This week I am substituting a beginning ESL class. The end class with a movie and this week it's Cool Runnings. I've been impressed with how well the movie has been keeping their attention. They laugh at not only the physical humor but they are getting many of the jokes as well. For me, it was a rediscovery of a movie I've not seen in ages.

THE PLOT

Jamaican Derice Bannock (Leon) dreams of going to the Olympics in track like his father; however, an accident at try outs defeats that dream. Not one to give up and wait four more years before he goes to the Olympics, he looks for a new sport to try. There is a former bobsled coach on the island , Irving 'Irv' Blitzer(John Candy). Since his sport is bobsledding it looks as if that will be his ticket to the games. All Derice must do is find a team, get the money, and qualify in Canada.

The rest of the team is played by Doug E. Doug (who is our comedian), Malik Yoba (our token tough guy) and Rawle D. Lewis (rich boy rebelling against his father). They must first convince Jamaica that there can be a Jamaican bobsled team then they must convince the world. But as in any underdog story, it can't be that easy. First, four individuals must work together as a team. Coach Blitzer has a checkered past. But their major opponent is finding the Jamaican way to compete in an environment of snow and cold that may overtake them.

My thoughts

It may be "based" on real life events but one must keep in mind that this is no Remember the Titans or Hoosiers. This version of "based" takes the general idea "Sunny Jamaican has a bobsled team" and hands it to comedy writers who go for there. It doesn't even use the real names of the players (I can't believe that a bald headed tough guy had the name Yul Brenner or another character was named Sanka Coffie.) In real life, the team had much more support from the corporate world and the other teams than they do in the movie.

Acting wise, this is a Disney comedy. It's not going to earn Oscars. But the characters are going to make you laugh. None of the them may be Jamaican but they all use the accent. Whether they are doing a good job of the accent or being stereotypical is in the eye of the beholder.

The plot and writing is standard "underdogs against the world" that Disney does so well. Once again no envelopes are pushed; however there is lots to laugh at. The majority of the humor may be physical, but not all. As we get towards the end of the movie we stop having the "laugh a minute" and get more "inspirational"; however, that fits in with the standards for this type of movie.

In other words, Cool Runnings won't take you anywhere you've not been before; however, you can just sit back, laugh and go on with your life. It's not the best movie of this genre nor is it the worst. I do think it's better than most. You will feel for the guys and cheer them on; but when it's over it may not be thought of much.

Notes for kids

Overall, the movie is family friendly. There is no drugs or alcohol use nor bad language. There was nothing that offended my classes which were a mixture of Mexican and Sudanese students. There is a bit of kissing but most of it is humorous. There is a lot of meat for discussion:

1. Why do you think the other teams wouldn't help the Jamaican team when they got there? (By that way, this is not accurate, the real team was welcomed with open arms)

2. When exactly does the team start acting like a team?

3. How would you react if you were sharing your dream with everyone and they only laughed? Why did Derice continue?

4. When should Junior have told his parents what he was doing? Why was he afraid?

5. Should the coach have told the team about his past? Why or why not?







Feel the rhythm! Feel the rhyme! Get on up, its bobsled time! COOL RUNNINGS!


Recommended:
Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Good for Groups