95% based on a true story, and that's a miracle! (9/10)

Rating: 9/10 (24 May 2004)

I had the chance to meet goalie Jim Craig recently when he spoke for a company retreat I attended. I asked him how much of "Miracle" was accurate and how much was Hollywood. He said it was 95% accurate, right down to the dialogue, and having seen the film now, I don't doubt him. And there's little reason why it shouldn't have been that way, as the real story is certainly compelling enough to tell without embellishment.

In most sports movies, even ones that are "based on true stories", there are cliches added in, like the last second touchdown pass and the come-from-behind victory against the towering undefeated opponent. Well, in "Miracle", there are indeed last second goals and come-from-behind victories and strings of incredible saves by the goalie, but all you have to do is watch the "making of" feature on the DVD where the action from the movie is shown next to the actual footage and you realize that it is exactly as it really happened. Mark Johnson really did score with 1 second left to tie the game at the end of the period, etc.
I was about 10 years old when I eagerly watched the games on TV, but I couldn't remember some of the details and it was powerful to realize the real impact of what was accomplished, and how it was accomplished, which I couldn't really appreciate at that age.
The filmmakers did a terrific job with this film. The story of coach Herb Brooks (very strongly played by Kurt Russell) and the teamwork that he developed among the players makes for a compelling story, and the hockey action is superbly filmed. The decision to cast hockey players and teach them to act, as opposed to casting actors and trying to teach them to skate and play hockey seems like an obvious one in retrospect, but must have been made with some hesitancy and should be applauded. The hockey looks and feels very real, and that is not easy to capture. And the acting is certainly good enough, and why wouldn't it be when the 'actors' are portraying hockey players?? Not a stretch, really.
The victory at the end (it's not really a spoiler to say that, eh?) could have gone over the top with schmaltz and patriotic fireworks, but had just the right touch, capturing the kind of excitement and joy that we all felt sharing that moment.
Congratulations to the makers of "Miracle" for making one of the best sports films ever, and moreso congratulations to Herb Brooks and the 1980 U.S. Hockey team for giving us the incredible story to see!