Miracle

A rousing and satisfying (if a little perfunctory) story of the amazing 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team, this feel-good sports flick revolves around a band of unknown young scrubs who captured America's imagination and pride by beating the unbeatable Russians (and winning the gold medal) at the Lake Placid games. Anchored by an unusually complex and affecting performance from Kurt Russell as undemonstrative (except when angry) and mercilessly demanding coach Herb Brooks, Miracle paints its heroes with the kind of authentic flawed humanity that makes them seem three-dimensional even when most are largely interchangeable. None of the players stand out, but that's in keeping with Brooks'--a former Olympic hockey player determined to recapture old glories--team approach. "I'm not looking for the best players," he retorts sharply when questioned by Olympic Committee wags about picking his entire squad on the first day of tryouts through foreknowledge and gut instinct. "I'm looking for the right ones." Director Gavin O'Connor (Tumbleweeds) hitches the film's spirit to this maverick sentiment and it pays off when these underdogs take to the ice. Recommended. [Note: Available in either widescreen or full screen versions, DVD extras on this double-disc set include an audio commentary (by director Gavin O'Connor, cinematographer Daniel Stoloff, and editor John Gilroy), an 18-minute “making of” featurette, the documentary featurettes “From Hockey to Hollywood: Actors' Journey” (27 min.) and “Miracle: ESPN Roundtable with Linda Cohn” featuring Kurt Russell and three winning Olympic team members (41 min.), the 10-minute sound design behind-the-scenes featurette “The Sound of Miracle,” a 21-minute “First Impressions: Herb Brooks with Kurt Russell and the Filmmakers” tribute featuring U.S. hockey team coach Herb Brooks (with director intro), five minutes of outtakes, and trailers. Bottom line: an excellent extras package for a winning film.] (R. Blackwelder)[Blu-ray Review—June 23, 2009—Walt Disney, 136 min., PG, $34.99—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 2004's Miracle features a fine transfer and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. Blu-ray extras are identical to those on the standard DVD release, including an audio commentary (by director Gavin O'Connor, cinematographer Dan Stoloff, and editor John Gilroy), an 18-minute “making-of” featurette, the production featurettes “From Hockey to Hollywood: Actors' Journey” (27 min.) and “Miracle: ESPN Roundtable with Linda Cohn” featuring star Kurt Russell and three winning Olympic team members (41 min.), a 10-minute sound design featurette, a 21-minute “First Impressions: Herb Brooks with Kurt Russell and the Filmmakers” tribute featuring U.S. hockey team coach Herb Brooks and an intro by O'Connor, five minutes of outtakes, and trailers. Bottom line: a winning Blu-ray debut of a solid sports drama.]