Slap Shot Rating: 77/100

I guess if you haven't seen this movie yet, you have either been locked in a box (like me), or are part of a younger generation that has yet to discover this classic. Personally, I had been chastised every which way from Sunday by anyone who knew that I hadn't viewed it. So, I was pleasantly surprised when it showed up at the local video rental store.

Directed by George Roy Hill (Butch Cassidy, The Sting), the movie is about a minor league small market professional hockey team, coping with the lifestyle and relationship battles that come along with the harsh lifestyle. Paul Newman stars as Reggie Dunlop an aging player/coach for the Charleston Chiefs, a team that is struggling to win a hockey game, in a town that has turned its attention away from hockey and towards its own struggling economy. Behind the scenes, the general manager (played by Strother Martin, also from Butch Cassidy), is selling off team assets and trying to squeeze every nickel out of the franchise while providing Dunlop with a random assortment of teammates, including the rising star Ned Braden (played by Michael Ontkean), and the ultra-violent, dirty, dim-witted Hanson brothers. Nobody knows who the owner is but the rumors of the team closing operations is looming in the background.

After finally giving the Hansons some ice time (and watching the comedic carnage), and ending a five game losing streak, Reggie has an idea that hockey maybe the last thing that the town wants. He sets off to put on a brutal hockey freak show, in order to rekindle the town's interest and starts widespread rumors about the team moving to Florida in an attempt to flush out the owner's intentions.

The scenes have strong mature content and can get about as degraded and vulgar as they come, but retain a soft spot for these likeable losers, who are just trying to get by in a world that is getting more complex. You get a chance to see the consequences of the lifestyle in its various stages. One example is by seeing the players' relationships with their wives (Dunlop divorced years before, yet constantly attempts to find that spark again, Braden plays hockey to avoid his wife, who hates the life so much that she nearly drinks herself to death daily). Above all, the movie is hilarious (yup, hard to believe given some of the serious undertones) and has the ability to allow you to relate to each player's problems. The movie also introduces some of the most colorful hockey players (termed loosely, of course) that have ever been thrown onto the ice. The only drawback to the movie in general is that it is a bit dated, and some of the interactions feel that way, in particular, the general attitudes and treatment of women in the film. Also, though the style of hockey played in the film gets the point across about the league, some of the scenes were a bit hard to follow from an actual hockey standpoint.

The DVD includes the trailer which is as hilarious as the movie. It also includes subtitles, which should be turned on because the sound is at times hard to follow and there are some rich lines that just shouldn't be missed. Also, take a look at the production notes because they really get into depth about writer Nancy Dowd's background with this subject matter and provide some good text interviews with the cast members and director.

Though the movie may not be one for the collection, it is a worth a rental to get some great belly laughs.

Brian Murphy