2hotFeature one of my absolute favorites!

Solidrariol Am I Missing Something?

PiraBit if their story seems completely bonkers, almost like a feverish work of fiction, you ain't heard nothing yet.

AshUnow This is a small, humorous movie in some ways, but it has a huge heart. What a nice experience.

mack_89 Hi there!This is a patriotic hockey film. So if you like USA and hockey, there is a big chance, that you will like this movie.If not, then this is not a movie for you. The acting and the story is OK i guess, but if you don't like people shouting USA the whole time, a angry hockey trainer thats shouting and hockey players simply playing hockey and train, there is no way, you will like this movie.Im not such a huge fan of hockey or the USA. I just like good films, with good actors, good stories, good music and so on.Therefore i will give this movie a 5/10!Over and out!

goreilly40 As a someone who was aware of the story and as a sports fan from outside the US, this movie was something I had to see, and I'm glad to say I wasn't disappointed. Kurt Russell's as Herb Brooks I would put up there with Morgan Freeman's performance as Nelson Mandela in Invictus, possibly Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch but that's for others to judge. He captured the essence of the man, his mannerisms his words, everything. The hockey scene's were in a word, perfect thanks to the use of actual hockey players whose audition process was probably more vigorous than the selection process for the real US team, (30 picked from 4000 as opposed to 26 picked from 90), the score adds to the tension and the atmosphere, particularly in the last period after Mike Eruzione puts the US in front in the climactic game against the Soviets. One scene which I found emotional was, surprise surprise, the Herbies after the 3-3 tie with Norway, it has been pointed out that two of the players who did the drill in the movie, Jim Craig and Buzz Schneider didn't do it in real life as Craig didn't play and Schneider was ejected from the game and Mike Eruzione didn't get the drills ended by stating that he played for the USA, however I feel the point is overstated as this is only a minor detail and Gavin O'Connor probably didn't want there to be any resentment between the cast and to show that the team had reached a turning point at that stage so these two indiscretions I can forgive. What I can't however was the way two of the Soviet goals were depicted, the first and third goals were shown being scored as a result of foul play in the build up, a deliberate unpunished slash on Buzz Schneider and Jim Craig being knocked unconscious from a cheap shot leaving the net empty when in reality the goals in question were clean, a simple stick check and a one on one counter attack during a Soviet power play, so why portray one of the greatest teams ever to grace the sport in this negative light? Another gripe I had with the movie was the skimming over the games against the Czechoslovakia and Finland which were also must win games, particularly Finland when the team were in danger of losing, as they were behind 2-1 going into the third period and throwing away what they had earned against the Soviets, Herb Brooks said to the team before the third period, "If you lose this game you'll take it to your (BLEEP) grave." I feel was a bit of a mistake not showing that, all be it a bit toned down language wise. However historical discretion's and omissions aside this movie is still compelling, the hockey is great, the cast is genuine, the music only adds to it, having Al Michaels and Ken Dryden reenact their commentary was inspired and as I said before Kurt Russell is phenomenal, even if your not an ice hockey fan I'd still recommend you watch it and I find it makes you believe in yourself that if you want something enough and your willing really work for it, then nothing is impossible or "Do you believe in miracles YES!!".

brchthethird Sports aren't really my thing, but every once in a while I enjoy watching a sports movie. This one in particular is a great one despite following Disney's formula almost to the letter. Often, it's not the ideas in a movie that make the difference, but their execution, and that couldn't be more true here. MIRACLE is the story of how the USA came from behind to defeat the USSR in the 1980 Winter Olympics. I already knew how things would end, but for me that didn't matter. It was great to see fantastic performances from the entire cast and the development of a diverse group of individuals into a cohesive team under the leadership and guidance of Herb Brooks (Kurt Russell). It gets off to a bit of a slow start, but once the focus shifts from team-building to the excitement of playing hockey things really took off. The only thing that kind of drags the film down is a subplot involving a conflict between Herb Brooks and his wife (Patricia Clarkson), but mainly for pacing reasons. I still thought it added depth to Herb's character overall. I should also give props to the soaring musical score which effectively sell the emotional highs. When all is said and done, this is a great film that speaks to America's strength in times of adversity. I'm not one to buy the myth of American exceptionalism hook, line and sinker, but I do acknowledge that we need inspiration from time to time and this film definitely delivers it. Highly recommended for sports fans, or people who like inspirational films.

Tyler Smith One of the things that make Miracle such a thrilling sports film is the realistic action scenes depicting the ice hockey competitions of the United States Olympic team. Past sports films relied on the use of stunt doubles or professional athletes to perform athletic scenes in place of the main cast. However in filming Miracle, there was clearly no need for stunt doubles as the actors themselves were able to perform the on-ice actions required. This is due to the fact that the actors cast to play the roles of the hockey players in the film were selected primarily based on their ice skating ability rather than particular acting ability. I believe that this casting decision was a tremendous benefit to the quality of the film.As a very fast paced and high intensity game, a hockey film demands an enormous effort to efficiently capture the nuances of the gameplay during filming. While other sports such as football and baseball can be plausibly acted out by professionals in place of the actors because of the stop and start nature of gameplay, hockey must be filmed in a continuous way. Therefore, it is very difficult for actors and stunt doubles to be switched in and out during action scenes while still having the game appear realistic. To solve this problem, the director was faced with two options. He could either cast professional actors and teach them how to play hockey, or he could cast hockey players and teach them how to act. The director, Gavin O'Connor, chose to cast former college and minor league ice hockey players to play the roles of the American and the foreign hockey players in the film.In this case, I believe that casting former hockey players was the right decision and caused the films realism to be enhanced far and above what it would have been if regular actors were forced to learn a game that takes years to master. The cast as a whole had minimal acting experience, but still performed admirably well. The acting was not perfect, but the benefits of the realistic hockey scenes more than make up for any deficit in the theatrical ability of the cast. I can only imagine how deplorable the hockey action scenes would have been if actors who could barely skate were portraying the elite hockey players.In addition to the on-ice ability of the cast, the hockey players cast in the film are nearly perfect in their portrayal of the hockey sub-culture that exists at all levels of competition. With their long hair, foul language, and stoic determination, each and every member of Team USA is a token collegiate hockey player. Obviously, this stems from the fact that they most of the actors were at some point collegiate hockey players.In particular, Mike Mantenuto, who portrays defenseman Jack O'Callahan puts on an incredible performance. His shoulder length hair is a perfect imitation of what a hockey player hopes to achieve. Also, he puts on a very believable show of the grudge his character holds against another player, and the violent way in which the rivalry culminates. Finally, Mantenutos performance during the scene in which he is injured is a perfect enactment of how a hockey player would react to a potentially career ending injury. His face appeared to be emotionless, but his eyes revealed a deep heartbreak that only comes when a player is faced with the end of his career.In conclusion, the right decision was made when it came to casting the members of the United States Olympic hockey team. The hockey players-turned-actors were phenomenal in their portrayal of their real life counterparts. All culminating in what is clearly one of the greatest sports films of all time.