The Comedy Classic: COOL RUNNINGS
So in true Disney fashion, the Olympics are here and so far many events have been fun to watch from Downhill, to Figure Skating. And Disney is no stranger to underdog stories, from The Mighty Ducks, Miracle, The Rookie and even Cool Runnings!
Yes, you know the song, come and sing it… “Nuff people say they know they can’t believe, Jamaica we have a bobsled team.”
The tale is from the 1993 film starring the late John Candy and tells the tale (based on a true story) of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Canada where it donned the very first Jamaican Bobsled team. Candy plays a disgraced bobsled champ Irv Blitzer where we is now relocated to Jamaica after being disqualified for cheating in the 1972 Olympics. It is here where Irv is sought out by two Jamaican athletes, Derice Bannock, who failed to qualify for the 1988 Summer Olympics when another opponent accidentally tripped him at the trials, and Sanka Coffie, a push cart champ. They are so set on getting into the Olympics anyway they can, they decide Irv can help them get there in a new event.
The film is a fun film and is full of heart. It has great offset comedy by all the stars and makes you laugh just as much as you feel for these underdogs and are pulling for them the whole way. And let’s face it, most of the comedy is in these warm weather residents dealing with cold and ice!
The film’s soundtrack opened the door to reggae music to a wide audience and reached the top 40 charts with Jimmy Cliff’s classic “I Can See Clearly”.
So while we are warm in our homes pulling the United States to take the gold… pop in this Disney Classic underdog story and just try not to sing along and appreciate all the Olympic Athletes in the Winter Games in Sochi right now.
