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.
Rating:
Summary: HBO DOCUMENTARY ON THE SUBJECT WAS SUPERB.
Review: "Miracle" will come and go as a decent film, inspirational to Americans (I guess) or hockey fans alike, but, as much as I would like to I wouldn't call it a great film. While it could have been about a historic moment for US sports, "Miracle" manages to do a fairly drippy job of recycling the day-old dough that passes for its story. Its lively character arcs are grossly underwritten and meekly directed, placing them in traditional roles that dumb down the entire effort. The shots from the recreated final game between the Soviet hockey team and the US team (for over 20 minutes towards the end, just FYI) were so choppy I couldn't figure out what was happening. Granted, in a film like this the actors have to be skilled hockey players in order to pull off the role, but for the most part, the acting is subpar. Russel cannot be faulted, he plays his part convincingly, Patricia Clarkson is grossly underused as a cardboard cutout wife. The script is Disney's predictable nod to building dreams, spewing out saccharine bon mots with ease. Think along the lines of Common men go nowhere; you are not common and you get the picture. The inspirational strains of swelling strings emphasize the film's desire to hammer home its milquetoast objective. "Miracles" isn't bad, but it isn't good either. The film will come and go. It didn't pull at my heartstrings as it supposedly did for so many other reviewers. The transatlantic flight I saw the film on also showed a sports documentary originally filmed for HBO, which was a lot better with original footage of the match. The movie doesn't succeed in recreating the aura of the actual game.
Rating:
Summary: what memories!
Review: I went into this movie expecting a warm, feel good walk down memory lane, looking back on a great moment in time from my childhood. Boy did I get it and more! I was in eighth grade when this took place and can remember exactly where I was sitting when Al Michaels said that now famous line! This movie brought it all back! Sitting and watching the story unfold gave me the same butterflies in my stomach even though I already knew the outcome! Kurt Russell was wonderful in this movie! But I think what I will remember most from this movie is that fact that my husband and I took our 15 year old son to this movie. We live in a time of high dollar contracts and free agency, but to watch my son look at the screen with such intensity and totally enjoy every minute of this story was priceless. All the way home we discussed the importance of teamwork and hard work. So to Disney and to everyone affiliated with this movie, I say thank you! Thank for allowing me to relive this "miracle" with my son and for allowing us to make a memory of our own! Go see this movie!
Rating:
Summary: Heart-felt and Inspiring...A real tear-jerker
Review: I was fairly young when this great event took place but have always heard stories about it and was envious of anyone who watched that game. I'm so glad they made it into a movie. If many of the details in the movie is true, and I hear many of them are, then I'm even more envious of the inspiration and hope it generated in everyone who witnessed it. Here's a brief summary: Miracles is a story about a man, wanting to achieve a dream, brings together a group of young hockey players, trains them, manipulates them, breaks them down, and shapes them into a cohesive unit that goes on to defeat the Russian Olympic hockey team, the best hockey team in the world. It takes place in the late 70s and 1980, an era of somber disillusionment, the aftermath of Watergate, Vietnam, and the upheaval of the oil crisis. What this story does is it restores our national pride. The movie showed the long, uphill battle Herb Brooks and his coaches went through to build a great team, a conditioned team, one that could keep up with the Russians. Some major pluses: The opening scenes contain some of the major events that occurred around that time, which sets the tone for the movie; The struggles the players and the coaches go through in order to become a team; personal struggles with families; and philosophical disagreements between Herb Brooks, the head coach, and the council that hired him in the first place (Most of the time, the council wondered if Herb Brooks' training methods were the product of a crazy man.). I loved it. I can't wait for this one to come out on DVD.
Rating:
Summary: I remember it well
Review: I saw this game while I was staying with my grandmother when I attended junoir college in New York. People who were not alive during this time do not understand the significants of this game. The United States just ended Vietnam, It was still bruised by watergate and was experiencing rapid inflation and a shortage of energy. To top it off Americans were taken hostage in Iran. America needed something to cheer about. They got it in the form of a bunch of college kids who faced some of the stiffest competition in the world. We were still in the middle of the cold war, which began to flare up again when the Soviets invaded Afgansitan. Miracle greatly portrays how Herb Brooks put together a bunch of college kids together and drilled them into a team. He knew that to beat the Soviets they had to play as a team and not rely on indivisual talent. Kurt Russell gives a fine perfprmance. He has to be one of the most underrated actors in Hollywood. He definetly deserves an oscar nomination. My only complaint in that the SOviets were portrayed as being humanless machines. The only game that they re-enacted in any detail was the semi final game against the Soviets. It was as if they were saying "we beat the Soviets so we have the gold medal." They still had one game to go. THe only briefly mentioned the Gold medal game against the Swedes. The Swedes were also a tough team. But, it was good to see the United States win on their own soil. The Hockey team lit the tourch at the Salt Lake City games in 2002, then the US got the silver, loosing to Canada. In 2002 the US had the pros on their team. In general this is a great feel good movie that the entire family should see.
Rating:
Summary: GREAT MOVIE
Review: Ever since seeing the preview, I wanted to go out and see this movie. The previews alone gave me the chills. After seeing it in the theaters the day it came out, it lived up to the preview. It was a wonderful story of the greatest sports moment on the 20th century. It made me feel very patriotic, I wanted to cheer with them when they won. Even though the final outcome is known, you almost get nervous, and are swept away with the game quietly wondering, will they really do? GREAT MOVIE!
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