Youngblood

This film is well cast, and acted, there is a story, and the game of hockey is made clear even to those who are not fans. Some of the photography is way above average, for example the scene of puck shooting exercises by "Youngblood". The relationships between two brothers, father son, and two friends Judd Lowe and Patrick Swayze are all well presented. There was not a dull moment in this film. But above all this was a good vehicle to show Judd Lowe's talent. He really held the movie. It is a shame that he lost the momentum of his career by becoming addicted to drugs and alcohol.

Of course it did not hurt to have Patrick Swayze, Ed Lauter, Cynthia Gibb, and even Keanu Reeves. I am comparing it to another movie about young men whose dream is to join a professional sports team (Baseball) "Sugar" (2008) which was slow moving, Youngblood has a good pace, and flow of events.

One of my favorite underdog sports films. Swayze and Lowe are phenomenal

It was with some trepidation that I watched this movie, I loved it as a kid, like I did "Crocodile Dundee" and it's sequel, both of which disappointed me, upon rewatching them recently.

Plot In A Paragraph: Dean Youngblood (Rob Lowe) a 17-year-old farmhand from New York, has dreams of playing in the National Hockey League. He is granted the chance to travel to Canada to try out for the Hamilton Mustangs. At the try-outs, Youngblood displays the talent which got him "92 goals in the New York League" but also displays a lack of physical toughness that is so prized in Canadian hockey. This weakness is pounced upon by a brutish player, Carl Racki (George J. Finn), who is also trying out for the team and engages him in a fight. Youngblood quickly learns that flashiness and pure athletic ability will not be enough to be successful in this league. Despite being beat up by by Racki, the coach opts to select Youngblood for a spot on the team. He ingratiates himself to the other players and particularly Captain Derek Sutton (Patrick Swayze) and the coach's daughter Jessie (Cynthia Gibb), its not long before Racki reappears playing for a rival team.

Rob Lowe is good as Dean Youngblood, he is pretty enough for the "pretty boy" tag and looks in good shape. Cynthia Gibb is very attractive as Jessie Chadwick, and what an ass she has!! I loved it!! Ed Lauter is a lot of fun as Coach Murray Chadwick and George J. Finn is imposing and does a good job as Carl Racki. However Patrick Swayze steals this movie (yes even away from Cynthia Gibb's wonderful ass) as Derek Sutton. He is brilliant, and a reminder of what a talent we have lost.

Keanu Reeves had a small role as Heaver, one of Lowe and Swayze's team mates.

There are a lot of angry Canadian people expressing hatred for this movie. I can totally understand where they are coming from. I play the game of hockey, and I find it hard to believe that every time a player touches the ice, he's scoring goals. Added to that, how he learns to fight, and works out for a week, and all of a sudden beats up a guy that kicked his butt a couple of weeks before. BUT.... You also have to understand something else. Since Slap Shot, an undoubtedly awesome classic to all hockey fans around the world, there had not been an attempt at a movie that mainly focused on hockey. The makers of this movie had to be creative to attract attention for the sport. For example, the stick fight, the constant beautiful goals, the way he won the fight. It had some reality to it like the jokes played on the rookie in the bar and when they shave him, you know, down there. The way he was put up in someones house. The most impressive thing about the movie, was the beginning and how it set up the rest of the movie. It starts with a home video of Dean(Rob Lowe) when he was very young playing with his older brother and their friends. It shows how clearly dominant he was and that leads into the present time with him saying, "I've been offered a tryout with the Hamilton Mustangs." And to Canadians who feel like this movie disrespected your great sport (yes, i mean GREAT sport), remember this. When they are on their way to Canada, Deans older brother who is driving him says you are gonna have to learn, "Oh, Canada" and also when Dean says, "They'll never catch me" showing cockiness like he's superior to anyone in the league, his brother says, "Oh, they'll catch you." I love hockey, I loved this movie. Did it have it's flaws? Yeah, plenty of them. But if you're looking for an inspiring, action filled drama, give this movie a whirl.

Maybe it's because I neither follow hockey nor care for it, or maybe it's because I'm a 15-year-old female teenager, but I liked this movie. Sure, it's nothing special or extraordinary, in fact its plot has been done a million times. But I just liked it. It's virtually impossible not to like Dean Youngblood (and it's got nothing to do with the fact that Rob Lowe is hot) and to cheer for him when he finally learns how to hit a guy. The romance between Dean and Jessie actually doesn't seem forced; the two of them have a certain chemistry that is quite obvious to viewers like myself. Cynthia Gibb is all-natural in her role as Jessie, and Patrick Swayze evokes empathy in the viewer as the high-school drop-out who is *this close* to being a pro hockey player. But it is Rob Lowe who basically carried the whole movie, and once again, it has got nothing to do with the fact that he is hot.

Overall, this is a feel-good hockey movie that I liked. I usually can't stand sports movies, as I hate sports with an intense passion, but this one is just...well, it's just nice. And then there's Rob Lowe...