ironhorse_iv Review of Cool Runnings

Cool Runnings (1993)

Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time! Cool Runnings is a cool movie! No problem, man!

[7/10 · 12 February 2014]

This underdog sport movie is sure to touch you and lift your spirit. It's nearly a perfect family film. The film is loosely based on a series of true events of the first ever Olympic Jamaican Bobsled Team during the 1988's Calgary Winter Olympic Games. The movie by director Jon Turteltaub takes a lot of creative liberties in the story, recreate a movie infusing enough humor, heart and charm to make this story, very entertaining. The movie tells the story of four Jamaicans athletes, seeking a new way to make their country proud after failing the Olympic tryouts in track & field. All four, find the way in, through an ex-bobsledder named Irving Blitzer (John Candy) whom was banned from the sport, due to cheating. Now, living in shame, in Jamaica, Irving has become an alcoholic has-been. The team enlists his services to be their coach, and soon we find ourselves that maybe Team Jamaica might have a chance to make it to the Olympics, after all. The comedy was funny and enjoyable as each archetype character brings in a lovable trait in that makes it worth watching. First off, there is Derice Bannock (Leon) who dreamt of Olympic grander even if it's takes him losing his Jamaican identify by copying the Swiss team to do it. Then there is Junior Bevil (Rawle Lewis) whom lives under the strict watch of his wealthy father who doesn't wholeheartedly support his Olympic goals as a sub-plot. Third is Yul Brenner (Malik Yoba) who lacks a good education but makes up for that with physical strength and macho attitude. He is often mistaken as a thug. Last person in the team is Sanka Coffie (Doug E. Doug) whom may not be the best athlete of the four, but carries the most heart and pride in being Jamaican. The bobsledders portrayed in the film are fictional, but at less, the movie could had more realistic names for the four characters than naming one out of a pot of coffee, and an old Western actor. It's like naming a fast runner, Usain Bolt. Wait a minute, the last one is really his name. Haha. In the film, the team is formed by Jamaican sprinters after failing to qualify for the 1988 Summer Olympics. In real life, the Jamaican Summer Olympic Trials would have occurred following the Winter Olympics in Calgary. Irving "Irv" Blitzer is a fictional character as well; the real team had several trainers, none of whom were connected to any cheating scandal. In the sport of bobsledding, adding weight to the sled is perfectly legal. Both two and four-man sleds have minimum and maximum weights. As of this writing, the character of Irving Blitzer did nothing wrong. John Candy is amazing in the role, and it's sad that he died so soon after this movie. The villains of the film, if you can call them 'villains' are the East German team lead by arrogant leader, Josef (Peter Outerbridge) who treat the Jamaicans with serious scrutiny. Like the cartoony Jamaican stereotypes, the East German portrayal in the film are just outlandish racist. The only thing missing is the pencil thin mustaches for them. In real life, the East German team was very supported to the Jamaican bobsled team. There were somewhat true things about the film that worth noting. They did indeed turned up in Calgary without a sled. The nightclub fight didn't happen, but they almost start a riot there, when their singer got carried away and tried to sing a country song during a fund raiser for the sled. They were disqualified by the Olympic committee, but able to gain appeal. It was because the lack of training and whole thing about not having a sled. Not because cheating. Without spoiling too much of the ending, the events that happen are way different than that in real life, but the crash footage was the real life footage shot that day in 1988. The movie is so sport clichés that it's predictable to watch. The slow-building standing ovation is an example of this cheese formula. The film's depiction of such bobsledders carrying the sled over the line on their shoulders for dramatic effect works. This film in a masterful way shows that what matters is not always the victory but just being there and participating. Throughout the course of the movie we see the team prove to the world through their persistence that they are just as good as any other team, regardless of where they come from. They learn to become a team, learn to take pride in their culture, and do a lot of self-discovery. Even if the film itself, verges on being a bit mushy. Great morals that children will pick up on. There is some mild use of profanity, and few violent, but for the most part, it's worth watching with your children. The humor works, and the soundtrack is perfectly suited to support the mood of the movie. While the film was made by Americans. I think Jamaicans can find this movie, interesting to watch. Without this film; there wouldn't be much of a Jamaican bobsled program. The Jamaican national bobsled team still represents Jamaica in international bobsledding competitions even today. One of the original bobsled team member even won a Gold Medal in the Olympic in 2006 for Canada. International fans would love it for its Olympic source material, and the use of supporting your culture. So ya mon, it's a good movie!