Slap Shot (1977)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

George Roy Hill

Writer:

Nancy Dowd (writer)

Release Date:

25 February 1977 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Sport

Tagline:

Slap Shot out slaps... out swears... out laughs...

Plot:

A failing ice hockey team finds success using constant fighting and violence during games.

Plot Keywords:

Ice Hockey | Booster Club | Team Bus | Violence | Small Town

Awards:

1 win & 2 nominations

Cast

Paul Newman	...	Reggie 'Reg' Dunlop
Strother Martin	...	Joe McGrath
Michael Ontkean	...	Ned Braden
Jennifer Warren	...	Francine Dunlop
Lindsay Crouse	...	Lily Braden
Jerry Houser	...	Dave 'Killer' Carlson
Andrew Duncan	...	Jim Carr
Jeff Carlson	...	Jeff Hanson
Steve Carlson	...	Steve Hanson
David Hanson	...	Jack Hanson
Yvon Barrette	...	Denis Lemieux
Allan F. Nicholls	...	Johnny Upton (as Allan Nicholls)
Brad Sullivan	...	Morris 'Mo' Wanchuk
Stephen Mendillo	...	Jim Ahern
Yvan Ponton	...	Jean-Guy Drouin

Runtime:

123 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

Canada:R (Nova Scotia) | Singapore:PG | Brazil:16 | Iceland:16 | Netherlands:16 | West Germany:18 (original rating) | Australia:R | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:AA (Ontario) | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Finland:K-16 | Netherlands:12 | Norway:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16

Filming Locations:

Hamilton, New York, USA

Company:

Kings Road Entertainment

Trivia:

The referees in the game scenes wear red-striped jerseys instead of black, as was done in the now-defunct World Hockey Association.

Goofs:

Continuity: In the opening sequences introducing the players, Ned Braden can be seen wearing blue gloves as he stands by the boards. When he skates out for the introduction, he is wearing old brown gloves. When the next player is introduced, he can be seen wearing new matching blue gloves again.

Quotes:

Hyannisport broadcaster: Look at that. You can't see that, I'm on radio.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in The Chiefs (2004)

Soundtrack:

Say You Love Me

Puck Lords, Crashed Boards and Ice Hockey Ultraviolence

Paul Newman in a schlocky-hockey movie? Is that one of the most inspired ideas of 1970s cinema or what? Slap Shot is a board-crashing classic thanks not only to Newman's charisma and verve, but an outstandingly funny supporting cast and a witty script.

Slap Shot centres around the terrible minor league side, the Charlestown Chiefs, a franchise despised by their fans, on the verge of being sold and suffering with low attendances as the town's factories are due to close. This is a sports movie though, so naturally all that's got to change, and it does as Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman as the veteran player-coach) uses a bit of the old ultraviolence to flip the team's fortunes and get the fans into a frenzy.

A mediocre gang of chumps become championship maulers and the results are spectacular. The addition of the (now infamous) Hanson brothers, a bunch of mad, spec-wearing weirdos who love nothing better than wanton destruction adds to the cocktail of on-ice destruction. Fists fly, blood flows, profanities are fired all over the place. All in all it is extremely entertaining.

Slap Shot may be stupidly sexist and stuck in the 70s (just dig Newman's brown leather suit and lapels), but the dated aspects can all be forgiven by the frequent bursts of fresh comedy and frenetic action. The ultimate ice hockey movie it most definitely is, it's also possibly Paul Newman's best role. He eases through the movie with a sense of fun and eager machismo, utterly convincing as the hockey maverick who leads and manipulates his flock of mugs. A pure blast of balls-to-the-wall action comedy, Slap Shot is a hockey hoot.