Miracle: The dictionary describes it as an event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God. The movie, Miracle, stars Kurt Russell as Herb Brooks, the Minnesota hockey coach that brought home the gold in the Olympics of 1980.

        It was not supposed to happen, that gold medal. The Russians were unbeatable, and as Brooks himself says, they would win 9 out of 10 games. But they lost one game, and that's what the movie is all about.

        Most of the film takes place on the ice and the pace is rapid fire. Likely the rapid movement will appeal to kids accustomed to video games where the action is constant. This particular pair of eyes found that a lot of things seemed to go by in a blur, but I still got the message.

        Kurt Russell is very powerful as Brooks. His dialogue is minimal, his presence maximized. To build an ideal team he has no plans to be a team player. He selects the team alone and alienates himself from his players. Experts complain that Brooks didn't pick the best players. He counters that he picked the right ones.

        The magic of this miracle is that Brooks recognized what was needed, that his boys would have to be the best trained and the most disciplined that they could possibly be. If a miracle might occur, the team had to be strong enough to last the distance.

        The skeptic eye for the movie guy has to wonder how much of this story was fabricated to fit the finale. Did Brooks really whip his team so hard that they almost collapsed getting into shape? Brooks was a consultant on the film, up until his death, which occurred after primary filming concluded.

        The truth probably doesn't matter. In the end, this heartwarming film makes you want to jump up and cheer! There's something completely universal about this story, where David brings down Goliath, which makes you believe. Certainly Miracle is a wonderful conversation starter for anyone interested in building a team, be it a choir, a sporting group, or a department.

        At the risk of sounding like a gaggle of clichés, Miracle's message is that you should be all you can be, you just never know when the impossible might fall into your grasp. And you can't catch the ball unless you're on the field. I loved Miracle.

        Home || Complete list of reviews