Too much of everything

Instant Favorite.

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

It really made me laugh, but for some moments I was tearing up because I could relate so much.

Emilio Estevez of 'Breakfast Club' fame plays a lawyer forced to coach a ice hockey team as part of community service in this Disney family film.It's a fun film with its heart in the right place, and boasts good performances from Estevez and the youngsters playing the team.It's not without its slow moments, and the love story feels a bit shoehorned in, but other than that this is a decent film.

Though perhaps unknown to the warm-weather climates of the nation, youth hockey (and even hockey in general) is a big, big real. "Mighty Ducks" taps into that fan base with a fun little movie set in Minnesota that captures the fun, drama, and emotion of the experience.For a basic plot summary, this movie tells the story of Gordon Bombay (Emilio Estevez), a corrupt lawyer who his forced into community in the form of coaching Minneapolis, MN youth hockey (an area in which he had some childhood experience). While at first, Bombay is hesitant to give even a modicum of effort towards the cause, he gains inspiration (whether positive or negative) from old-time mentor Hans (Joss Ackland), former coach Jack Reilly (Lane Smith), and bright-eyed youngster Charlie Conway (Joshua Jackson).This is a pretty straightforward kids flick. It has the requisite goofy humor, sometimes cringe- worthy dialogue, and a heavy amount of rah-rah drama. Even if your kids aren't necessarily into hockey, they will like this type of movie.The reason why this movie transcends kiddie fare, though, is because it captures the essence of hockey. It treats the sport with a great deal of respect and reverence, which taps into the nostalgia of adults watching. Just like how "Little Big League" just "gets" baseball humor, "Mighty Ducks" does the exact same thing as hockey.Basically, you can't go wrong with this on family movie night. It has enough of everything to not bore any member of the family tears. In fact, it may (depending on your interest in sports/hockey) become a sort of cult classic in your own family.

I'm from Minnesota and I have a friend who had a small part in this film. He played the cop who pulls Gordon Bombay over when he gets the DUI. If you look at this as a relationship movie, with Bombay trying to get back his self respect, it is great fun. The kids are cute and funny. They have been losers their whole live and they now have the opportunity for success. The writers throw in some things that are a bit too much. Bombay ends up coaching against a guy who humiliated him as a child when he missed a penalty shot (by the way, why wasn't the score tied after he missed it since a goal would have won the game?). Hockey is a unique sport. Just the skating is a great challenge. Those kids could barely stand on skates, yet they becomes skilled skaters after a couple weeks. Those other teams were light year ahead. Also, those ridiculous plays that they run just won't happen. And the big guy with the slap shot. So we need to ignore that because this whole thing is fantasy. Even the top hockey newspaper writing feature articles on a peewee team is just not going to happen. Nevertheless, if I take it at face value, it's a hoot.

Made in a time when comedies about kids and sports were probably among the most popular kinds of movies, The Mighty Ducks is the undisputed best of any of these. (Other favorites of mine include The Sandlot and Little Giants.) The plot isn't complicated, as many have said, Gordon Bombay is an overworked lawyer who gets a DUI charge and is given community service, coaching a kids hockey team of misfits. The difficulty in this is Gordon played hockey himself as a kid, and blew a championship game. Without giving too much away, Gordon teaches the kids hockey, and they teach him to not take life too seriously.What makes this movie special is really the portrayal of the kids. Sure they sort of fall in to stereotypes, the goofy fat kid, the short but tough kid, the misunderstood "bad" kid, the lovable and sweet underdog (Charlie Conway, played by Joshua Jackson, pre Pacy, although in the Ducks sequels you see shades of that character coming out!) but these characters feel real, and are very funny. I don't know if younger kids still watch this movie but if you ask any teenagers who Goldberg is you'll get a laugh and some fun reminiscing. Not to mention they often know the correct moments for quacking (not when getting yelled at by your principal!) All in all definitely worth watching, if only for a trip down memory lane!