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:

1980s | Olympics | Coach | Ice Hockey | Russian

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

Filming Locations:

Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Pop Pop Productions

Trivia:

Stand-in goalie for the character of Jim Craig was former Edmonton Oilers' goalie Bill Ranford.

Goofs:

Incorrectly regarded as goofs: During the match against West Germany, the scoreboard shows that the U.S. is playing the GDR, the English abbreviation for East Germany. The score board in the original game was incorrect - the scoreboard coordinator in the original game made the mistake, not the filmmakers.

Quotes:

Herb Brooks: You know, I've been meaning to ask you, how's your family doing?
[referring to how his family is coping since his mother's death]
Jim Craig: They're doing all right.
Herb Brooks: And you?
Jim Craig: I'm doing okay.
Herb Brooks: Look, I've got twenty-six guys trying to make this team; Jim, only twenty are going to Lake Placid, so I have to know now how committed you are to being here, because if you're not, you're just wasting our time.
Jim Craig: Look, Coach, my dad's going through a rough time right now. He's got nothing, he lost his job, and with Atlanta trying to sign me...
[trails off]
Jim Craig: [Herb turns to leave, but then Jimmy keeps talking] Bottom line: my mom wanted this, me playing on this team. Can't say no to someone who drove me to practice everyday right?
Herb Brooks: You still haven't answered my question, Jim.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Features Pong (1972) (VG)

Soundtrack:

Don't Fear the Reaper

I don't like hockey, but this was a good movie

I was too young to have known anything about this game when it was played in real life, but it was definitely more than a game. It concerned world politics and the cold war. The movie did a good job showing how seemingly impossible it seemed for the young American team to beat the best team in the world who had been playing together for 10 years. And Kurt Russell did a good job as the tough coach who was hard on the players to get the most out of them. I also liked the way the hockey games were filmed. I think hockey is the most boring sport and I don't know any of the rules, but the way it was filmed let the least knowlegdable person follow what was going on.

FINAL VERDICT: If you like sports movies, then don't miss this one.