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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. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

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. Andrea LeVasseur

Chicago Sun-Times

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. Roger Ebert

Los Angeles Times

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

Product Details

• UPC: 786936231939
• Source: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: THX-Supervised Mastering, Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English, Français
• Time: 2:16:00
• Sales Rank: 401

This DVD is also available as part of a box set:

• Miracle & The Rookie

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