Summary
7 tech score
“The Miracle Season” (Mirror/LD)
“The Miracle Season” is a film based on the true story of a high school volleyball team in Iowa being inspired to win the state championship. Their team captain, Caroline “Line” Found (Danika Yarosh), had led the team to state victory and was now planning on winning the championship again. These dreams came to a jarring halt when “Line” was killed in an accident. The effect her death had on the team provides the story for the movie.
This is a movie along the line of “Hoosiers,”, one of the best sports movies ever made. But volleyball is not basketball which reduces the movie’s impact. Still we have again a story where a coach manages to rally a team that is certainly the underdog. Helen Hunt plays Coach Kathy Bresnahan, a woman who is suffering the loss of her player and her friend. William Hurt plays Line’s father Ernie who is not only devastated by the loss of Line but loses his wife to cancer soon after.
Both Hunt and Hurt are excellent actors and they bring nuances to these roles that could not have been offered by lesser actors. Still there is not enough back story, especially in Hunt’s case, to give audiences the needed insight of who these people were before tragedy arrived.
Erin Moriarty plays Kelly, Line’s best friend and also her team mate. She brings a brightness and a spark to the film. If only she were a bigger name then the movie would have a brighter future. At this stage in her career Moriarty can not draw a crowd.
“The Miracle Season” is a film that needs great word of mouth to get the attention of potential audiences. Those people who view it will like it. It is a heart-wrenching story led by two solid performances. If it can stay around long enough for this elusive word of mouth to build then it might have a fighting chance. Otherwise the makers of this movie will have to pray it is discovered on DVD.
The film is rated PG for scenes depicting the impact of death.
“The Miracle Season” is a film worth seeing. It is full of inspiration for those who have had tragedy in their lives. I hope it is not overlooked. It deserves a miracle of its own.
I scored “The Miracle Season” a healing 7 out of 10.
Jackie K Cooper
www.jackiekcooper.com
