Miracle

Kurt Russell Director: Gavin O'Connor Gavin O'Connor

Overview

Gavin O'Connor directs the sports drama Miracle, based on a true story from the 1980 Winter Olympics at Lake Placid. Kurt Russell stars as puffy-haired hockey coach Herb Brooks, a former U.S. Olympian who assembles a team that is a decided underdog as the Games begin. Scrappy, focused and -- after a battling Sweden to a tie in its opening contest -- undefeated though the early rounds, the Americans face the world's most formidable squad, the team representing U.S.S.R., in the semi-final round. Despite the odds, Brooks leads the U.S. team to victory against the Soviets in a battle freighted with Cold War baggage, before facing Finland in the finals. Also starring Eddie Cahill and Patricia Clarkson, Miracle was distributed by Walt Disney Pictures.

Product Details

Release Date:	03/29/2011
UPC:	0786936813746
Original Release:	2004
Rating:	PG
Source:	Walt Disney Video
Region Code:	ABC
Time:	2:16:00
Sales rank:	12,885

Special Features

The making of Miracle; From Hockey to Hollywood: the actors' journeys; The sound of Miracle; Miracle ESPN roundtable with Linda Cohn; First impressions: Herb Brooks with Kurt Russell and the filmmakers; Audio commentary by director Gavin O'Connor, director of photography Dan Stoloff and editor John Gilroy; Outtakes

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Kurt Russell	Herb Brooks
Patricia Clarkson	Patty Brooks
Noah Emmerich	Craig Patrick
Sean McCann	Walter Bush
Kenneth Welsh	Doc Nagobads
Eddie Cahill	Jim Craig
Patrick O'Brien Demsey	Mike Eruzione
Michael Mantenuto	Jack O'Calahan
Nathan West	Rob McClanahan
Kenneth Mitchell	Ralph Cox
Eric Peter-Kaiser	Mark Johnson
Bobby Hanson	Dave Silk
Joe Cure	Mike Ramsey
Bill Schneider	Buzz Schneider
Michael Coristine	Young Herb
Pete Duffy	Robert Suter
Stephen Kovalcik	Dave Christian
Nate Miller	John Harrington
Samuel Skoryna	Steve Janaszyk

Technical Credits

Eric Guggenheim

Mike Rich

Gavin O'Connor	Director
Tom Bronson	Costumes/Costume Designer
Mark Ciardi	Producer
Ross Dempster	Art Director
John Gilroy	Editor
Gordon Gray	Producer
Ross Greenburg	Executive Producer
Justis Greene	Executive Producer
Eric Guggenheim	Screenwriter
Sarah Halley-Finn	Casting
Randi Hiller	Casting
Mark Isham	Score Composer
Michael McGee	Sound/Sound Designer
Jonathan Mone	Associate Producer
Greg O'Connor	Co-producer
Mike Rich	Screenwriter
Brian Ross	Musical Direction/Supervision
Daniel J. Stoloff	Cinematographer
Mary Lou Storey	Set Decoration/Design
Pete Whyte	Asst. Director
John Willett	Production Designer

Scene Index

Disc #1 -- Miracle
1. Opening Credits [3:18]
2. A Lofty Goal [5:26]
3. Making the Cut [9:04]
4. Old Rivalries [5:57]
5. Motivations [9:00]
6. Training [5:59]
7. "Again!" [8:08]
8. "Legs Feed the Wolf" [6:30]
9. Whatever it Takes [5:45]
10. "We're a Family" [8:27]
11. Final Roster [3:24]
12. The Soviet Machine [6:57]
13. Olympics Begin [6:24]
14. "I Am a Hockey Player" [5:27]
15. Team Effort [6:19]
16. "This is Your Time" [1:43]
17. Score Tied [5:50]
18. "USA!" [:01]
19. Victory [:35]
20. End Credits [6:31]

