Review of Cool Runnings (1993) by Mike S — 02 Aug 2010

Back in 1993, COOL RUNNINGS was an inspired sports film. It told an uplifting and interesting story, and featured some fine performances and thrilling bobsled scenes. Watching the film in today's 2010 mindset, the film loses a bit of its luster, as it's a film that has been emulated over, and over, and over again when it comes to the Disney sports genre.

This is hardly the fault of COOL RUNNINGS, obviously, as it was made before Disney (and the rest of Hollywood, really) decided to release the same sports film over and over again, while only changing the sport and actors and keeping just about everything else.

What COOL RUNNINGS does, it does well. It's funny in many places, mostly thanks to Doug E. Doug's expert performance. It has a lot of dramactic heft, with John Candy turning in a stellar performance as the team's coach. The bobsled scenes are thrilling, and the movie generally feels rather uplifting. It does all feel rather predictable, though, but there's nothing within the actual film that's even below average. A solid rental, for sure, and definitely a great way to spend a lazy afternoon at home. For a sports film (which I'm no big fan of), it's quite good.