Cool Runnings is a 1993 American sports comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub from a screenplay by Lynn Siefert, Tommy Swerdlow, and Michael Goldberg, and a story by Siefert and Michael Ritchie. It is loosely based on the debut of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics, and stars John Candy, Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis, and Malik Yoba. In the film, former Olympian Irving Blitzer (Candy) coaches a novice four-man bobsleigh team from Jamaica, led by sprinter Derice Bannock (Robinson).
Originally envisaged as a sports drama, Jeremiah S. Chechik and Brian Gibson were attached to direct before dropping out, causing Turteltaub to be hired. Robinson was cast in 1989, followed by Doug and Yoba a year later. Lewis, who had little acting experience prior to the film and was first sought as a dialect coach, joined in November 1992. Principal photography began in February 1993 and lasted until that March, with filming locations including Kingston, Discovery Bay, and Calgary. Cool Runnings is Candy's final film released in his lifetime, while its score was composed by Hans Zimmer.
Cool Runnings was theatrically released in the United States on October 1, 1993, by Buena Vista Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its humor, tone, and cast performances. The film grossed $154.9 million worldwide and its theme song, "I Can See Clearly Now" by Jimmy Cliff, reached number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100.
Plot[]
In November 1987, Jamaican sprinter Derice Bannock trains to qualify for the 100-meter dash in the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. He fails to advance in the trials when fellow runner Junior Bevil accidentally stumbles and falls, knocking down Derice and another competitor named Yul Brenner.
Derice petitions for the race to be rerun, but committee leader Barrington Coolidge denies the request, though he feels pity for Derice. He invites Derice to try again in four years or to try out for one of the only two other sports Jamaica competes in: boxing and cycling. Derice spots a photograph in Coolidge's office, which shows his late father, Ben, standing next to a fellow Olympic gold medalist. Coolidge identifies the man as disgraced American bobsled champion Irving Blitzer, who was disqualified for cheating in the 1972 Winter Olympics in Sapporo and now works as a bookie close to Derice's home. Derice realizes he could enter the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary by forming a bobsled team, recruiting his friend Sanka Coffie, a pushcart derby champion.
Derice and Sanka track down Blitzer, who initially refuses to help Derice but reluctantly agrees to coach the team after learning that he is Ben's son. A recruitment drive fails when only Derice and Sanka stay until the end of a preliminary meeting, but Junior and Yul arrive late, allowing Blitzer to form a four-man team. Junior, like Derice, cannot wait another four years to enter the Olympics, and Yul wants to get off the island. The team trains with Blitzer, though Coolidge refuses to provide the $20,000 needed to participate in the Olympics, believing the team's inexperience will bring shame to Jamaica. Derice tries and fails to find sponsors, and he, Sanka, and Yul have little success with a range of fund-raising ventures (Yul arm wrestles challengers, Sanka horribly sings in the street, and Derice runs a kissing booth, until being caught by his wife Joy). Ultimately, Junior sells his car to finance the trip.
Upon reaching Calgary, Blitzer registers the team and borrows a bobsled from Roger, one of his past teammates. The Jamaicans struggle to adapt to the cold and race conditions but improve through exercise and hard work. Derice begins to copy the techniques of the very efficient Swiss team. The East German team and their captain, Josef Groole - the current bobsled world record holder - constantly heckle the Jamaicans during tryouts. Eventually, all the team members except Derice get into a bar fight with the East Germans, and Derice reprimands them severely afterward.
After weeks of training, the team successfully qualifies for the finals, only to be disqualified by the Olympic committee as retribution for Blitzer's prior cheating scandal. Blitzer confronts Kurt Hemphill, his former coach, now a judge in the committee, asking him not to punish the Jamaicans, as they had nothing to do with his past actions. The team is reinstated, and Junior rebuffs his father's attempt to bring him home, firmly stating his intent to remain in Calgary and represent Jamaica.
The team's first day on the track is a disaster, finishing in last place. Sanka disapproves of Derice copying the Swiss team's methods and encourages them to find their own competition style. They significantly improve on the second day, finishing in eighth place. During their final race, one of the bobsled's blades detaches, causing it to flip over and crash. Determined to finish the race, the team picks up their bobsled and carries it across the finish line, earning the applause of the other teams and the spectators, including Junior's father, despite their loss. An epilogue explains that the team returned to Jamaica as heroes, then returned to the Winter Olympics four years later to participate as equals.
Cast[]
- Leon Robinson (credited as Leon) as Derice Bannock
- John Candy as Irving "Irv" Blitzer
- Doug E. Doug as Sanka Coffie
- Rawle D. Lewis as Junior Bevil, a shy, educated, young man from a wealthy family who is afraid to stand up for himself. Junior sells his expensive car and forgoes a high-paying brokerage job to compete.
- Malik Yoba as Yul Brenner, a burly tough guy. Initially he hates Junior, as he blames him for the failure of his original Olympic campaign. But they become friends during the movie, as Junior defends Brenner when Sanka ridicules him, and Brenner teaches Junior to be more assertive.
- Raymond J. Barry as Kurt Hemphill
- Peter Outerbridge as Josef Grool, the obnoxious but very efficient leader of the East German team.
- Paul Coeur as Roger
- Charlotte Frasca as Clive
- Lee Maynard as himself
- Alex Frasca as Colin
- Larry Gilman as Larry
- Lewis Hinds as Vinnie
- Charles Hyatt as Whitby Bevil, Junior's father, a hard-working businessman, who is initially dismissive of the bobsled venture
- Winston Stona as Barrington Coolidge
- Bertina Macauley as Joy Bannock
- Kristoffer Cooper as Winston
- Bob Del Torre as USA team Driver
- Martin Hub as Czech Bobsled Driver