February 06, 2004
A Middling 'Miracle'?
Reviews are coming in on Disney's Miracle -- and the news is decidedly mixed.
New York Times: '"Miracle" does a yeoman's job of recycling the day-old dough that passes for its story."'
Newsday: "A typically overblown inspirational saga, lifted by bright performances and a bang-up finale."
The Tennessean:" I couldn't wait to see this bad boy. Kurt Russell playing hard-nosed coach Herbert Brooks? America overthrowing the dreaded Soviets on the ice? HIGH DRAMA! And then we saw the movie. NOT SO HIGH DRAMA!"
If like me, you were actually alive and aware during the 1980 Olympics, you might want to avoid a review in the Washington Post by freelancer Mark Jenkins, who managed to insert this particularly repugnant piece of moral equivalence into his piece:
Nor does he (the director) have any apparent feel for historical irony, observing the unfurling of a "Get the Puck out of Afghanistan" banner as if he hadn't heard that the United States is now that country's occupying power.
That's right, America's effort to overthrow a stone age government that helped author 9-11, and shelter Osama bin Laden, isn't any different the Soviet Union's attempt to prop up a client regime. Brilliant analysis like this is hard to find.
For an antidote to the Jenkins piece, read Bill Simmons, who captures what the moment was like quite nicely.
As part of the Disney family, ESPN.com is in full promo mode, including: a Page 3 piece by NHL Editor Sherry Shalko, an interview with Kurt Russell, another piece by Jim Caple; and a list of other sports teams that deserve big screen treatment by Eric Neel.
Finally, ESPN.com reprints a piece from The Hockey News by Adam Proteau wondering when we'll see a big screen adaptation of the 1972 Summit Series between the Soviets and Team Canada:
The best news, though, is that we have the chance to do it right. This isn't to say "Miracle" will go the way of Harrison Ford's career, merely that Disney's denizens are famous for trimming the rougher edges from their characters. We don't want Bobby Clarke coming off like Haley Joel Osment. We don't want the part of Phil Esposito to go to Ashton Kutcher. We want what actually went down, in all its foul-mouthed, stick-swinging glory. After all, this is a movie whose moral might be understood thusly: sticks and stones -- OK, maybe just sticks -- may break my ankle and cause my country to lose a series that seemed to be in hand, but names will never hurt me.
I'm going to see Miracle on Saturday night. Look for a review late on Sunday.
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