Cool Runnings (1993)

User Rating:

6.5/10   

Director:

Jon Turteltaub

Writers (WGA):

Lynn Siefert (story) &
Michael Ritchie (story) ...

Release Date:

1 October 1993 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

One Dream. Four Jamaicans. Twenty Below Zero.

Plot:

Based on the true story of the First Jamacian bobsled team trying to make it to the winter olympics.

Plot Keywords:

Olympics | Bobsled | Jamaica | Winter Olympics | Airplane

Awards:

2 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Leon	...	Derice Bannock (as Leon Robinson)
Doug E. Doug	...	Sanka Coffie
Rawle D. Lewis	...	Junior Bevil
Malik Yoba	...	Yul Brenner
John Candy	...	Irving 'Irv' Blitzer
Raymond J. Barry	...	Kurt Hemphill
Peter Outerbridge	...	Josef Grool
Paul Coeur	...	Roger
Larry Gilman	...	Larry
Charles Hyatt	...	Whitby Bevil Sr.
Winston Stona	...	Coolidge
Bertina Macauley	...	Joy Bannock
Pauline Stone Myrie	...	Momma Coffie
Kristoffer Cooper	...	Winston
Bill Dow	...	Registration Official

MPAA:

Rated PG for mild language and brief violence.

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | German | Russian

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Iceland:L | Peru:PT | South Korea:All | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | Germany:o.Al. | Netherlands:AL | Spain:T | Sweden:11 | UK:PG | USA:PG | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

Calgary, Alberta, Canada

Company:

Walt Disney Pictures

Trivia:

In the German dubbing of this movie, the East German bobsledders ("eins, zwei, drei"), have been re-dubbed with a strong Swiss accent ("ace, zwoo, droo"). When the other characters imitate them, they also imitate the accent. In the original English version Hochdeutsch (standard German) is spoken.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: The newspaper which Mr. Coolidge looks at and sees the picture of the Jamaican team slipping and sliding, chasing after the slide, has a small framed box that mentions a cop next to it. The newspaper that Junior's father looks at has a different story next to the same picture. It's possible that they're looking at a different paper, but it's unlikely that the understood proximity between these two locations would have two separate papers.

Quotes:

Sanka Coffie: Rise and shine!
Derice Bannock: It's butt-whippin' time!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Futurama: Bender's Big Score (2007) (V)

Soundtrack:

Wild Wild Life

Not the truth, but still inspiring.

Make no mistake, Cool Runnings is not the true story of the Jamaican Bobsled team. It is inspired by it, but this is not a documentary. Still, despite that, it does capture the spirit of the team and the derision they faced. In a fun and entertaining way, the filmmakers displayed the true lesson of the team: if you have a dream, go after it, no matter what anyone else says.

This isn't the greatest film ever and it's full of cliches; but, they work. If you can't get caught up in the emotion and excitement of the film, it's because your heart is frozen. There are plenty of laughs and general silliness, but there is also good drama and fine performances. John Candy showed he could deliver an emotional performance instead of just schtick. During the bobsled runs, you can't help but find yourself cheering for the team.

This film is a pleasure to watch and will bring a smile to your face. Is it good? Yeah, mon!