Miracle - 6

This film is the true story of the 1980 US Olympic hockey team. The came into the tournament a complete underdog and ended up beating the Soviet team who had won all of the contest since 1960. The story revolves around the head coach, Herb Brooks, and his coaching style which is pretty harsh--making the team do skating drills until 3am after one particular game. The players were all recent college graduates, due to the amateur rule. The point of the film is to show that hard work and conditioning is a key to the game. The sentimental part of the film is that the team came together as a community that cared for each other and that allowed them to do something greater than themselves. How much a part of the real story is true is--well, let's just say it's a Disney film. The title is in reference to Al Michaels TV commentary in which he says, "Do you believe in miracles!?" The people who witnessed the event could barely believe what had happened, such an outrageous upset. The team went on to win the gold over Finland, which is a minor point in the film. Since this happened in the middle of the cold war that help to make this game even more meaningful for the country and the players involved. I think the story is well told despite its nostalgia.