Nerds That Geek Movie Review: ‘Miracle’

Written by John Edward Betancourt 

If there’s one thing cinema goers love to see on the silver screen, it’s a feel-good story. Because there’s just something wonderful about settling in with a tub of popcorn for two hours and losing one’s self in a story that tugs at the heartstrings and leaves the viewer’s spirit soaring with a powerful and inspirational ending. It’s why the happy ending prevails often in cinematic storytelling and it’s also why sports themed stories are so popular at the box office. Because seeing a group of men or women come from behind and come together to achieve wonders is always uplifting, but there is one inherent problem with sports movies in that, they tend to gloss over something important.
 
Because that moment of achievement, wherein our characters either take the field for the first time in their life, or win the big game only comes after thousands upon thousands of hours of physical and emotional strife. The kind that involves setbacks and failure and doubt and sadly, these types of movies tend to move right past that. I mean sure, we see our heroes and heroines work hard via a montage, but those tougher details are left out. Which is why I’m so supremely thankful when I get the opportunity to see a sports film that doesn’t hold anything back, and shows us the struggle and hard work that goes into glory, and thanks to Disney+, I was able to finally revisit a movie that meets that criteria in Miracle.
 
Now in this particular film, we are transported back to 1979 to meet an ice hockey coach named Herb Brooks and Herb is being asked to accomplish the impossible; to beat the Soviet Union on the ice at Lake Placid in the 1980 Winter Olympics. And why this task seems to be insurmountable is the sheer fact that the Soviets have dominated the sport since 1964. Which prompts Herb to assemble a unique group of talented, college hockey players to beat the Soviets and while these young men are thankful for this opportunity and eager to take on the Reds, they are ill prepared for what Herb has in store for them. Because he knows that these men are going to have to do something truly special on the ice in order to beat the Reds, which means he is going to push them like never before so they can bring the gold home for the first time since 1960. 

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So, the first real tidbit of note when it comes to this motion picture is that it is in fact, based upon a true story. For the United States did indeed beat the Soviet Union at the 1980 games and this movie is designed to show us how the ‘Miracle on Ice’ came to fruition back in the day and well, I have to admit this movie does a phenomenal job of filling in the blanks. Because we truly get to know every single man on that team, and what drives Herb to push these men so hard to become champions and the flawless recreation of the era and the wonderful character development present here is what sucks the audience in because you quickly find yourself eager to see these guys stick it to the Soviets and you care about seeing Herb and his boys succeed.
 
But truly the draw when it comes to this story is the blood and sweat and tears that I made mention of a little bit ago. Because we are privy to a bevy of practices wherein Herb pushes these young men to the limit and the fine acting present in this story, sells the struggle and the strife, to the point where you’re almost as exhausted as these young men as they work to become the best in the biz. Plus, we need to take a moment and talk about Kurt Russell’s subtle yet domineering performance as Herb Brooks. Because his acting talent allows for us to understand how badly Herb wanted this win back then and how he motivated his men in the right way to get the very best out of every last one of them and how seeing them come together and win at Lake Placid filled him with pride and wonder.
 
If anything, this really is quite the compelling film. In fact, the final act wherein the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. take the ice, outright sucks you in since the game is intense and powerful in its own right. But all those epic and intense moments aside, I am truly thankful that this movie leaves no stone unturned when it comes to expressing to the audience that great moments are earned and that the only way to achieve them is through incredible hard work and sacrifice. So, if you’re ever in need of a pick me up, or need a push to get yourself over the hump on a big project, or you just want to see a great motion picture, pop this one in or fire it up on Disney+ if you have it, you’ll be glad you did.

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