Predictable as expected, but hardly fun along the way

Rating: Null/10 (13 February 2004)

After seeing the trailers for this film, I walked in with a very vivid expectation of what I would see. Miracle truly didn't disappoint in this aspect, but unfortunately that's the only way in which it didn't disappoint. Miracle delivered a truly predictable sports flick that didn't even really make the journey very much fun.
There are many many films in the sports movie genre, leading to played and replayed stories with smarmy, milked endings. This one was no exception. Sometimes they can be pulled off without seeming heavy-handed or trite, but other times, they just turn out schmalzy and boring. This tried story of a has-been-turned-coach having to deal with a team made up of a group of argumentative Hollywood hotties and the ensuing lives changed and unity formed contains exactly every single element the sports movie formula requires. Honestly, I expected Emilio Estevez to arrive at any moment and instruct the players to initiate the Flying V maneuver and win the game.
Aside from the thematic issues, there were technical indiscretions as well. As far as editing goes, you could tell what they were going for, with the constant cuts back to the timer and the extreme closeups, but it just didn't seem to add anticipation, just confusion. Furthermore, the extended overuse of close shots often led to confusion as far as blocking and where characters were in relation to other characters in a scene, lacking some serious establishing shots. Still, there were SOME good acting moments, particularly on the part of Kurt Russell, who pulls off a relatively brilliant Coach Herb Brooks. The kids were all right for the most part (was it just me and my companions, or did a lot of those kids look almost identical?), but their characters still seemed at times overworked.
In the end, it was all right, exactly what I expected, so I can't say I was disappointed. But what I CAN say is it's a good thing America won, or else they wouldn't be worthwhile individuals, or so the sports world would have you believe. "It doesn't matter if you win or lose...." Hm. That theory seems lost on America as of late.
5/10.