This years NHL Winter Classic set a new record for the most coldest game ever played though wasn't strong enough to beat out the Ice Bowl in 1967. But with this years Classic marked as one of the coldest with a minus 10 degree weather, it kind of sparked a movie to go back on moreover go back and re-watch. And that movie is Mystery, Alaska, a hockey film that has so many flaws when it comes to creating drama but yet is enjoyable to watch all the way through. The film itself is loosely based off of a 1905 Stanley Cup game where the Ottawa Senators played a unknown team at the time, though I believe that this was based off of a 1910 exhibition game where the Montreal Canadiens played a Chicoutimi Hockey Club, for which a great goaltender by the name of Georges Vezina (whose named is on a certain Trophy given out to the top Goalie). Now getting back to the movie, it was written by David E. Kelly whose most famous for The Practice and Ally McBeal which makes sense that its written by a guy who has written a lot of soap opera's. Although it also had a partner in Sean O'Bryne whom I'm guessing is the real writer behind it because he at least came on a NHL Network special to talk about the film with fellow actors. Even though the film itself does have drama/storylines that are a bit comical and no need for it but the film is enjoyable to watch from start to finish.
Set in a Small Town of Alaska, excitement brews when, as part of a publicity stunt, the professional stars of the New York Rangers come to Alaska to face off against the local amateur team in a televised match.
I've seen this movie probably 4 times now and every year I sit and watch it. There seems to be missing things I didn't realize were there which are so somewhat amazing. I will admit and say that this movie isn't as great of a movie like Miracle or Slap Shot, or even The Rocket but its an enjoyable movie with some great Hockey play and unusual moments of drama that doesn't really need to be used but is overpowered by Russell Crowe and Burt Reynolds who in all honesty are the real anchors of this movie along with a surprising cameo of Bruins legend Phil Esposito. The film is considered a drama/comedy which is I guess it is but in all honesty the drama in this movie is a bit comical for many reasons its co-written by a man who has done a lot of soap opera's in his spare time moreover being married to Michelle Pfeiffer. I'll sum the drama in this movie in a top three overly dramatized moments the first one to start this off is probably the teenage romance of the young up and coming youngster who wants to play in the daily pond hockey game but is also dating Burt Reynolds daughter in the movie for a billion reasons nobody is really big into teenage romances for starters but through the course of the movie she's so desperately wants to have sex with the rookie because she believe he might leave her when he clearly state that he loves her twice and she never says that she loves him back, for which I guess her only excuse is wanting to bang at a young age. The second comedic/drama storyline is Burt Reynolds son is somewhat jealous of him all because he didn't play in the Saturday game (Pond Hockey) even though Burt Reynolds character actually played College Hockey and knows the rules better, furthermore thinks that Reynolds looks upon him as a disappointment, which really the way it was portrayed I believe Burt should of took his own kids a side and really tell him how big of a disappointment and also tell his son that the Saturday game was for Cissy's or something I'm trying to make this review a bit PG-13, though granted what I'm proposing is silly but lets not forget this is written by a soap opera writer. And now the final and most ridiculous drama/comic storyline is the love triangle between Russell Crowe, Hank Azaria and Crowe's wife in the movie and in all honesty I don't understand why a Crowe would be intimidated by a man who voices a tone of Simpsons characters, and I'm still reliving that thinking why would this be necessary to have because really what man who has such great hair and good looks would feel like he'd be challenged by a Simpsons actor who doesn't do much live action work I mean if he's doing his Moe voice and I can understand that some women would be turned on by that voice or maybe Comic Book Guy, now if that's the case then I would understand why women would be interested in wanting to date Hank Azaria. If I had to pick apart one plot hole it's probably that we don't quite understand why Burt Reynolds character doesn't want to coach the semi-pro team and we never had in answer for that during the first and second act of the film which is a bigger mystery than the Black Dahlia case, my thought is that he's probably so miserable about the place of Mystery and the people that he doesn't want to teach people how to skate because he thinks pond hockey's for Cissy's. Maybe the other plot hole is that everyone enjoys the Saturday game but the team consists of just the ones who are the right age and who ever is to old for the game is kicked out or forced into early retirement, now if they were playing teams from distant towns I get understand that, but there just playing for fun and are separated in two groups so I don't understand why just let them play for fun or take this game serious if your not competing with teams from distant towns, in which now I'm not making any sense because again I'm wanting to fix this movie despite the fact that it's already made. The last thing I'm going to say before closing this review is that there's no recognizable Ranger players on the New York Rangers there just a fictional roster with no sight of the most popular Rangers at the time, and this movie came out in October of 1999 and famous Rangers like Brian Leetch and Mike Richter who were still playing at that time moreover won the Stanley Cup, now sure you can't cast all of the Ranger roster but at least make in attempt to hire Leetch and Richter to be in this movie at least. A side from Burt Reynolds, I was actually impressed with Crowe in the film especially that he's playing Hockey and he's more of a Rugby guy since he's from Australia and according from a source he says he began to fall in love with the game of Hockey moreover wanting to wear number 10 in tribute to Ron Francis who was a Hockey player for the Hartford Whalers and part of the Stanley Cup champion Pittsburgh Penguins, so props to Crowe at least for getting into the role. So, in closing this film has some really fun moments. The dramatization is a bit, well, way too overrated but it's still an enjoyable Hockey film to watch from start to finish and maybe good to watch once a year.
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