You wanna talk about feel-good stories? Look no further than the 1993 Disney feature-film Cool Runnings. The first ever Olympic Bobsled team from Jamaica.
Now we are talking about the movie, not the true events. The reason being, is because it’s no fun to dissect what really happened. The movie is only about 20% factually true according to one of the actual guys on that Bobsled team. After I learned that I stopped looking for the actual history of Cool Runnings. Life is already so disappointing, why disappoint ourselves even further knowing most of the best parts of the movie didn’t even happen that way.
I know it’s short-lived, but the Jamaican pushcart race might be the coolest part of the movie. Seeing the Rasta Rocket blast down the hills of Jamaica while the great Sanka Coffee is giving everyone the business is extremely satisfying. It makes me want to go to Jamaica just to watch the pushcart races. I bet they’re more entertaining than half the racing sports we have here in America. Back to the film though.
We see our protagonist Derice Bannock have his Olympic hopes taken right from under him, quite literally. One guy trips up our guy Derice and another guy, and his entire world starts to tumble right before his eyes. And he was definitely gonna tear it up in the Olympics given the chance. But it wasn’t in the plans for our boy Derice Bannock. At least, it wasn’t in the plans for the Summer Olympics.
We soon find out there’s a former US Bobsled legend that lives in Jamaica, and he has since he left the sport of bobsled after being outcasted due to a cheating incident when he was a competitor. But Derice manages to convince former great Irv Blitzer to coach him and Coffee, as they try to make Olympic history. They recruit two other athletes to embark their journey to make history (Junior & Yul). Ironically enough, Junior is the same guy that accidentally tripped up Derice and Yul in the Olympic trials. This is one of the most ironic, yet perfect moments of the film. Here’s a guy who accidentally cost himself, and two others a chance to compete for Jamaica in the Olympics. And now all three of them (and the best pushcart racer in Jamaica) are on a team together. Fate is wild sometimes.
This movie does an amazing job at being light-hearted while still being able to evoke emotions and feelings. Sanka Coffee is a great comic relief, but he doesn’t really make it feel forced. It just helps the story progress in a fun way. And that’s what Cool Runnings is supposed to be about. It’s an hour and a half to escape, but in a relaxing fun way. It shows how one fighting spirit can affect others around him in the best way possible.
After they are able to fundraise the money to get to Calgary for the 1988 Games, they truly start to see what Bobsled looks like on the international level. And international Bobsled isn’t excited to see them. They’re treated as if their presence itself is a joke to the sport they all love. But you’d be crazy to think that’ll stop them from giving it a try. As an objective viewer, it’s annoying to see all the other countries look at Jamaica and area them like a joke. Who cares if they haven’t been doing this forever? Who cares if it doesn’t actually snow in Jamaica? Those other countries just need to feel the rhythm. They needed to feel the rhyme. They weren’t getting up. But it’s still Bobsled time.
After they qualify for the final round of the competition, they’re immediately disqualified for the cheating scandal Coach Blitzer had in his time as a competitor. It’s so blatant what the committee is doing, and I just wanted to yell through the TV at the committee. These cats from Jamaica did absolutely nothing but try and prevail when everyone told them to give up. Nobody gave them a chance. They were immediately written off before they had a chance to try and prove themselves. And for what gain? Then Coach Blitzer gives a speech worthy of a few ESPY awards about why they deserve a chance to prove themselves. BOOM. They’re back in.
The most gratifying part of the film for me, is when they’re painting their sled. Something about seeing their newly painted sled as a representation of who they are as a Bobsled team was really cool. It felt like they were finally finding their identity as a unit. It’s so sleek and smooth, just like all of them and it really shows with their sled. With their newfound identity, they realize they can’t succeed if they try and emulate another county’s style. They need to make their own. And thus Cool Runnings was born.
They left Calgary with respect, and that’s more than enough considering where they started. And they made history in the process. After I watched this movie all the way, I watched it once a day for the next 4-5 days straight. Is it the best sports movie ever made? No. It’s not quite there. But it can put you in such a great mood, you won’t be able to get enough of it. And that’s what they were going for, I hope. If you want a good time on ice, this is the place for you.
I like Cool Runnings with a smooth 90/100. And if you disagree, *that’s just too bad mon*
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