{"id":15853,"date":"2011-02-11T17:34:52","date_gmt":"2011-02-12T00:34:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15853"},"modified":"2021-01-11T00:07:45","modified_gmt":"2021-01-11T07:07:45","slug":"slap-shot-1977","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15853","title":{"rendered":"Slap Shot (1977)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;We all know how to play hockey &#8212; just play it smart!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Poster.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Poster-197x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"197\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-15854\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Poster-197x300.jpg 197w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Poster-84x128.jpg 84w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Poster.jpg 496w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 197px) 100vw, 197px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nThe coach (Paul Newman) of a failing New England hockey team encourages his players to employ violent tactics in an effort to revive attendance at games.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Comedy<\/li>\n<li>Paul Newman Films<\/li>\n<li>Sports<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary&#8217;s review of this cult hockey film by director George Roy Hill is generally favorable. He notes that he&#8217;s glad it &#8220;doesn&#8217;t presume to attack today&#8217;s hockey\/sports fan for demanding that violence be part of the game&#8221; given that &#8220;the movie itself aims to please viewers&#8230; by including much preposterously brutal sports action&#8221;. He argues that &#8220;the more violent, the funnier it is&#8221;, and notes that Nancy Dowd&#8217;s script (based on tape recordings made by her brother in his hockey team locker room) &#8220;received much attention because it contained more profanity, sexual content, and brutality than had ever been contained in a screenplay written by a woman&#8221;. He praises the &#8220;quirkiness of her characters&#8221; and the &#8220;unexpected ways in which they act and converse with one another&#8221;, and argues that &#8220;Newman gives one of his most interesting performances&#8221; (indeed, he nominates Newman as Best Actor in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> book). <\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Newman3.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Newman3-1024x560.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"350\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62851\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Newman3-1024x560.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Newman3-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Newman3-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Newman3-768x420.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Newman3-1536x839.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Newman3-494x270.png 494w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Newman3.png 1821w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>While I&#8217;ll admit to being mildly amused by some of the on-ice tactics employed by the &#8220;Hanson brothers&#8221; (fictional characters so beloved and infamous they actually have their own <a href=\"http:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Hanson_Brothers\">Wikipedia entry<\/a>), I have a hard time sharing Peary&#8217;s overall admiration for the film. The &#8220;quirky&#8221; characters &#8212; Newman included &#8212; are largely unlikable and sloppily written, with Ivy Leaguer Michael Ontkean and his wife (Lindsay Crouse):<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Crouse2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Crouse2-1024x561.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"351\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62850\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Crouse2-1024x561.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Crouse2-300x164.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Crouse2-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Crouse2-768x421.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Crouse2-1536x842.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Crouse2-492x270.png 492w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Crouse2.png 1833w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>particularly underused and poorly conceived. Meanwhile, the film&#8217;s reasonably intriguing central comedic premise &#8212; about a hockey team turning to brutal tactics as a means of financial survival &#8212; never goes anywhere interesting. Despite its status as a serious cult favorite, all-purpose film fanatics can feel free to skip this one. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A few mildly amusing sequences on the ice<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Still.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Still-1024x563.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"352\" class=\"alignnone size-large wp-image-62852\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Still-1024x563.png 1024w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Still-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Still-128x70.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Still-768x422.png 768w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Still-1536x844.png 1536w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Still-491x270.png 491w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/02\/Slap-Shot-Still.png 1821w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Dede Allen&#8217;s impressive editing<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nNo. This one&#8217;s only a must for hockey fanatics. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0076723\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1977\/02\/26\/archives\/hot-time-on-ice-newmans-slap-shot.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.combustiblecelluloid.com\/classic\/slapshot.shtml\">Combustible Celluloid Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/22662\/slap-shot#articles-reviews?articleId=70929\">TCM Article<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/slap-shot\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;We all know how to play hockey &#8212; just play it smart!&#8221; Synopsis: The coach (Paul Newman) of a failing New England hockey team encourages his players to employ violent tactics in an effort to revive attendance at games. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Comedy Paul Newman Films Sports Response to Peary\u2019s Review: Peary&#8217;s review of this cult hockey film by director George Roy Hill is generally favorable. He notes that he&#8217;s glad it &#8220;doesn&#8217;t presume to attack today&#8217;s hockey\/sports&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=15853\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-15853","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15853","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=15853"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62853,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/15853\/revisions\/62853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=15853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=15853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=15853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}