neumu [ cinematronic ]




	Miracle
	Gavin O'Connor Kurt Russell, Patricia Clarkson, Noah Emmerich, Eddie Cahill, Michael Mantenuto, Patrick O'Brien Demsey, Kenneth Mitchell, Nathan West 2004		It's miraculous that the docudrama "Miracle" wasn't made years ago. With a theme of triumph over the odds and a large dose of good old Yankee patriotism, the story of the gold-medal-winning 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team and its victory over the mighty Soviet Union national squad was a natural for the Hollywood feature treatment. Two decades after the fact, "Miracle" does a dutiful job of introducing thick-skinned, farsighted coach Herb Brooks, who whipped a motley gang of collegiate hockey players into a resilient team that could compete on the highest level — and did. Any filmmaker who can't wring a feel-good movie out of this property shouldn't even be directing high-school theater. Director Gavin O'Connor aces the hockey sequences. The drama is sold by a simmering-below-the-surface Kurt Russell as Brooks and by Patricia Clarkson's expertise in the thankless role of Brooks' patient, supportive wife. Noah Emmerich is sound as assistant coach Craig Patrick. The young actors playing members of the U.S. team are plausible as raw, determined athletes on ice. But "Miracle" doesn't merit a gold medal. It runs long and gets slushy in the middle when the team is coming together through adversity. The emotion is watered down. Only the momentous finale at the Lake Placid Olympics could be deemed electrifying.