10 Reasons Cool Runnings Is Every Bit As Good As You Remember It

While nostalgia may inform a certain amount of taste and affection we have for movies from our childhood, some really do stand the test of time. The Shawshank Redemption is perhaps the best example of a film that was shown over and over and over on TV in the 90s, resulting in a popularity that keeps it perennially at the top of the IMDb ratings list. Others, like Hook, show their age, and it’s more than just a few wrinkled spots (for the record, I’m still a fan, though I begrudgingly admit I am in the minority). I find it hard to go back and try to objectively evaluate something I loved as a kid. It can be tinged by nostalgia, but also by disappointment in the loss of magic or innocence, or by a cynicism that dictates if you liked something as a kid, liking it as an adult shows a lack of maturity. After much time and consideration, I realize that a lot of movies we watched as kids were effing awesome. And first on this list, at least for movies I watched and re-watched dozens of times on the Disney channel or whatever the hell, is Cool Runnings. This movie deserves a critical re-appreciation. It’s one of those movies where the story itself—the improbable yet true story of Jamaica’s first Olympic bobsled team—is so compelling that it seems like it would be a slam dunk on film. But the finished product directed by Jon Turtletaub (of National Treasure fame) is so much more. Here are 10 things about Cool Runnings that prove it’s a true classic. Continue reading on the next page... 1) The humor holds up “Yo Sanka. Ya dead?” “Yeah, mon.” This exchange between Sanka and Derice becomes one of the running gags throughout the movie, serving as a joint catchphrase signifying the characters’ accident-prone behavior as well as their enduring friendship (more on that later). Above all, it’s just another example of the odd and amusing banter between these young Jamaicans. This is something that persists through the entire movie, giving it a unique character in itself, which I didn’t appreciate quite as much as a kid. The rhythm to the lines add a little extra humor to each one. Yes, it can be corny at times, and yes, John Candy is…John Candy. But for all the out of style jokes that maybe were never in style even in the 1990s, there are a lot of moments that are sure to at least crack a smile on most any grizzled old face. John Candy’s reaction to the recruitment video he shows that ends up depicting dozens of bobsled crashes is probably his highlight of the movie. As a western Canada transplant, seeing a cheerful Jamaican friend trying his darn-tootin’est to fit in to the line dancing at the bar as Sanka does is priceless. He even tries to take back the term “yippee-ki-yay” from Bruce Willis but perhaps never quite made for lasting success. As a comedy and a feel-good movie, even if it comes off as rather innocent to us now, Cool Runnings remains as fun as it ever was. Continue reading on the next page... 2) There are funny quotes, and some inspiring ones 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. Continue reading on the next page... 3) It employs that classic Disney signature for great sight gags The funny lines are the easiest part of any movie to remember and bring to mind weeks, months and years later. Calling to mind a specific sight gag is more difficult, and so seeing some of the visual humor of the movie as if it was the first time again was tremendous fun. Much of this relies on the juxtaposition of the Jamaicans with the Canadian environment, whether this consists of them putting on layers and layers of clothes, and then wrapping their luggage bags around themselves on top of that, or else the mere fact that their one unavoidable stand-out physical trait—their blackness—is further represented by the bright colors they continue to wear around their dull-colored opponents. Then there are little things. John Candy trying to catch them all with snowballs, only to get a face full of snow himself. The room of potential recruits emptying before Irv turns the lights back on from the film. Sanka emerging from the ice truck with a frozen head and breaking off one of his dreadlocks. Classic stuff, and watching it again makes you appreciate the novelty of the visual comedy that made Disney famous and a giant of the screen. Continue reading on the next page... 4) Derice and Sanka’s friendship is deep and true The whole premise of the movie is that these sprinters, inspired by a previous generation of sprinters who were recruited but never formed a bobsled team, decide to form their own team in hopes of traveling to the Olympics. So the why the hell is Sanka on the team? He’s not a sprinter. He’s a pushcart driver, the best in Jamaica, according to Sanka. But he doesn’t even drive the bobsled! No, his only reason for being on the team is out of love for his friend Derice, who was one member short of a full squad and asks Sanka for help. They’re always checking in with each other to see if the other one is alright. They have a comfort around each other that speaks to a history they share, both as countrymen and friends. I’m a sucker for movies about friendship like Pineapple Express or The Shawshank Redemption. This one has the qualities of those types of movies even if it’s overshadowed by a semi-historical sports angle and Disney comedy. Continue reading on the next page... 5) Junior and Yul’s relationship is adorable Junior is a little sweetheart. Yul is a bitter hardass. Add to this the fact that Junior’s screwup on the track cost Yul and Derice a trip to the Summer Olympics, and you’ve got contrasting personalities brought into direct tension by unusual circumstances. Then they get recruited to join Derice’s bobsled team, and have to sit balls-to-ass in a tiny metal sled throttling down an icy mountain. Obviously they’re going to become best friends, right?? The relationship seems to develop out of Yul’s sympathy for Junior’s plight with his father, over Yul’s naïve ambitions, and through their ability to actually complement each other’s weaknesses. Junior is a lovely young man but a total puss when it comes to standing up for himself, and Yul helps him bring out his inner “badass mother.” It’s hard to tell whether Yul is a father figure to Junior or not, but Junior does seem to see some of his father’s ambitions in Yul, even if Yul doesn’t have the education required to know what Buckingham Palace looks like. Perhaps Yul sees some of himself in Junior; his own background and family situation is unknown. Maybe he’s so desperate to get off that “crummy island” because of his own strained relationship with his parents. Whatever their reasons, their