Miracle (2004)

User Rating:

7.5/10   

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:

Olympics | 1980s | Coach | Cold War | 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:

To avoid confusion, during filming Kurt Russell referred to the actors/hockey players cast as Team USA exclusively by their corresponding characters' names or nicknames, not their real names. For the most part, the Team USA actors maintained this policy among themselves also.

Goofs:

Errors made by characters (possibly deliberate errors by the filmmakers): After the Czechoslovkia game Brooks is seen walking with Walter Bush talking about all the media attention the team is getting. He tells him that they have only won two games. This is incorrect. They have played two games, However, at that point in the film they have only won one game, the one against the Czecks. The first game they played against Sweden ended in a 1-1 tie.

Quotes:

Herb Brooks: So, why don't we start with some introductions. YOu know, get to know eacother a little bit. Where you from. Who you are.
[looks at McClanahan]
Herb Brooks: Go ahead.
Rob McClanahan: Rob McClanahan. St. Paul Minnesota.
Herb Brooks: Who do you play for?
Rob McClanahan: I play for you. Here at the U.
Herb Brooks: Jack?
Jack O'Callahan: Jack O'Callahan. Charlestown, Mass. Boston University.
Herb Brooks: Over here.
[looks at Ralph Cox]
[...]

Movie Connections:

Features "The Rockford Files" (1974)

Soundtrack:

Brandenburg Concerto No. 4 in G-1 - Movement Allegro

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.