“Cool Runnings” is based on the true story of the first Jamaican bobsled team. Yes, you did hear me right – Jamaica has a bobsled team. This hysterical movie will show you how it all came about.
Derice is a runner, and he wants to go to the Olympics more than anything on this earth. When he tries out for 100-yard sprint, a dumb fluke accident keeps him from qualifying. Not ready to give up, he hunts up an old friend of his father’s, a man named Irving Blitzer (John Candy). Irv ruined his reputation and his career years ago by weighting down a bobsled, and has been living in Jamaica to hide from his shame. Derice is willing to do whatever it takes to compete in the Games, even if it means going as a bobsled team. Irv doesn’t want to re-enter the public eye and have to face his critics, but he gets roped into the challenge anyway, after trying his best (and failing) to convince Derice what a hopeless dream he has.
They rustle up some other Jamaican athletes to comprise the bobsled team, and they begin training. With no sled and no track, they build a simulated sled out of wood and roll it down hills. Some people in their village think they’re insane. Others cheer them on. Regardless of the reactions they receive, these men forge on, learning how to drive a bobsled and how to get in on time.
We go with the team as they raise money to pay for their trip to Calgary, as they convince the Olympic committee to let them try out, and as they deal with the criticism from the other teams and coaches. In the end, they learn that being themselves is the best trick, and that dreams come true just simply in the act of trying to achieve them.
There is some language in this film but nothing I found over the top. This PG-rated film was heartwarming, hilarious, and a definite recommendation.
Related Blogs: