A gem of a movie

Rating: 9/10 (6 April 2000)

A Canadian friend of mine recommended me this movie as one of his favorite comedies. Since he loves hockey, I did not give it much thought. But, eventually, I rented it.
It stunned me. This is a movie that is just too smart for its own good. A fabulous script that any studio nowadays would reject. This is a film that an be read on so many levels. A jewel of American film that has been disregarded by critics and audiences. By the reviews here, it seems even hose who love it might not have seen how deep this movie goes.
This is a movie that is in the comedy genre, but just as with Chaplin's films, it switches back and forth to drama, too. And just as with The Great Dictator, there's a huge irony and social criticism behind it.
On the surface, it is a comedy about a small losing hockey team and how they turn their luck by the use of violence. With this new tactic, they end up attracting fans, critics and disorienting rivals as the team rises to the top. The characterizations are vivid. Paul Newman's character is given a true motivation behind his antics: to win back his wife, who is about to divorce him. This is all standard Hollywood stuff, but still is some of the best. The scenes are terribly realistic, the dialog is never direct but subtle, and the comedy, except for the fights in the ice, is never played for laughs. There's excellent slapstick humor, but there's also some great lines that fans of the movie will probably repeat forever. The main characters are so real that it feels you can touch them. Paul Newman's role is a complex one and this is one of his best performances I've seen from him, with many facets. Both manipulative, romantic, womanizer, workaholic, leader and father figure. And the other characters share also that complexity: the other players, his wife and the wives of others, the team manager/agent, etc.
But... this is just the surface. Sure, violence in the NHL may not be such a hot topic now that new rules have been put in place and sanctions have become more severe.
But it is the secondary themes that really earn this movie my respect. It is in these areas that it has aged so well. In some aspects, it is even more important today than when it was made. The isolation of the wives of the players, enduring cheating and struggling with drinking and divorce. A real reflection of the dark side of our society then and now -- an analogy of the struggle between work and family, between professional and personal success. There's a good punch aimed at the sports media, another topic that could not be hotter in a time where basketball, football and even golf players are quickly turned into movie stars.
Watch this movie once. Watch it twice. Watch it several times. It will keep getting better each time.