This series is dedicated to matching memorable movies with the signature day each year upon which I could watch them forever. This year marks another Winter Olympics, and I would be remiss not to take a look at this modern classic. And so, this day's viewing can be none other than:
Cool Runnings (1993, Walt Disney Pictures, Jon Turteltaub)
The Wailing Souls' Love You Want is such a feel-good, positive, excellent way to start this film. A great Reggae tune to put you in the island mood. The song starts us off on a hopeful track, and forms a great counterpoint to the emotional rollercoaster—err, sliding track—the viewer is about to ride.The main cast has such an endearing and distinctive set of characters. Derice is the clear leader and straight arrow with a handsome face. His earnestness and drive are easily visible and he doesn't come off as hokey. Sanka is the loveable joker and pressure-release valve on the team. His smile and quick wit play as natural and funny. Yul (named after Yul Brynner) is the strong, abrasive type. His tough-man attitude is a cover for his insecurities and protection against ridicule. Junior is the baby-face of the bunch and quietly the most insightful. His innocence and sweet-nature don't feel contrived. And, of course, Blizter (played by John Candy) brings a veteran comedy actor's timing to a part that interestingly has maybe the fewest joke moments. Candy's own dark side probably fueled the character's own troubled past and gave the performance a believable guilt and gravity.
The opening scenes in Jamaica really amp up the fun factor and get you invested in the mains. The scene where Derice, Yul, and Junior trip and miss the Summer Olympics qualifier for sprinting is a great bit of foreshadowing that stays buried among the early-goings high-notes. The Jamaicans' pursuit of Blizter to be their coach and the subsequent trials getting accustomed to bobsledding on the island are good slapstick. Later, the scene where they each scramble to earn petty cash to fund their dawning Winter Olympic hopes plays like a cheeky montage of comedic vignettes.
The film shifts gears when the crew finally makes it to Calgary. Watching them struggle to acclimate to the weather, put together their gear, and draw inspiration from each other and the international atmosphere has an edge of tension to it. The film manages to pull off this delightful air of positivity and good attitude despite the uphill battle that the team continually faces. It's an alluring tension that keeps you bracing for what's coming next after each little character obstacle that comes up, but deep down makes you feel like it will turn out alright anyway.
"I see pride! I see power! I see a badass mother who don't take no crap off of nobody!" This line has always stuck with me. It's a call to self-actualization. It's part of what leads up to the goofy bar-brawl scene, and completely overshadows the played for laughs fisticuffs that follow. In Hollywood, self-actualization in movies often comes down to using your fists. But in real life it more often comes down to taking firm hold of where we stand against the odds.
The best line in the film is delivered with heart by Candy's disgraced coach: "A gold medal is a wonderful thing. But if you're not enough without it, you'll never be enough with it." This can be said about a lot of things in life. Money. Love. Power. Fame. All the things the four Jamaicans were after. All the things you and I might be after. Impermanent things.
Still, the Jamaican bobsled team strives to do their best and even starts to turn heads as they compete. It's charming to see their hard work start to pay off, and even more heartening to see them embrace who they are as competitors rather than cheat who they might become just to win. It's an odd reversal of Blitzer's story, who cheated after he had won to try to stay on top.
In the end, as in the true event that the movie is based on, the Jamaican bobsled team crashes out on their third heat after showing some promise. Though they didn't win, the team crosses the finish line on their feet, earning the respect of the onlookers and the hearts of the viewers who have followed them with interest from the opening moments.
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