Miracle (2004)

The true story of Herb Brooks, the player-turned-coach who led the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team to victory over the seemingly invincible Soviet squad.

Director:

Gavin O'Connor

Writer:

Eric Guggenheim

Stars:

Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Nathan West

2 wins & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kurt Russell	...	Herb Brooks
Patricia Clarkson	...	Patti 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

Storyline

The inspiring story of the team that transcended its sport and united a nation with a new feeling of hope. Based on the true story of one of the greatest moments in sports history, the tale captures a time and place where differences could be settled by games and a cold war could be put on ice. In 1980, the United States Ice Hockey team's coach, Herb Brooks, took a ragtag squad of college kids up against the legendary juggernaut from the Soviet Union at the Olympic Games. Despite the long odds, Team USA carried the pride of a nation yearning from a distraction from world events. With the world watching the team rose to the occasion, prompting broadcaster Al Michaels' now famous question, to the millions viewing at home: Do you believe in miracles? Yes!

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Plot Keywords:

second cold war | american athlete | propaganda | ice skating | ice skater | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History | Sport

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Certificate:

G

Did You Know?

Trivia

Kurt Russell's first hit in a lead role in seven years, after years of consecutive flops, starting with Soldier (1998) (1998). He appeared in the hit movie Vanilla Sky (2001) (2001) in a supporting role.

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Goofs

During the face off of the beginning of the third period of the final game against the Soviets, the players can be seen wearing Bauer Vapors, introduced in 1997.

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Quotes

Herb Brooks: [to Jimmy] You know, I've been meaning to ask you, how's your family doing?
Jim Craig: They're doing all right.
Herb Brooks: And you?
Jim Craig: I'm doing okay.
Herb Brooks: Look, I've got 26 guys trying to make this team; Jim, only 20 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... bottom line: my mom wanted this, me playing on...
[...]

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Crazy Credits

During the closing credits of the film, each actor is shown on screen with the name of the player he portrayed along with a "where are they now" update.

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Connections

Spoofed in The Comebacks (2007)

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Soundtracks

Don't Fear the Reaper
Written by Donald Roeser
Performed by Blue Öyster Cult
Courtesy of 3.O.C. Music, Inc.

User Reviews

Great job, Kurt et al

Kurt Russell does a wonderful job of portraying Herb Brooks, an innovative hockey coach, and a hard-driving motivator of the young American team that competed at, and won, the 1980 Lake Placid Olympic hockey championship. Indeed, everyone is great, including the hockey players who learned to act to portray the famous group of college amateur players that Brooks pulled together to form a tight-knit and well-conditioned squad.

Camera work and re-creation of key plays is amazing -- maybe the best hockey footage ever shot (see the DVD special features). Also touching is the collage of tragic events involving the USA in the 60's and 70's, leading up to the Olympics. By the way: I found the (voiceover) speech we hear from 1980 by Jimmy Carter ("The USA has a crisis of confidence..") as moving as MLK's famous "I have a dream" speech. It sets the stage nicely for the events that follow - we all need a dream from time to time, or maybe a Miracle.

And you don't feel sorry for the Russians, this the last vestige of an arrogant cold-war-produced hockey machine: seasoned veterans laying out college kids with nasty body-checks, or slashes (just in case you thought us Canucks had the patent rights to tough hockey). Good news, though: the USA was up to it, repaying hefty checks in spades.

Finally, there is is some insight into Brooks hockey ideas, years ahead of their time: carefully-rehearsed breakout plays, circle patterns of player movement, and short 40-50 second shifts to keep players fresh.

There is a nice up-to-dater on where the players were in 2006 when the film was made, but the NHL careers were overlooked - several of these guys went on to have stellar careers in professional hockey. The talent level was substantial.

Anyway-- good job all around.

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Canada USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

6 February 2004 (Canada)

Also Known As:

Miracle

Filming Locations:

Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

$28,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$19,377,577, 8 February 2004

Gross USA:

$64,378,093

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$64,445,708

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pop Pop Productions, Determination Productions, Mayhem Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

135 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.40 : 1