Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: FRIDAY, October 1, 1993 TAG: 9310010020
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By MIKE MAYO CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
This is a conventional story about a group of unlikely misfits, outsiders who are rejected by the sports establishment but persevere despite overwhelming odds, etc., etc. It's loosely based - very loosely - on a true story of the 1988 Jamican Olympic bobsled team.
In this version, the four-man team is formed when Derice Bannock (Leon) misses his opportunity to compete in the summer games. Driven to succeed in athletics, he finds one of his father's old friends, an American expatriate named Irv (John Candy) who knows bobsledding and can coach a team. All Derice has to do is find three teammates and raise the money to get from Jamaica to Canada.
And, oh yes, they have to learn to bobsled, too, which is something of a problem in the Caribbean. Eventually, though, the team is formed. Sanka (Doug E. Doug) is a sort of soapbox derby star. Yul Brenner (Malik Yoba) is an angry man who'll do anything to escape the island. Junior Bevel (Rawle D. Lewis) is a rich kid who's ruled by his father.
Their journey from four innocents who have never even seen a bobsled to a true team is the kind of story that's been told in hundreds, perhaps thousands of sports movies, and the script by Lynn Siefert, Tommy Swerdlow and Michael Goldberg touches on virtually every sports cliche you've ever seen.
In visual terms, John Turteltaub's direction is nothing particularly special, either. The film works through its humor and the chemistry that Turteltaub develops among the five leads. This is the best role that John Candy has had in years. He does a lot with it, particularly the serious aspects. He's remarkably believable as a coach who helps four younger men discover what they can do. The sledders themselves really are the key.
If audiences didn't enjoy being around those four, the film would be a waste of time. These actors aren't household names, but like their pint-sized predecessors, the Ducks, they're likeable, funny guys. You've seen their story before, but they make it seem new and they put a fresh spin on the athletic stereotypes.
Though the plot takes considerable liberties with the "reality" behind the Jamaican bobsled team, it is true to the spirit of the Quixotic endeavor. That's what actors Doug E. Doug and Rawle D. Lewis have been stressing on a promotional tour for the film.
Lewis said that the fictional characters they played weren't based on the real Jamaican bobsledders. Instead, they were meant to be seen as psychological parts of the larger group.
"Everybody represented some specific characteristic of the whole team," Doug added. "My character represented their good nature and humor. Leon's character represented how they were driven and wanted to win. Malik's character represented their poverty and their desire for something better." Lewis' character is their spirit of independence and self-respect.
For all of the actors and filmmakers, the sport itself was less important than the ambition behind it. As Lewis sees it, "They take their goals seriously but they don't take themselves seriously."
For Doug, "The idea of succeeding without having to win is universal. The way these guys succeed is by being good-natured, good-humored. They ignore the subtle racism and realize that their goal is success."
These days, almost all sports movies preach that winning itself isn't as important as trying hard and doing one's best. Then, of course, the protagonist goes on to whip the stuffing out of his or her opponent. But "Cool Runnings" does not and could not end that way.
Instead, it lives up to its message that the only real measure of success is internal, and - more importantly when it comes to sports - that people tend to take these things much too seriously. Games are supposed to be fun and if nothing else, "Cool Runnings" is fun.
Cool Runnings: ***
A Disney release 95 min. Rated PG for a little rough language. Playing at Valley View 6 and Salem Valley 8.
Keywords:
SOAP BOX
by CNB