The Miracle Match
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Movie Reviews of The Miracle Match
Movie Review: Can we do it? Yes, we can!
Summary: 4 Stars
My title line should not be a spoiler: "Can we do it? Yes, we can!" If so, the movie title is a spoiler: "The Miracle Team"! What do "miracle teams" do? They come from the underdog position to win!
The cobbled team of St. Louis-New York players won the World Cup in the 1950 Championship game against the world's best team and best player in a 1-0 victory. How did it happen? How could this major sports upset even conceivably take place? After try-outs, two weeks of practice, and personal, ethnic, religious, and regional clashes of differences, the team finally jelled, even during the game for this sports coup.
Do you know the applied meanings of Apollonian and Dionysian styles of doing things? The New York team was Apollonian--structured, intellectual, controlled. The St. Louis team, comprised of Italians from the famous Hill area, was Dionysian (think god of wine)--loose, fun-loving, instantaneous.
The two styles were a major conflict. New York was led by a man of German-descent, Walter Bahr (some of these men from St. Louis had served in World War II). St. Louis's leader, Frank Gorghi, was the go-to guy in leaving words of wisdom and guidance, while Walter was a cool, calculating, but also wise leader. The two were able to work together and make the team eventually click. Going against the manager's decision, they went as a unified front to convince Joe Gaetjens, an African player attending school in America, a natural athlete, and later the soul of the team, to play.
Breaking elements down:
PRO:
1. Considering that the movie was made by the same people making HOOSIERS and RUDY, both exciting sports movies, this movie was criticized for lacking that same excitement. I found the championship game most exciting and was on my feet cheering most of the time!
2. A major point is that the story was made into a movie enjoyable to watch, good for a family entertainment. Maybe another group later can remake it to include what other reviewers saw as weaknesses.
3. Only two actors' names stand out (Gerard Butler and Patrick Stewart). I liked the use of little known or unknown actors. It makes the viewer not single out favorites to watch. I know Gerard Butler is getting to be a big name now, but not at the time the movie was made.
4. The film looks professional. It is not an embarrassment for the celebration of this major American sports event or the players.
CONS
1. Lack of character development. There was enough for the viewer to get a working knowledge of each one's background or some little aspect of his character, but not enough.
2. What happened to the players after this major game? Viewers always want this information just out of curiosity. Did the game change them? Not change them?
3. One reviewer criticized the use of the sports reporter narrating part of the story to give background and explanations. This technique is not an uncommon use of characters. I saw nothing wrong with it. It gave a Greek chorus kind of narration.
Overall, "The Miracle Match" is a highly satisfying movie. I watched it a second time recently and discovered to my major surprise that I immensely enjoyed the movie much more this time. At the first viewing, I was not really into watching soccer.
This is a great movie to watch on July 4th, or in celebration of the American spirit to win at all odds, just like the revolutionists did in 1776. That was a miracle match, as are the teams in this movie. Both times the Americans defeated the British!
Movie Review: "I don't want to be an undertaker, I want to be a soccer player!"
Summary: 4 Stars
Beautifully realized, The Miracle Match's strength - for non-soccer fans at least - is the fabulous recreation of 1950's period detail. The movie is mostly buoyed along by the strong performances and the admittedly great eye candy from its leading men, but oftentimes the film's energy stalls when it should be exciting and uplifting.
Obviously soccer was nearly invisible on the US scene in the 1950's, but that didn't stop a rag-tag group of mostly Italian Americans from the Bronx neighborhood, an unembroidered hotbed of football talent from forming the American team and going up against the formidable English at the World Cup final in Brazil.
It's indeed an incredible story of seemingly insurmountable triumph over adversity as the team was assembled almost literally overnight by Coach Bill Jeffrey (John Rhys-Davies) and promoter Walter Giesler (Craig Hawksley) who gave players only a few weeks for training and warm-up matches before flying to Rio.
Rather than giving an in-depth account of the players individual lives, director David Anspaugh has chosen to paint a wider canvas, spreading the dramatic interest over seven major characters not including the coach, a sportswriter, a couple of wives and one key opponent. And of course they're probably the best-looking bunch of guys you will ever see on film.
Mr. hunk Gerard Butler plays the key player; goalie Frank Borghi, whose athleticism in front of the net saves his team time after time. Rounding out the squad are Jay Rodan as "Pee Wee" Wallace, a boisterous party guy with a deathly fear of flying; Louis Mandylor as Gino Pariani, whose wedding moves up to accommodate the team schedule; Zachery Bryan as Harry Keough, a local mail carrier; and Costas Mandylor as "Gloves" Columbo, the team enforcer.
