Barnes & Noble

Mystery, Alaska is out there. Not just geographically, but in the metaphoric manner of Sicely from Northern Exposure, the titular fictional hamlet of Mystery, Alaska is just slightly off-kilter. It's also a big-time hockey town with a highly regarded amateur team. When this motley crew accepts a challenge to play the New York Rangers in a nationally televised event, you know the city slickers are in for surprises. But the fact that that Mystery, Alaska is predictable in no way keeps it from being a thoroughly enjoyable film, one bolstered by terrific performances and handsome cinematography. Aussie actor Russell Crowe, Oscar-nominated for The Insider, does a great weight-of-the-Great-White-North-on-his-shoulders turn as the scruffy town sheriff/team leader. The entire ensemble -- Hank Azaria, Lolita Davidovich, Burt Reynolds, et. al. -- benefits from cowriter/producer David E. Kelley's sense of character mischief. (His is the Emmy-winning mind behind TV's Ally McBeal and The Practice.) Director Jay Roach of Austin Powers fame managed to sneak in a hilarious cameo by the International Man of Mystery himself, Mike Myers. Let's hope he comes back if they ever make Mystery, Alaska 2. Brendan Morgan

All Movie Guide

In this comic drama about fame, sports, and small-town life, Mystery, Alaska is a small town in one of the least accessible parts of the coldest state in the union. It's a town where everyone knows each other and there isn't much to do. In places like this, small things tend to become very important, and in Mystery, the one thing that keeps everyone sane is hockey. Most of the men of Mystery are obsessive hockey fans, and a local hockey league has sprung up, with pools of neighborhood talent facing off on the ice every week. When a national sports magazine does a story on the hockey fans of Mystery, Alaska, someone at the National Hockey League gets an idea for a publicity stunt: send the New York Rangers to Mystery to play the local all-stars in a nationally televised game. Most of the locals are thrilled; the game will give the people of Mystery a chance to bask in the limelight and make their sleepy town a household word. On the other hand, in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's secrets, this event could cause everyone to start airing their dirty laundry in public, with the whole world watching. Mystery, Alaska was directed by Jay Roach, who enjoyed considerable success with the two Austin Powers films, and stars Russell Crowe as John Biebe, Mary McCormack as his wife Donna, Burt Reynolds as Judge Burns, and Lolita Davidovich as Mary Jane. Mark Deming

Product Details

• UPC: 717951004772
• Source: WALT DISNEY VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Aspect Ratio: Cinemascope (2.35:1)
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital, stereo
• Language: English, Français
• Subtitles: English
• Time: 1:59:00
• Sales Rank: 8,456

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