Mystery, Alaska

This is a great family . It has great actors and they all seem to work well together. My first copy was destroyed due to to many viewings. But,Just replaced it. It is a must see.

"This is a hockey town." If you care even just a little about this sport, you must see this movie.

I wasn't going to purchase this film because as others stated it included Burt Reynolds and Russell Crowe and it was about hockey, but I happened to catch it on one of the movie channels and found that I actually enjoyed it. It's listed as a drama/comedy but there is more drama than comedy. Perhaps if there had been more comedy I would give it the full 5 stars but as I stated Mr's Reynolds and Crowe and hockey aren't my cup of tea. Still it had a lot going for it and is worth seeing.

I wasn't sure if I would like this movie because I do not like Russell Crowe at all. The only reason I agreed to sit through it was that the rest of the ensemble cast was so good. I ended up enjoying this film. Who doesn't like a film where you can root for the underdog? The hockey team in Mystery, Alaska ends up playing an exhibition game against the New York Rangers. Everyone has the same question - can they compete? This is a movie that can appeal to many because while there are some very funny moments, there is also a lot of drama.

If you want to know about the great state of Alaska, just watch M. Jay Roach's Mystery, Alaska. According to this film, Alaska has the following:
cold, hockey, freezing snow, adultery, bitter cold, underage sex (maybe because of the cold), and hockey.

And that's just about it.

Now if you're not familiar with M. Jay Roach, he's the director of the Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery/The Spy Who Shagged Me/Goldmemberfilms, so I was expecting this movie to be funnier. There are some reallly funny moments, but it made me appreciate how much the humor of Austin Powers should be attributed to Mike Myers. The director is just there to help manage things. Mystery, Alaska tries to be funny, and it manages sometimes, but it's really an ensemble romantic film tied around a Rocky story.

It's no Rocky, though. That movie had real gravitas. This one has Burt Reynolds, who should, like the Rolling Stones (No Stone Unturned + 7 Bonus Tracks), quit. He's absolutely the worst part in this movie. He made me want to relive my junior high days. They were more fun than watching him. Russel Crowe is great, of course, but his acting is beside the point. He's only one small part of this larger town, and the movie doesn't focus on him, not like it should in order to be labeled a good movie.

The fact is, though--I guess I should admit it--I enjoyed Mystery, Alaska. It was a feel good movie about how it's okay to live in a small town. The people in small towns are just as good as the jerks from the big cities who look down on them and call them "hicks" or even "lumberjacks" in this case. Being from a small town in South Carolina, I sympathized with that point. It made me feel warm inside.

And the characters are likeable, too. I found myself caring about them. I wanted them to make good. I wanted their lives to be enjoyable. I wanted them to win their big hockey game.

But these things do not a good movie make. Mystery, Alaska is, finally, enjoyable but not great. Comforting but trite. Warm but, well, freezing cold.