Slap Shot
Before hockey became a popular, mainstream sport within America there was Slap Shot. Made before the abomination of Disney's Mighty Sucks movies, Slap Shot remains the definitive hockey movie and arguably the funniest sports movie ever made.
This 1977 film centers on a failing hockey club called the Charlestown Chiefs. The Chiefs, led by player/coach Reg Dunlop (Paul Newman), are a third-rate club buried deep in the minor leagues. The team is losing and the fans are staying away in droves. What few fans the Chiefs have verbally abuse the players by telling them they stink and calling Dunlop an "old fart" over the local radio call-in show. The closure of the town's mill further bleakens the Chiefs' future until three bizarre-looking brothers, the Hansons (no, not those Hansons), are brought in.
The Hansons quickly become fan favorites with their on-ice thuggery, and soon nearly the entire team adopts a tougher persona. By playing dirty the Chiefs begin winning, making it to the league finals against the Syracuse Bulldogs. Before the finals Dunlop realizes that the team has been nothing more than cementheads and urges the Chiefs to play "old-time hockey." Unfortunately, the Bulldogs have loaded up on every goon outside of San Quentin for the finals.
Slap Shot follows a Hollywood formula that has been worked to death: Take a team of misfits, insert a catalyst (usually some special player) and watch them win until they have to overcome a team that is their match in the final. What differentiates Slap Shot from this tired cliche is that the only way the Chiefs can win is by playing dirty. They simply lack the talent to win within the rules of the game.
The film also presents a number of different sports cliches through its various characters, such as the aging veteran or the flaky goaltender. These cliches are used effectively, but the most interesting and hilarious characters are the Hanson brothers. Slap Shot immortalized the Hansons as cult icons throughout hockey rinks in North America, even if they are in the words of teammate Johnny Upton, "fuckin' horrible looking."
Slap Shot works best when it focuses on the team itself. The on-ice mayhem is hilarious, but there are a number of funny off-ice scenes as well. However, there are a few subplots that take away from the movie, especially the ones involving the players and their neglected wives. These scenes are painfully dull and bring the movie to a grinding halt.
Despite the cartoonish on-ice violence, Slap Shot remains true to the spirit of the game. Unlike other hockey movies, such as the Mighty Sucks or Youngblood, Slap Shot graphically captures the grit of minor league hockey. Players are stitched up on the bench, and the language is extremely crude (the only thing more offensive than the swearing is the cheesy '70s fashion, the highlight of which is Paul Newman wearing a pair of brown leather pants). In fact, the script was loosely based on the Johnstown Jets of the North American Hockey League. Many of the players, including the Hansons, were actually minor league players themselves.
Hockey fans will love Slap Shot. But even if you're not a fan, you'll still enjoy it (as long as you don't mind explicit language). The number of gut-busting scenes is well worth a rental.
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There's not a lot of drinking within the movie, but the hockey scenes definitely go well with tipping a few brews.
The movie's extensive use of salty language and f-bombs will probably turn off most female viewers unless she likes hearing how the team's star "has a big cock ... like a horse."
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