COOL RUNNINGS

COOL RUNNINGS - 1993

RATED - PG for mild language & brief violence. VERY family friendly for children 8+.

RATINGS - 84 Amazon (5/5), 481,379 Netflix (3.7/5), 20,178 IMDB (6.5/10).

STARRING - John Candy & friends.

THEMES - Follow your dream, justice, relationships.

STORY - Based on the true story of the 1988 Jamaica Olympic bobsled team. How much of the details of the film are actual facts is unknown but it is true that Jamaica did send a four man bobsled team to the 1988 Olympics in Calgary. This is the funny and inspiring story of how it came about, how they got there and what happened once they arrived. I'm not always a big John Candy fan but I think you'll like him in this film. More than just a comedy - I start laughing when I hear Jamaica, Olympic and bobsled all in the same sentence - this is a film about a world class athlete who loses his chance to compete in the Summer Olympics and is determined to get to the Olympics no matter how. What happens when he and John Candy, a former Olympic Gold Medalist in bobsledding for the USA, who is a down and out bookie living in Jamaica, get together is pure fun and magic. While there is no easy way to learn bobsledding in Jamaica, it won't be for lack of trying if they don't. This is the kind of film that Walt Disney built its reputation on. An upbeat soundtrack of Reggae music adds to the film as well as the great scenery. A fun evening for the whole family. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 03/29/2009.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, ROGER EBERT

WILMA

WILMA - 1977

RATED - PG-13 (I would have given it a G rating)

RATINGS - 3 Amazon (4.5/5), 2,209 Netflix (3.5/5), 56 IMDB (5.4/10).

STARRING - Shirley Jo Finney, Cicely Tyson, Joe Seneca, Denzel Washington (screen debut).

THEMES - Perseverance, love, family, relationships.

STORY - This made for TV docudrama is the true story of Wilma Rudolph, one of America's greatest Olympic athletes. Wilma was born into a poor (by our standards), black family in Tennessee and rose to become the crowd favorite at the 1960 Olympics in Rome where she became the fastest woman in the world and the first American woman to win three gold medals in the same competition. Her journey included overcoming a debilitating case of polio at a young age which forced her to wear a brace and heavy shoes for several years and receive daily therapy. She also lived and competed in a world where being black in the deep South meant being segregated and second class. She also had to overcome an unwanted pregnancy which threatened to end her career early. It is an amazing story of perseverance and the love of a family and the support of her coach and community. As with Jesse Owens ahead of her and so many athletes, there is a coach behind her success, Ed Temple, the track coach at Tennessee State who saw in Wilma the raw potential of a great athlete. The movie builds to a climax with the Rome Olympics and shows all three of the actual events in which she won the gold medals. She also went on to become a role model for young women and the first real superstar female athlete and also an ambassador for amateur athletics. Enjoy the story of this amazing woman and athlete. Lu G. for Lu's Reviews. 07/22/2008.

LINKS - AMAZON, IMDB, ROME 1960