Mystery, Alaska

This movie is easy to bash because of its "underdog" formula, but this is one of the better spins I've ever seen put on it.

Mystery, Alaska is a small, ice-covered town that no one would ever have heard of were it not for former resident Charles Danner's (Hank Azaria) article on the "Saturday game" of hockey that has become a ritual in the town. Danner sings the town's hockey praises, likening their skating ability to that of "any team in the NHL," and the gods of fiction hear the call, arranging for an exhibition game between the New York Rangers and the Mystery players. This sets off storms of conflict and multiple subplots which give this film a depth normally not found in the genre. The hockey game itself is almost an afterthought, because while the players know how to play the game, they don't have the same mastery over their daily lives.

John Biebe (Russell Crowe) is the town sheriff and involuntarily-retired player from the Saturday game who is called upon to return to the team as their coach and as a player. His wife, Donna (Mary McCormack), is proud of the life she has built and slightly wistful about what the rest of the world would have held for her, but is content with what she has and does not live with her head in the clouds. Burt Reynolds is excellent as town judge Walter Burns, who must grapple with his teenage children, one of each gender, with the boy lacking the ambition Walter has for him, and the girl being a little too ambitious for his taste with her boyfriend. Colm Meany is the town Mayor who must deal with marital conflicts, and the remaining characters are what you'd expect to find in a closely-knit small town.

The game itself is more like something out of "The Air Up There" than any of the movies mentioned in the other reviews. In that movie, the Africans played basketball for much the same reason as the Mystery boys play hockey, and as in that movie, the talent pool from the area is rich enough for the pros to take more than a passing look at the players (two of the Mystery players wind up signing with the Rangers and playing for their minor-league outfit in Binghamton).

The players' main worry is that they'll get blown out by the Rangers, and shatter their illusions about their talent, but since the game is held on "their pond," where they believe "nobody beats them," they weren't about to back down. The Rangers, at first reluctant opponents who would rather have had some time with their families, get an early wake-up call in the game that causes them to remember why they played hockey in the first place, and take the game as seriously as a Stanley Cup final from then on. It is then that we see that while the Mystery players may lack the polish of the NHL, they are hardly outclassed.

As expected, the Zamboni makes a cameo, as does Mike Myers as a former player/announcer. The movie has the usual small-town hostility towards outsiders, including some ribald swipes at a female TV reporter, but throughout the movie, we see what makes this town tick, and how their commitment to hockey is one that every professional player should never lose. Sports may be a business, but in the end, the play is the thing, and this movie makes that point better than many of the better-known films that try to drive home the same point.

Not exactly for hockey, moral lesson, humor, performances. But for the lovely, realistic, sweet portrait of a place and its people. For the small incidents, friendship, jokes, sexual life, local pride and for Russel Crowe in his perfect role. It is a film about sport. But it has the science and courage to risk be more. A film about ordinary people front to a huge challenge. Giving the wise answer. A film about solidarity and force and love. And , sure, about local patriotism. In beautiful manner.

In Mystery, Alaska, hockey is the pride and joy of the residents of the small town. Their hockey game every Saturday is the greatest entertainment of the locals that are proud of their amateur team. When the reporter Charles Danner (Hank Azaria), who moved to New York many years ago, returns to Mystery by helicopter, he meets Mayor Scott Pitcher (Colm Meaney) and proposes a game against the powerful New York Rangers to be broadcast live. The captain of the team and sheriff John Biebe (Russell Crowe) is cautious and warns that the other team is professional and their team might become a national joke and destroy the proud of the locals. But Mystery challenges the Rangers and the Mayor invests money building a facility around the pond for the game. Meanwhile Charles rekindles the feelings of his former high- school sweetheart Donna Biebe (Mary McCormack), who is married with John with three children. While the hockey players live their daily problems and dramas, the Rangers call off the event bringing frustration to the population of Mystery. But the lawyer Bailey Pruitt (Maury Chaykin) travels to New York to defend the game in court and the challenge is scheduled. Who will win the game?

"Mystery, Alaska" is a surprisingly great film and certainly better than any viewer can expect. The storyline has many subplots, some of them funny but others dramatic. The cast is excellent and the hockey game is engaging. In the end, the hockey game is only the motive to see pleasant subplots. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Esquentando o Alasca" ("Heating the Alaska")

... That a film so seemingly inconsequential pays such care and attention to its characters is to its utmost credit. Before viewing I mistakenly assumed this was a gig Crowe took only because he needed the career-boost. How wrong I was!

