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| The Miracle Match | 
 enlarge | List Price: $19.99 (€15.79)
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Avg. Customer Rating:  (based on 71 reviews)
Sales Rank: 5559
Category: DVD
Actors: Gerard Butler, Wes Bentley, Jay Rodan, Gavin Rossdale, Costas Mandylor
Director: David Anspaugh
Publisher: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Studio: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Brand: Team Marketing
Label: Buena Vista Home Entertainment
Format: Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Original Language), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD
Autographed: 0
Memorabilia: 0
Running Time: 101 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 0 x 0 x 0
MPN: TM5053
UPC: 786936711837
EAN: 0786936711837
ASIN: B000G8P1Y6
Release Date: September 12, 2006
Theatrical Release Date: 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
In the spirit of REMEMBER THE TITANS, MIRACLE, and THE ROOKIE, THE MIRACLE MATCH is the incredible story about the men behind one of the all-time greatest upsets in sports history. Two weeks before the 1950 World Cup, a ragtag group of recreational soccer players from St. Louis and New York were chosen to represent the USA in Brazil. Consumed with conflicts ? personal, cultural, and playing styles ? they had mere days to become a team. And then they had to play the British, the best team in the world. Inspired by a newfound belief in the team, their passion and talent turned into pure magic on the field ? and the unthinkable happened. Filled with heart-stopping action, and featuring Patrick Stewart, this triumphant story is a rousing celebration of the human spirit, love of the sport, and pride of country.
Amazon.com
The writing-directing team of Angelo Pizzo and David Anspaugh tries to do for soccer what their films Hoosiers and Rudy did for, respectively, basketball and football. Here's another true story, a legendary upset in the early days of the World Cup. In 1950, America hastily forms a team to play against the world. We center on a tight Italian community in St. Louis providing the bulk of the national team. We meet GQ-ready stars led by goalie Frank Borgi (The Phantom of the Opera's Gerald Butler, deftly handling the duties). This brotherhood of players is unfortunately strapped to play off cliches and the movie never really engages us beyond the autumn-tinged scenery. A big part of the blame goes to the narrator telling us what we should be feeling (perhaps because we dumb Americans don't know soccer, er, football, like the rest of the world). No fault in the performance of the narrator/journalist (played by Patrick Stewart as the elder, Terry Kinney as the younger) or the rest of the cast. Perhaps the game is elusive to cinematic grandeur, (how many memorable soccer movies can you name?), but the movie is also tired and slow, something those earlier sports films were not. There's only a brief stirring when the earnest Gino (Louis Mandylor) has a wedding-date conflict and as the most famous English player of the day, Stanley Mortenson (Gavin Rossdale), patronizes the Americans in a public speech. Perhaps the studio knew they had a cellar dweller; the film was barely released and retitled for home video echoing the moniker of the 1980 U.S. Olympic hockey team. Soccer kids will enjoy the film, but others better stick to Geoffrey Douglas's book, The Game of Their Lives, the film's original title (and mistakenly left on the end credits). --Doug Thomas
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| Customer Reviews: Read 66 more reviews...
 This film is a joke! November 17, 2008
This movie is sooo ridiculous! It's interesting to note that only the game
the U.S. was able to win at that 1950 World Cup is the main focus of the
film. The accomplishment of the United States is much less fantastic if
it's taken into account that the U.S. lost the rest of their matches after
getting lucky enough to defeat England in that one game. After defeating England, the U.S. still was eliminated in the first round of that World Cup. And Joe Gaetjens, the man who scored the only goal for the U.S. in that game, wasn't even an American citizen!
 Soccer in the USA October 25, 2008
Great movie, it shows perhaps one of the greatest upsets in the history of World Cup competition.
 The brave ones! October 23, 2008
Entertaining film about a great sport, soccer, which I am sure America is enjoying more and more! Choosing amateur players (please correct me if I am wrong) mainly from the city of Saint Louis, the USA takes to the 1950 World Cup in Brazil a team which the mission of going to take part in the championship, but they are really good players, and the own actors know how to do it, mainly Gerard Butler as the goalkeeper! There are some scenes filmed in Brazil and for the people who are fond of this sport, it is really thrilling as you become a real supporter of that 50's brave team!
Can we do it? Yes, we can! July 15, 2008
11 out of 14 found this review helpful
My title line should not be a spoiler: "Can we do it? Yes, we can!" If so, the movie title is a spoiler: "The Miracle Team"! What do "miracle teams" do? They come from the underdog position to win!
The cobbled team of St. Louis-New York players won the World Cup in the 1950 Championship game against the world's best team and best player in a 1-0 victory. How did it happen? How could this major sports upset even conceivably take place? After try-outs, two weeks of practice, and personal, ethnic, religious, and regional clashes of differences, the team finally jelled, even during the game for this sports coup.
Do you know the applied meanings of Apollonian and Dionysian styles of doing things? The New York team was Apollonian--structured, intellectual, controlled. The St. Louis team, comprised of Italians from the famous Hill area, was Dionysian (think god of wine)--loose, fun-loving, instantaneous.
The two styles were a major conflict. New York was led by a man of German-descent, Walter Bahr (some of these men from St. Louis had served in World War II). St. Louis's leader, Frank Gorghi, was the go-to guy in leaving words of wisdom and guidance, while Walter was a cool, calculating, but also wise leader. The two were able to work together and make the team eventually click. Going against the manager's decision, they went as a unified front to convince Joe Gaetjens, an African player attending school in America, a natural athlete, and later the soul of the team, to play.
Breaking elements down:
PRO:
1. Considering that the movie was made by the same people making HOOSIERS and RUDY, both exciting sports movies, this movie was criticized for lacking that same excitement. I found the championship game most exciting and was on my feet cheering most of the time!
2. A major point is that the story was made into a movie enjoyable to watch, good for a family entertainment. Maybe another group later can remake it to include what other reviewers saw as weaknesses.
3. Only two actors' names stand out (Gerard Butler and Patrick Stewart). I liked the use of little known or unknown actors. It makes the viewer not single out favorites to watch. I know Gerard Butler is getting to be a big name now, but not at the time the movie was made.
4. The film looks professional. It is not an embarrassment for the celebration of this major American sports event or the players.
CONS
1. Lack of character development. There was enough for the viewer to get a working knowledge of each one's background or some little aspect of his character, but not enough.
2. What happened to the players after this major game? Viewers always want this information just out of curiosity. Did the game change them? Not change them?
3. One reviewer criticized the use of the sports reporter narrating part of the story to give background and explanations. This technique is not an uncommon use of characters. I saw nothing wrong with it. It gave a Greek chorus kind of narration.
Overall, "The Miracle Match" is a highly satisfying movie. I watched it a second time recently and discovered to my major surprise that I immensely enjoyed the movie much more this time. At the first viewing, I was not really into watching soccer.
This is a great movie to watch on July 4th, or in celebration of the American spirit to win at all odds, just like the revolutionists did in 1776. That was a miracle match, as are the teams in this movie. Both times the Americans defeated the British!
The Miracle Match December 29, 2007
..."The Miracle Match" is another Gerard Butler film that i purchased in order to get a closer look at this amazing actor's theatrical range--i was quite please...very credible acting on all who participated in this film--i just couldnt get into the actor that played Patrick Stewart's part as a younger man...but other than that,the performances were natural and a compliment to the men being portrayed...and although there were other "big name" actors in this film, everyone is on the same page in making the viewer believe this larger than life piece of sport history...there wasnt a whole lot of unnecessary "lets just focus on this one or that one", just a simple formula of how a group of friends beat the odds of being labled not good enough...and that my friend, was good enough for me...
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