Goon (2011) Review

I know I've just reviewed another sports movie but hear me out, "Goon" is worth a look. It's a hockey movie, alright, but unlike conventional fare like "The Mighty Ducks" or "Miracle", this one focuses on enforcers beating the crap out of each other.

Without Limits (1998) Review

I have a soft spot for sports movies. Wait, didn't I already make that point clear here? Whatever, let's get down to business: "Without Limits", a movie about American running legend Steve Prefontaine. For me as an ignorant European (you know that kind) the guy didn't ring any bells but I heard good things about the film so I went and checked it out.

Happy Gilmore (1996) Review

Ah, Adam Sandler, hated by critics everywhere and loved by the American audience. Say whatever you want about him but there's no denying that this guy makes some serious cash at the box office. Which makes me wonder why. In all honesty, he's not that funny of a comedian and he's definitely not that good of an actor. His characters are mostly just variations of the same chauvinist stereotype and that stuff gets old really quickly.

BUT, it's not that he's never made a good movie. In my humble opinion his best is without a doubt Happy Gilmore, one of my childhood favorites and together with Billy Madison one of the first successes of Sandler.

The story of Happy Gilmore isn't much more than warmed up sport film cliches about a failed hockey player who becomes a rowdy golf sensation. But what the film lacks in script is made up for by the clash of the fancy golf world with the redneck mentality of Sandler. Mash that with a great performance by Christopher MacDonald as the perfectly named villain Shooter McGavin and a hilarious cameo by Ben Stiller and you get a simple, funny and entertaining movie.

Some might complain about the main character who's not always sympathetic or the alarmingly underdeveloped supporting characters but you know what? I don't care, this movie will always be fun to me!

Cool Runnings (1993) Review

I hate to admit it but here it comes: I am a sucker for cheesy sports movies. I don't know what it is but when some sport gets glorified on screen and decade old clichés get warmed up I just can't help myself but go with it. Without a doubt one of the best cheesy sports films (and most definitely one of my childhood favorites) is Cool Runnings.

The film is about the first Jamaican bobsled team to go to the Olympic Games in 1988. It is loosely based on a true story and plays it safe and family-friendly all the way. The four very different main characters together with their unlikely coach played by John Candy are really well cast and share a great chemistry. Granted, they go through every sport film cliché in the book but hey, do you really care when it's so much fun?

You can bash this film for all the cheesiness it exhales, every 90s style montage it includes, every grand speech it takes pride in. Or you can just relax and take it for what it is, a pitch perfect sports film that doesn't care about its unoriginal underdog story, a family film that even gore fans don't need to be ashamed of liking, a comedy that treats its characters with warmth without mocking them.

I don't know what else to say, this is a great simple film that doesn't try to change the world but charms the audience all the way through. If you are not entertained by Cool Runnings then go and check whether you're still alive.