All the actors do well at portraying these - mostly - well-mannered young men who come together from different backgrounds to play for the common cause. Although clashes happen when the boys are placed under the tutelage of Walter Bahr (Wes Bentley) a focused college graduate from the East Coast who virtually manages the team given the coach's indifference and lack of faith.
The bad news about Miracle Match is that most of the team tends to get lost in the shuffle with only team captains Wes Bentley and Gerard Butler distinguishing themselves before the film is over. The dialogue is often clichéd treacle and the music - rather than complement the action - makes certain key scenes come across as relentlessly corny.
However, the good news is that there are several genuinely moving moments - the final match is especially exiting and compelling. The producers also deserve credit for insisting on location shoots in St. Louis - where many of the players on the 1950 team lived - and Brazil. The result is a great sense of time and place, which makes our intrepid heroes so much easier to root for. Mike Leonard October 06.
Movie Review: The Way We Were: Sportsmanship in the 1950s
Summary: 4 Stars
THE MIRACLE MATCH (released rather unsuccessfully in the theaters as THE GAME OF THEIR LIVES) is yet another one of those feel good movies that dwells on the concept that the problems of humanity can be resolved on the playing field. And that is not a bad metaphor: wouldn't it be great if current world problems could be worked out under the guidelines of teamwork?
The film is a heartwarming look at the true story of a 1950's event when a US Soccer team was created in St. Louis, Missouri, the core of the team being from Italian families in the La Montagna area of St. Louis and augmented from teams across the country, traveled to Brazil and defeated the English team in the World Cup Soccer event - a fact that startled the sports world. The St. Louis boys include Gerard Butler (yes, the film was made in 2005 and yet Butler looks younger and speaks without his brogue), Jay Rodan, Costas Mandylor, Louis Mandylor, Zachery Ty Bryan, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Richard Jenik and Nelson Vargas. They all do well, giving us the feeling that they are fully attuned to the story. The other actors (including a bit part by Patrick Stewart) handle their rather weakly written parts adequately.
The problem with the film, though probably quite accurate in reporting a true incident (the real and surviving original players form the team are included in the rather corny ending), is that we really don't get to know the personalities of the team players well enough to create a successful drama. The majority of the film is shot during soccer games and that becomes monotonous to those of us who are not soccer devotees. But given that problem, the film has a sweetness about it and an honesty that while bordering on saccharine does indeed emphasize the team spirit needed to conquer all odds. And in the end it is worth watching to view Gerard Butler in yet another type of character: the actor is well on the rise! Grady Harp, October 06
Movie Review: Heroes on and off the soccer field
Summary: 4 Stars
I had an opportunity to see this film during its brief limited release in theaters. As a fan of Gerard Butler, I especially enjoyed his performance as Frank Borghi, the captain and the emotional lynchpin of the USA World Cup team that accomplished an extraordinary upset defeat of Great Britain. Half of the team members came from an old Italian neighborhood in St. Louis (where it was filmed on location), and the other half from an Ivy League background. More drama about this culture clash would have been interesting, but was unfortunately minimized, as was the fact that several of the team members were decorated heroes of the Korean War.
The other performances are excellent as well, and I always enjoy seeing Louis Mandylor. This was a difficult film to make because the director had to find actors who could play soccer, rather than soccer players who could act. The scenes on the playing field are authentic and exciting, especially the climactic win in Brazil. Patrick Stewart's narration, on the other hand, was stiff and tended to overstate the obvious. John Rhys-Davies as the team's coach was oddly detached, which suggested that he was uninterested in their performance and doubted their capabilities. Was this true? Did they pull together as a team despite their coach?
Soccer films are few and far between, and attract very little attention, kind of like this historic game itself. This is an excellent movie for families whose kids are playing soccer.
Movie Review: "All You Need Is A Ball And An Open Space" ~ Character And Stamina In Life And On The Soccer Field
Summary: 4 Stars
`The Miracle Match' released in '05 is a nostalgic, well intentioned re-enactment of the events leading up to the '50 World Cup match played in Brazil between the U.S.A. and the number 1 ranked team in the world, England.
There is a lot of good things to say about this film. The production values are superior and the settings perfectly capture the feel and tempo of the time. The cast is also excellent and works well together. Unfortunately, there are also several shortcomings in the film:
1) Poor character development.
2) A rather contrived scene concerning the passing out of the team uniforms apparently designed to inspire patriotism and magnify the importance of the impending soccer match. I have nothing against patriotism, just didn't like the silly manner in which it was worked into the script.
3) The best moments of the movie are off the field of play. The anti-climatic big game with England is more of a letdown than the defining moment of the film as it should be.
Overall "The Miracle Match' is an enjoyable, uplifting family film worth a view. However I don't think it's something you'll return to watch again and again.