Slap Shot.

Review #1178: Slap Shot.

Cast: 
Paul Newman (Reggie 'Reg' Dunlop), Strother Martin (Joe McGrath), Michael Ontkean (Ned Braden), Jennifer Warren (Francine Dunlop), Lindsay Crouse (Lily Braden), Jerry Houser (Dave "Killer" Carlson), Andrew Duncan (Jim Carr), Jeff Carlson (Jeff Hanson), Steve Carlson (Steve Hanson), David Hanson (Jack Hanson), Yvon Barrette (Denis Lemieux), Allan F. Nicholls (Johnny Upton), Brad Sullivan (Morris Wanchuk), Stephen Mendillo (Jim Ahern), Yvan Ponton (Jean–Guy Drouin), Matthew Cowles (Charlie), and Kathryn Walker (Anita McCambridge) Directed by George Roy Hill (#962 - A Little Romance)

Review: 
Minor-league hockey must seem like an interesting experience to play in or watch (whether at home or not), whether one lives in the Midwest or in Texas. The screenplay by Nancy Dowd was inspired by her brother Ned (appearing as Ogie Ogilthorpe in the film's climax) and his experience in playing this type of hockey. One of the teams that Dowd had played on was the Johnstown Jets, who had played in four different leagues before folding in 1977 (coincidentally the same year this film was released), with some of the players from earlier teams such as the Carlson brothers serving as the basis for characters in this film, as Nancy Dowd traveled with the team for a month. One of the slogans for the team was "Aggressive Hockey is Back in Johnstown", which certainly applies to this film as well. The film was shot in numerous locations, one of them being Johnstown, Pennsylvania along with three New York areas with accompanying hockey arenas. It is certainly obvious that the film embraces its hockey roots, from the usage of hockey goons (and accompanying fights) to its citing of "old-time hockey" greats such as Toe Blake to its hockey action along with a small-town charm (along with owners who seem to think of teams as a "tax write-off"), along with a few dated things (namely players without helmets).

Slap Shot is a wonderfully entertaining movie, having plenty of raunchy and silly humor while also shining well in its hockey action to make a fairly solid experience headed by a wonderfully game Newman. There is something wonderful about him in this film, having a fun sense of humor and clearly enjoying himself. He has fun in trying to give himself (and his team) something to play for again while showing off some sly charm in balancing his hockey life and his personal life with Warren, who matches him just finely with some amusement. McGrath does well with his time on screen showing some cheesy charm in trying to manage (and recruit) a colorful group like this while having to do such wonderful promotional things for the team such as having them do fashion shows. Ontkean is okay, but the conflict between the old-time/goon hockey styles certainly could have done with a bit of re-tooling, since I find myself getting lost in the admittedly silly nature of the latter style of play more than I care about if he plays dirty or his conflict with his on-screen wife in Crouse, although at least he makes up for it for the most part in the climax with quite a show on the ice. The group of players are pretty amusing, with the Hanson trio (based on the real brother trio of Jeff-Steve-Jack Carlson) being a treat each time they are on screen, whether when seeing them play with toy cars or when watching them on the ice. The gags certainly work more often than not, and while the violence can certainly feel a bit much at times, there is at least some realism to go around to make things not feel too much like a cartoon. The film builds up to a ridiculous but fairly satisfying climax (complete with gestures and a show) that helps make it feel worthy. On the whole, the film is full of ridiculous hockey action along with some salty remarks that certainly still sticks out in the four decades since the film's release, standing as an entertaining hockey movie worth a watch.

Welcome to 2019 and Season Nine, folks. I hope this year results in some enjoyable and interesting films and reviews - can't promise anything too concrete in what to expect, but hopefully there are some interesting surprises in store.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.

A Little Romance.

Review #962: A Little Romance.

Cast: 
Laurence Olivier (Julius Edmund Santorin), Diane Lane (Lauren King), Thelonious Bernard (Daniel Michon), Arthur Hill (Richard King), Sally Kellerman (Kay King), Broderick Crawford (Himself), David Dukes (George de Marco), Andrew Duncan (Bob Duryea), Claudette Sutherland (Janet Duryea), Graham Fletcher-Cook (Londet), Ashby Semple (Natalie Woodstein), Claude Brosset (Michel Michon), Jacques Maury (Inspector Leclerc), and Anna Massey (Ms Siegel) Directed by George Roy Hill.

Review: 
I suppose there is a side of me that likes films that have a bit of sweetness to them, or movies that are engaging with their locations and situations. This film (based off the novel E=mc2 Mon Amour by Patrick Cauvin) just happens to be one of those, in part because the main trio of actors throughout a good part of the film: Olivier, Lane, and Bernard, with the latter two having a sweetly tender romance that manages to be fairly entertaining. Is it perfect? No, but there is a pleasurable kind of enjoyment that I got from watching these characters interact, with the scenery (France, Venice, and Italy) also helping in making this a nice time. This was the film debuts of both Lane and Bernard, and they seem comfortable with the roles they play, having a fine naturalism that comes off warmly enough. They play smart characters, but they don't feel too unrealistic to watch. Olivier is charming in a role that resembles a circus clown but with the right sense of style and enough balancing of skill and trickery that comes off as endearing. Kellerman's character is probably the most generic of film but she is at least doing her best in being watchable as the de facto adversary to the romance. I found Hill to be pretty neat and fairly serviceable as the stepfather, with my favorite scene being him confronting Dukes' character (dressed up in Boy Scout garb) near the film's ending. Crawford (making a guest appearance in one scene) is entertaining in his brief amount of dialogue, sharing an exchange with Bernard about who he punched in a film (named Sin Town) once that is a bit witty. The rest of the cast do a fine job in their roles, helping the movie keep a good edge of charm that works fine for me. It may verge on being a bit too cute (or superficial) for some, but I found it to be relatively engaging. The best kind of movie makes you keep watching, and this one does a fine job at keeping interest, with this film being entertaining enough and useful enough to be a solid winner.

Overall, I give it 8 out of 10 stars.