Miracle (2004)

Director:

Gavin O'Connor

Writer (WGA):

Eric Guggenheim (written by)

Release Date:

6 February 2004 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Family | History | Sport

Tagline:

What America needed was a miracle. What it got was a hockey game.

Plot:

Miracle tells the true story of Herb Brooks (Russell), the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Russian squad.

Plot Keywords:

One Word Title | 1980s | Coach | Historical | Ice Hockey

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Kurt Russell	...	Herb Brooks
Patricia Clarkson	...	Patty Brooks
Noah Emmerich	...	Craig Patrick
Sean McCann	...	Walter Bush
Kenneth Welsh	...	Doc Nagobads
Eddie Cahill	...	Jim Craig
Patrick O'Brien Demsey	...	Mike Eruzione
Michael Mantenuto	...	Jack O'Callahan
Nathan West	...	Rob McClanahan
Kenneth Mitchell	...	Ralph Cox
Eric Peter-Kaiser	...	Mark Johnson
Bobby Hanson	...	Dave Silk
Joseph Cure	...	Mike Ramsey
Billy Schneider	...	Buzz Schneider
Nate Miller	...	John 'Bah' Harrington

MPAA:

Rated PG for language and some rough sports action.

Runtime:

135 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

DTS | Dolby Digital | SDDS

Certification:

UK:PG | South Korea:All | Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:PG | Finland:K-7 | Singapore:PG | USA:PG

Filming Locations:

Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Pop Pop Productions

Trivia:

While Al Michaels joined the film to recreate commentary for the games, Gavin O'Connor decided to use the last 10 seconds of Michaels' original "Do you believe in miracles?" call in the film because he felt he couldn't ask him to recreate the emotion he experienced at that moment. Thus they cleaned up the recording to make the transition to the authentic call as seamlessly as possible.

Goofs:

While the team was waiting out a delay at the airport, the highlights of the Soviets' blowout of the NHL all stars are being shown on a TV. This game was the third game of a series that took place in February, 1979, before the Olympic team was chosen.

Quotes:

Herb Brooks: I got a telegram from a lady in Texas today, and you know what it said?
Patty Brooks: What?
Herb Brooks: Beat those Commie bastards. We're playing a hockey game against the greatest team in the world, and they're the best that's ever played this game. Why can't we just leave it at that?
Patty Brooks: Because this is more than a hockey game to a lot of people.
Herb Brooks: Yeah and I keep running through them all. Johnson on Mikhailov. Broten on Petrov. Pav against whoever OV. We just... We don't match up, Patty.
Patty Brooks: You might want to skip that when you talk to the boys tomorrow.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Torchwood: Random Shoes (#1.9)" (2006)

Soundtrack:

Bugler's Dream

8/10 movie about a 10/10 accomplishment

It's hard to recreate the magic of a once-in-a-lifetime event, but Miracle comes pretty close.

It succeeds in recapturing the spirit of the times, the personality of coach Herb Brooks, the tension of the game, and the exhilaration of Al Michaels' famous call as the clock went to 0:00. While there are plenty of minor things I could quibble about, Miracle's ability to recapture the spirit of the Soviet upset makes it a success.

A movie about this subject could easily have been a stinker, but Miracle isn't that at all. It's a great sports movie that suffers only in comparison to the real story. I gave it 8/10.