The Miracle Season

This movie about the death of an athlete who became an inspiration was released in theaters on a coincidental date. On the same day occurred the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy in Canada. I saw "The Miracle Season" because while the critics did not care for it, the public loved it. I have seen this happen before and it reminded me of another time that I ignored the critics and was rewarded for it. However, this film director does his best work on TV and "The Miracle Season" felt like it belonged on television when you look at a variety of aspects such as the screenplay, the casting and the design. This was an amazing true story that needed to be shared but I think a more realistic approach would have made the film even more powerful. If will be powerful for some audience members but successful sports films inspire everyone.

The film reminded me of some other sports films a little too much and more effort should have been taken to make "The Miracle Season" original. When the volleyball team runs "ladders", it was way too reminiscent of the "Herbies" in "Miracle". If the ladders were part of the true-life story, then I understand the inclusion of this scene in the movie but the filmmakers still failed to achieve originality. When the girls enter the stadium for the state finals, this moment likewise felt very cliché because we have seen also seen this kind of plot point many times in many sports movies. This particular true story however provided the filmmakers with an easy way to make this scene original to their movie and yet it was not capitalized upon. West High had been at state the year before and this stadium was not new to their eyes. What needed to be highlighted in this moment was that the players didn’t think they could make it back, especially through winning 15 games in a row after the loss of their star player. I also feel the filmmakers could have done even more to honor the story being portrayed. "Remember the Titans" for example is a movie about how a sports team united themselves, their school and a divided town. Iowa City was not divided at the start of the film because that was not the case in real life. The city did however learn about the example of a wonderful teenager and sought to emulate her as her former team sought back-to-back state championships. We got to meet a few citizens who associate with Line before her passing but this was to establish Line's personality. "Remember the Titans" in the middle of the film showcased unnamed citizens showing their support for the football team whereas before they were either hostile or indifferent. "The Miracle Season" could have portrayed a few more citizens who never knew Line but became inspired by her example. The footage during the end credits accomplished this a lot more so than the movie itself. The best thing about "The Miracle Season" was what we see during the end credits.

Not only did "The Miracle Season" lack originality but realism as well that could have likewise been easily achieved. The teenage characters in the film for example were not handled perfectly in their on-screen portrayal, particularly Line. In the first seventeen minutes of the movie, it felt like the filmmakers were trying to cram seventeen years of Line's good qualities into just two days of the story. The filmmakers put a lot of emphasis on introducing the audience to Line and while that is important, it was overdone and she consequently became the main protagonist of the film. There are rules in storytelling and a little more effort should have been put into depicting Kelley as the protagonist. We all know someone like Line who always seems to be positive and living life to the fullest. When I was a boy, I lost a friend to drowning and he had a zest for life too. The point I wish to make is that he was not completely passionate and happy every time I saw him unlike the cinematic portrayal of Line. It did not feel realistic. Speaking of realistic, the actresses chosen to play the West High Volleyball players felt a little too superlative. Because of the imagines during the end credits, we are able to compare these performers alongside realistic high school-aged female competitors. I don't think it would have been hard to cast some girls who looked more like athletes and less like actresses. Furthermore on the lack of realism, the design of the film also takes a hit when compared with the real-life footage at the end of the movie. The barn, the school, the uniforms and other settings/props in the film look brand new. That may work on TV but the big screen helps you notice things like this. Even the "Live Like Line" T-shirts look professionally made in the movie when compared to the real shirts we see during the end credits.

Despite all these flaws, I have to point out some good qualities of the movie. I liked the scene of Kelley in the cafeteria after the tragedy. It matches a scene at the very start of the show when Line was still alive and they were eating lunch. In this second take, the lighting is symbolically dialed down as Kelley buys only a banana and then throws it away. The song “Sweet Caroline” for me will always be associated with the 2013 Boston Marathon Bombing. By coincidence, I am writing this on the fifth anniversary of the attack. However, it is apparent that this song was vital to this story that took place two years earlier and had to be a part of the film adaptation. I don’t like it when movies overuse a song in the marketing or film itself. As mentioned, my favourite moment in "The Miracle Season" was the end credits. This is mostly because, other than an a cappella version towards the end of the film by the cast, “Sweet Caroline” was saved until the very end. It makes for a great climax. The pictures and video clips were also very well put together during the end credits. The performances of Oscar winners Helen Hunt and William Hurt were very good but they weren't enough to carry the whole film.

As I was watching this show, I kept feeling like I was watching a Hallmark film and that is not a complement when sitting in a movie theater. There is a high standard to be achieved when you release a movie commercially. Director Sean McNamara is the perfect filmmaker for TV but not so much for the big screen. I feel like a respectable number of people who see this show will like it and the online websites prove this. However, the show lacked originality and realism.

3.5 Stars out of 5