A Hill/Newman Masterpiece

Rating: 10/10 (3 August 2001)

An original, expertly crafted comedy from the underrated George Roy Hill. Paul Newman plays the captain of an inept semi-professional hockey team trying to stay afloat in a dying industrial town; when the team adds a trio of blood-seeking brothers (alone worth the price of admission), the team's notoriety catches fire with the depressed community. Hill captures this with a flat, no frills, documentary-like style and with Newman's intuitive ability to play on his aging charm, the film is absolutely convincing in its detail. Newman's contribution to cinema cannot be overstated: as an actor growing his immense talent through his beauty, he has given us insight into our preoccupation with our ideals of the American physique throughout its lifespan. He insists that aging has its grace and comedy and he's ruthless when it comes to examining himself. Hill also deserves credit for presenting Nancy Dowd's well-written screenplay directly and with a sense of timing that causes you to double over with laughter even as you're affected by the characters' plights. A masterpiece that underneath its knowing smirk lies a sense of childlike innocence in presenting things as seen, without embellishment.