Cool Runnings

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

Paul & Amy slide through 1993’s Jamaican bobsledding comedy Cool Runnings! They learn which parts of the script were true and which were exaggerated for the film, praise John Candy’s generous straight man performance, and ask whether formula is always a bad thing in filmmaking. Plus: Doug E. Doug (Sanka Coffie) recalls talking the production team out of some bad ideas.

This is the third episode of our Underdogs series; next week’s film is Chariots Of Fire! Learn more about the show at unspooledpod.com, follow us on Twitter @unspooled and Instagram @unspooledpod, and don’t forget to rate, review & subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher and Spotify. You can also listen to our Stitcher Premium game show Screen Test right now at https://www.stitcher.com/show/unspooled-screen-test, and apply to be a contestant at unspooledpod@gmail.com! Photo credit: Kim Troxall

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

Is there really an argument for this as an all-timer? It's a fun movie but also very formulaic and isn't really adding much to the Rocky template other than a new sport and characters from a different country.

I think John Candy's performance is quite good in a movie where it doesn't have to be. I like when bigger names like him refuse to condescend to the material and always give their best effort no matter what.

[hahmstrung 12]

I hadn't seen this film since it was in theaters back in '93 but I always held a fond memory of it, so I was very glad to find that the film holds up so well. Yeah, it's pretty formulaic but every actor is so genuine about their roles I just couldn't help but have a good time; it's just such a feel-good film. John Candy is especially good considering the bland script he has to work with.

I was also pleased to see Oz alum Leon Robinson in the lead role.

Shoot it to space!

[hahmstrung 12]

After listening to the podcast I'll admit that I didn't realize just how embellished the story is compared to the real life events. I think there's an interesting conversation to be had on just how much liberty a movie can take before it stops really being a representation of the true events. Could be an interesting series to compare movies that have different interpretations of real life events.

In Cool Running's case, I definitely agree with Amy and Paul that some of the changes are questionable at best and many completely change the characters' motivations. Not all the changes are so egregious but I would be curious to see what a modern take on the story would look like.

[sycasey 2.0 2301]

13 hours ago, hahmstrung said:

After listening to the podcast I'll admit that I didn't realize just how embellished the story is compared to the real life events. I think there's an interesting conversation to be had on just how much liberty a movie can take before it stops really being a representation of the true events. Could be an interesting series to compare movies that have different interpretations of real life events.

In Cool Running's case, I definitely agree with Amy and Paul that some of the changes are questionable at best and many completely change the characters' motivations. Not all the changes are so egregious but I would be curious to see what a modern take on the story would look like.

Yeah, the thing is that I think you could make a pretty interesting movie while still keeping pretty close to the real events. They didn't need to make it seem like the Jamaicans were about to win; them even qualifying was a pretty big accomplishment.