The classic “Ya dead?” “Yeah, mon” exchange is probably the most quotable line of the entire movie, with perhaps not the greatest shelf life. But on re-watching I was reminded of just how silly and enjoyable it is to hear a man who just crashed into and destroyed an entire shack telling his friend that he died. Add to this the wonderful line uttered by Sanka as he warms his hands next to his fellow national bobsledders: “I am feeling very Olympic today!” I continue to say that myself at least once every two years.
Then there is the entire self-actualization subplot between Yul and Junior, with Yul channelling every ounce of intellect he has to deliver the inspiring line, “Yo, people always afraid o’ what’s diff’rent.” It’s actually kind of a nice little moment of assertion in the midst of other teams icing out, so to speak, the Jamaicans (it was of course a storyline that was fabricated in an objective sense; it’s probably possible that the bobsledders still felt alienated given the fact that they were surrounded by a bunch of pale-skinned cold weather veterans). The rallying around the team that occurs at the end is enough to warm a snowman’s heart.
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