We've all essentially seen this before in one form or another; underdogs band together to reaffirm pride for their history and heritage, all thanks to the great leveller we've come to know as 'sports'. Sure, all the expected clichés are present, and I did get a little annoyed at just how MUCH hockey was in the last segment, considering I'd previously been enjoying the character details too much to really care about the event that unifies them - but it's the rich characterisation that prompts many a smile, delighted laugh and one or two moments of poignancy. It's 'fuzzy' - and I guess perhaps manipulative - without being sickening, and that must come down to Kelley's background in the world of populist TV. There are enough sharp lines to offset the sentiment, so you don't tend to bristle when it's there!

Jay Roach really impressed me with this one, as it proves that he's more than 'adept' enough to handle a little pathos, too; a branch of comedy I somehow don't see the Austin Powers franchise extending toward... ! Although the final game is a bit 'dull' from my perspective, the hockey training scenes are inventively shot; keeping the speed and fluency of a viscerally exciting spectacle. Burt Reynolds again excels after "Boogie Nights", with a completely different performance this time - 'quiet dignity' instead of brash smarm.

Really it's unfair to single out, though, from such a fantastic ensemble. It's the sense of togetherness and perfect encapsulation of small-town spirit that makes this work, and if you're searching for a movie to lift your gloom then it's no 'Mystery' where you should look: Alaska... ! 9/10.

It's cold in the small hamlet of Mystery, Alaska, but there's plenty of warmth in `Mystery, Alaska,' the film, directed by Jay Roach, about the town and the sport that is ingrained in the collective consciousness of the community. Hockey is the game, and when a former resident, now a journalist, writes a story about Mystery's home-town team and their `Saturday Game,' and it ends up as a three page spread complete with pictures in Sports Illustrated, it has far reaching effects on the populace of this small dot on the map. Soon the town is turned upside down, embroiled in an event, the proportions of which, to them, are huge. Needless to say, it involves hockey and an encounter with a high-profile professional team. Yes, there is a lot of hockey in this movie, but be advised, this film is not `about' hockey; this is a movie about people– real people– and what makes them tick. Roach has crafted a thoroughly entertaining and emotional story of want and need, dignity and desire, obsession and love, and he's captured it all through the winning performances of a stellar ensemble cast, the most prominent of which is Russell Crowe. The charismatic Crowe, finally on his way to superstardom thanks to his turn in `Gladiator' plays John Biebe, Mystery's sheriff and captain of the hockey team. His rugged good looks and persona fit the character perfectly, and he puts all of his myriad personal resources to work to put it across, and that he does. Also notable is the personable Mary McCormack as John's wife, Donna, who does a great job of fleshing out the character of this woman who made what she deems to be the right choices in her life, without regrets or apologies to herself or anyone else. It's a refreshing portrayal, and the chemistry between her and Crowe is unmistakable. Also adding to the overall texture of this film are Hank Azaria, as Charles Danner, the journalist who gets the whole thing rolling; Burt Reynolds, as Judge Walter Burns, a man forced to deal with his own personal issues, which include a son, Birdie (Scott Grimes), a member of the hockey team; Colm Meany, as Scott Pitcher, Mayor of Mystery, and Lolita Davidovich as his wife, Mary Jane; Maury Chaykin, as Bailey Pruitt, the man who seems to personify the very essence of Mystery's spirit; and Ron Eldard as `Skank,' another member of the team who's good for two things–suffice to say that hockey is one of them. Mercifully, `Mystery, Alaska' never pursues the beat-the-dead-horse cliched mentality that sports `teaches one to be a team player and builds character.' Instead, Roach has given us a worthwhile, memorable movie with a human touch, and because of that, in the end these are people you care about, as individuals as well as a community. The climactic game is exciting and far from predictable, beginning with the celebrity they bring in to sing the National Anthem. This may not be one of Russell Crowe's biggest or highest profile movies, but this is one he's going to be able to look back upon with pride, because it's right up there with his best. Remember, you don't have to be a sports fan to enjoy this movie; all that's required is that you have a membership in the club know as Mankind. I rate this one 9/10.