resulting friendship is one of the movie’s sweetest movies, even to a cynical, disillusioned old bastard like me. Continue reading on the next page... 6) Hans Zimmer composed the score! This fact I would have had no idea about in 1993. This was even before his breakthrough work on The Lion King. But listening to the music of Cool Runnings, you may not be able to identify the sound Zimmer has come to be known for, but it’s a really awesome score, combining Caribbean sounds with the dramatic movie music we’ve come to expect and respond to. He’s gone on to score the work of Christopher Nolan like the Dark Knight trilogy and Gore Verbinski’s movies, most notably Pirates of the Caribbean, as well as this year’s Man of Steel, which as far as I’m concerned is a certain Oscar contender if it’s eligible or whatever. Perhaps some well-timed Inception-style BWAAAHHHHHHs would have made Cool Runnings a lot more intense, but the music during the bobsled runs, especially the night time trial, enhanced the excitement of those scenes. Continue reading on the next page... 7) Canada is the destination for their hopes and dreams Canada is so hip right now. It’s almost like the hipster United States. So plenty of liberal movies and moviemakers now will drop Canada into things to give them some hipster street cred. For some it falls right into their lap, like Argo. But for those of us from America’s Hat, seeing Canada get featured the way it is in Cool Runnings was novel in the early 90s. Now, it has that retro appeal of a time when Canada was less in the international consciousness, quietly going about its business and generally being hella cold and polite. And yet it’s still amusing to see a group of young, talented men whose greatest aspirations, the site of their long and difficult quest, is Calgary. Any idealized Chinook-based image they had of the Albertan city is quickly frozen off of them. Continue reading on the next page... 8) The sound and visuals of the bobsled runs are excellent The entertaining story and fun humor are what drew many like me to this movie when we were younger. But there’s more to this movie than just narrative and comedic flourishes; its technical work is really solid in places, and adds to the exciting moments that we’re invested in because of how much we enjoy the characters. The first moment that is striking for the eyes is that time trial run on the hill at night, first with Derice watching the Swiss team, and then the Cool Runnings team having their go. The music and the light bring out the feeling of a cold Canadian night that serves as such a contrast to the warm Jamaican images that we had just been seeing moments earlier. Then there are the competition runs, with the sound greatly enhancing the danger and menace of the speedy bobsled rides. The final run and crash is of course the most compelling, and the moment the music cuts out, its gets crazy real. There’s the shot of the inside of the sled, showing the team being betrayed by their equipment, a symptom of their economic inferiority to the other teams. Then the crash itself comes, with the sound containing some of the most gruesome features of the sequence, combined with the images of the bobsledders heads being dragged and pressed against the icy track. This makes the payoff of the shot where the crowd of medical personnel part like the sea to show the sledders carrying their sled to the finish that much more powerful and triumphant. Continue reading on the next page... 9) It’s a coming of age story for a country as well as these athletes The Winter Olympics—in fact many would make the case about the Olympics as a whole but the Winter Olympics especially—are a manifestation of class and money and whiteness despite their insistence that they are about the world coming together to participate in friendly competition. The reality is that when your country doesn’t really get snow or ice naturally, the only people who thrive in winter sports are those with the means to artificially create the training grounds for athletes who can one day compete with the elite. This is an immensely unfair obstacle for tropical countries, and on top of this, countries in warmer climates are disproportionately a part of what we call the developing world. So seeing a team like Jamaica compete in a bobsled event was no doubt seen as a triumph for the international sporting community even if its exceptional status points more to an endemic problem with a body hypocritically purporting to be putting on a truly inclusive worldwide contest. Despite this, through the characters of Cool Runnings, we see a country making one of its first big, prominent appearances on the world stage, just as we see Derice discovering his skills as a leader, Sanka demonstrating his loyalty, Junior learning to assert himself and Yul being assured that his grand ambitions of international success is achievable is he remains patient and determined. It’s a nice parallel and with the conclusion that even small victories and progress can be found in momentary failures, a rather touching and hopeful message for any country or person who often feels small and unnoticed. Or whatever. Continue reading on the next page... 10) It includes an assortment of enigmatic little details Why is he named Yul Brenner? This is one of many things in Cool Runnings that simply goes unexplained. Its announcement is met with raised eyebrows and shrugs from the other characters, and as a kid it flew over my head, but now it’s a detail I greet happily with my best WTF face. Maybe it’s a nickname he was given that he didn’t understand, like his photo of Buckingham Palace. Maybe it’s a disavowal of the name given to him by his parents, who are absent in the entire story. Then there’s the name Sanka Coffie. It’s like a name you’d see Sylvester Stallone give one of his characters. Here, it seems as though their names emphasize the various embellishments added to this story. Then there’s Sanka’s lucky egg. Is it a real egg? Why does it show no cracks despite their sled flipping over? So many unanswered questions. I’ll admit it’s impossible for me to put myself in the seat of an objective observer given that Cool Runnings was one of my favorite movies growing up. And I can’t argue against someone who insists that I’m just going to great lengths to justify nostalgia. So much of taste is driven by nostalgia anyway. I’d be curious to see what a person whose life had not been touched by the Jamaican Bobsled Team in the 90s would think of this movie today. I’m still willing to argue its merits against any possible cold-hearted detractors that may exist. Come at Cool Runnings and we will respond with a cool “No problem, mon.”