MYSTERY, ALASKA (1999) ¢ ¢ ¢
D: Jay Roach
Russell Crowe, Hank Azaria, Burt Reynolds,
Mary McCormack, Colm Meany, Maury Chaykin,
Michael Buie, Adam Beach, Michael McKean
Mystery, Alaska, is a small town in the middle of nowhere that in the absence of anything else to do, lives and breathes hockey. The town's too remote to play other teams, so the guys play "pond hockey" against each other in a weekly civic event called the "Saturday Game". They're fast and they know how to skate, but do they really stand a chance when the New York Rangers come to town? A formula, feel-good sports movie that comes down to the inevitable, climactic match between the unbeatable major leaguers and the scrappy amateur underdogs - a setup that's as predictable as it is foolproof. There are enough small-town subplots to suggest the potential for a decent television series. (Think "Northern Exposure" with sticks and skates.) The mystery is why it didn't become one.