Menu

Disc #1 -- Miracle
   Play Movie
   Bonus Features
      The Making of Miracle
      Audio Commentary
         View the Film With Audio Commentary by Director Gavin O'Connor, Director of Photography Daniel Stoloff and Editor John Gilroy - On
         View the Film With Audio Commentary by Director Gavin O'Connor, Director of Photography Daniel Stoloff and Editor John Gilroy - Off
      Register Your DVD
   Scene Selection
   Sneak Peeks
   Set Up
      Audio Options
         English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
         French Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound
      Captions
         English For the Hearing Impaired
         None
      THX Optimizer

Editorial Reviews

An inspiring story drawn from real-life events surrounding the 1980 Winter Olympics, Miracle provides Kurt Russell with the best starring role he's had in years. The erstwhile child star, best known as Escape from New York's Snake Plissken (or perhaps as Mr. Goldie Hawn), portrays Herb Brooks, the veteran hockey player turned coach charged with assembling the U.S. team for the 1980 Games. The United States had not been competitive in Olympic hockey for two decades, a period during which teams from the USSR dominated international play. The task had a special resonance for Brooks, because he had been the last player cut from the American team that won the 1960 Olympic gold. A handsome Hollywood star whose boyish looks once made him a teen idol, Russell is totally convincing as the grizzled, hard-boiled coach. He has the character nailed with regard to superficial things -- Brooks's hopelessly square buzz-cut and plaid jackets, his Minnesota accent, his no-nonsense manner -- but he also seems to have internalized the coach's feelings. The real Brooks, who died in a car crash shortly after the film's completion, consulted extensively with Russell. Sports movies these days tend to focus on the young team members, who only seem to pull together after experiencing some kind of trauma. Everything builds to the Big Game. But Miracle is different because it focuses on Brooks, who inspires awe and commands respect precisely by remaining aloof from his players. He isn't an avuncular figure; he drives the would-be Olympians hard and takes no advice from well-meaning but essentially useless hangers-on. It's not that the film doesn't have well-drawn supporting characters: Noah Emmerich is fine as Herb's assistant coach, and Eddie Cahill stands out as Jim Craig, the team’s spirited goalie. But this is Russell's show, and director Gavin O'Connor knows it. Despite the movie-ready true story, Miracle avoids many of the clichés you typically see in sports movies, and even during the well-staged hockey sequences it remains fixed on its principal character. Thankfully, that character is extremely well drawn in the script and portrayed with gusto by a much-underrated actor.

Barnes & Noble - Ed Hulse

Director Gavin O' Connor made a brilliant decision to cast hockey players rather than actors to portray the members of the 1980 USA Olympic team in Miracle. Although the film will not teach the viewer a thing about hockey itself, the action all looks like the real thing. That verisimilitude complements Kurt Russell's fine performance as coach Herb Brooks. Russell does a superb job of playing a man who is consciously manipulating his players in order to get the best out of them. His performance lets the audience know how difficult it is for him to occasionally confront the more painful aspects of his job, but also shows how that inner struggle is never revealed to his players. Brooks did not want a collection of stars when he put his team together, he wanted a unit that would work well together. This is exactly how the unknown (and often first-time) actors who represent the team come across. Nobody is asked to do anything too difficult from an acting standpoint, allowing Russell to control every scene with his dominating personality. The film has faults -- Patricia Clarkson is fine but underdeveloped as Brooks' wife, and the final voice-over is overly earnest in a way the film had almost entirely avoided up to that point. However, Miracle does offer downright inspired game footage. The camera weaves in and out of the action in ways that will surprise an audience only familiar with televised hockey. The period aspects of the story are handled with taste and restraint -- an achievement considering how easily the film could have pandered to a viewer's patriotism. Miracle succeeds at being Hoosiers on ice, an honorable achievement for any sports film.

All Movie Guide - Perry Seibert

Although playing a hockey coach might seem like a slap shot for an actor, Russell does real acting here. He has thought about Brooks and internalized him.

Chicago Sun-Times - Roger Ebert

Powered by an excellent Kurt Russell performance, Miracle treats old-fashioned, emotional material with an intelligence that respects both the story and the audience.

Los Angeles Times - Kenneth Turan