, energy shortages which led to hours long waiting lines at gasoline stations, and then as the decade ended the country was subjected to the indignity of the storming of the American embassy and the taking of American citizens as hostages at the instigation of Ayatollah Khomeni. The country's self confidence seemed wounded, and President Carter's "malaise" speech seemed to endorse the notion that the future would be difficult and the country's ability to grow and prosper was in doubt. This is the background in which the events in this film take place, and it is skillfully conveyed by director Gavin O'Connor through the judicious use of actual film footage from that period. The central character of this story and the film is Herb Brooks, a college coach who believed that he could mold a group of college stars into a cohesive entity with the potential to stun the world and beat a Russian team comprised of veteran players who had dominated "amateur" hockey and won the last four Olympic gold medals. Kurt Russell does an amazing job of portraying Brooks, capturing his intensity and single minded dedication to the achievement of his dream. The movie uses real hockey players in order to realistically portray the skating and play so essential to the story, so most of the cast consists of actors unknown to moviegoers. Patricia Clarkson does an acceptable job as Brook' s wife, a minor but important role in the film, and Noah Emmerich has a key role as Craig Patrick, Brook's assistant coach. The film occasionally touches on such issues as U.S. Olympic Committee politics and egos, but is primarily a hockey story that is, as Clarkson so succinctly states, about a lot more than hockey. This a story of Brook's belief that the right players (not the greatest individual stars) through hard work and dedication could gain the self confidence and skills necessary to accomplish a MIRACLE. Brooks extensively analyzed the reasons for the Russian team's historical dominance, devised a system that gave the U.S. a chance to win, mercilessly trained his players until they were in as good physical condition as the Russians, and then made the tough personnel choices for the final roster spots. So, this is the history of that achievement and also a chronicle of how a hockey game interacted with history, since the impact of the game was further magnified by the decision by President Carter to boycott the 1980 summer Olympics in Moscow following the USSR invasion of Afghanistan . However, I want to emphasize that THIS IS PRIMARILY A SPORTS STORY, and the long skating sequences and excellent camerawork with amazing closeups of the intricate stickhandling portrayed during the games may be somewhat tedious to viewers with little appreciation for the subtleties of the game or lack of understanding of sports as an analogy for life. SeveraI lukewarm reviews that I read had made me a little apprehensive before seeing this movie, so I was surprised by how good it was. The most amazing element was how it effectively maintained a high level of tension despite the fact that the eventual outcome is already known. As I watched the film depict the Russians destroy an elite NHL All Star squad the year before and then dominate our Olympic team in a exhibition three weeks before the Olympics began, it was hard to believe that the MIRACLE really would occur. While there is a very nice touch at the end of the film where the audience is informed of the current careers of all the players, my only major complaint about the film is that it would have been nice to have had a little more individual character develoment of the team members during the film. With the exception of goalie Jim Craig (Eddie Cahill) and Mike Eruzione (Peter O'Brien Dempsey), who were perhaps the two key players in Brooks' structuring of the team, the players are presented almost as a collection of interchangeable pieces utilized by their coach to achieve his goal. I also think that it was unfortunate that there was only a passing reference to the championship game with Sweden, few revelations concerning the relationship of Brooks and Patrick, and no discussion at all of how the team avoided a psychological letdown after their triumph over Russia. However, while these and a few other minor flaws kept me from rating the film a full five stars, it was good enough that I had no doubt that I should round up my rating to that level. Before ending this review, I just want to express my sadness with regard to the death of Herb Brooks in an automobile accident before the completion of this film. It was truly unfortunate that he was precluded from viewing this wonderful depiction of the event in which he played so crucial a role and which cheered so many people at a piivotal time in our history. As I viewed this film and watched footage of a youthful Al Michaels broadcasting the events from Lake Placid, I emotionally concluded that MEMORIES ARE MADE OF THIS. Tucker Andersen
Rating: 
Summary: Very disappointing
Review: Hate to be the lone dissenter, but I found this movie quite boring and also - full of mixed messages. Regarding the boring part - I was continually checking my watch to see if the movie was almost over! As someone else said, there was little character development. The hockey players were kind of one huge mass of testosterone. Hard to differentiate one from another. Next - about the mixed messages - Coach Herb was a really annoying character. He treated his wife with disdain and even contempt; she was so kind and good and forebearing and supportive toward him and he was a horse's ass in return. Their relationship was very unpleasant to watch. He was verbally abusive to his charges, the young hockey players, and in one scene, he forces them to continue hard physical exercise to the point that they all became physically ill. The assistant coach and team doctor pleaded with Coach Herb to stop, but he didn't. I believe that this kind of "training" would be called physical abuse in today's world. This was NOT a "feel good" movie. His driving motivation seemed to be his own failures and regrets and self-loathing - specifically over having *not* been part of the 1960 Olympic Hockey Team. (He was kicked off the team days before they went on to win in the 1960 Olympics.) Coach Herb used fear, anger and rage to motivate. In one scene, he became so enraged that he throws over a table full of gear in the locker room. One of the young hockey players is injured and the Coach lashes out and screams at him; berates him and calls him an ugly name. Walking out of the room, Coach Herb whispers to his assistant coach, "That should get 'em ready for the game." I guess you can accomplish a lot by raging and screaming and making people afraid of you, but it would have been a lot more interesting to see a movie where young people were *inspired* to do better, because they were motivated by more positive characteristics and qualities.
Rating: 
Summary: "Do you believe in miracles?"
Review: The opening credits of Miracle are shown over a montage of news clips showing low moments in American history from the 1970s. This helps explain why the US Olympic hockey win over the Soviets in 1980 was so welcomed. The story revolves around coach Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell) who was cut from the US Olympic hockey team one week before it won the gold in 1960. He is now determined to whip his team into shape and win the medal he didn't get years ago. We follow Brooks through team tryouts and practices and end up with the adrenalin-pumping victory over Russia. The previews of "Miracle" had me convinced I would be jumping out of my seat and cheering at the end, but such was not the case. The players (with the exception of Jim Craig) were not given individual story lines; they were a faceless mass of muscle, and the main character of the coach was completely one-dimensional, without the charisma or appeal of a Rocky. Patriotism and American pride were not the team's motives; they were winning for their coach. None of the team members were played by actors, but rather by former hockey players. They all did an excellent job. Hockey and Olympic fans will certainly be more enthusiastic about "Miracle" than I was. I found it to be interesting but not thrilling; entertaining, rather than miraculous.
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