Cool Running Film Analysis

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“Feel the rhythm, feel rhyme, get on up, it’s bobsled time,” says Doug E. Doug in the movie Cool Runnings. This movie isn’t just about how an unlikely Jamaican bobsled team qualifies for the Olympics, it teaches the viewer about leadership, hard work, and persistence. These are only some of the many life lessons presented throughout the film. The plot development, life lessons, music, character development as well as the humor are what make this film so special. By recreating the genre of comedic non-fiction, this movie stands alone as the greatest of all time. The combination of humor with pure inspiration provides the viewer with a feeling unparalleled by any other movie. The movie is based on a true story about the desire of four men to …show more content…

No matter your age, this film is guaranteed to make you laugh. Their accents combined with the hilarious Jamaican traditions make this film the perfect combination of comedy and suspense. In arguably the funniest scene in the movie, Derice, Junior, Yul, Sanka and Coach Blitzer are deciding what to name the sled. Yul recommends naming the sled Tululah, and Sanka immediately replies with “that sounds like a 2 dollar hooker,” only for him to realize that Tululah is Yul’s mothers name. The lesson taught here is that people should not judge what other people are thinking because they do not know exactly who they are and where they come from. Although jokes like this are clearly not appropriate for younger children, they are so subtle, that unless the audience really pays attention, they will most likely miss it. Another humorous scene occurs when they leave the airport in Calgary. It is the first time the team has ever been in cold weather. Being from Jamaica, in the Caribbean, it is warm year-round. As they see the snow outside, they unzip their luggage and put on every article of clothing they own. Sanka even manages to wear his suitcase on his head as well. This scene is only a few seconds long, and it is amusing, but it also shows how much of a disadvantage the Jamaicans had. They had never been in cold weather, but they were participating in a sport in the Winter Olympics. A few hours before the team’s Olympic qualifier, the judges inform Coach Blitzer that they have decreased the qualifying time, making it more difficult to qualify. When asked if he understood, Blitzer responds “Ya, mon,” in his best Jamaican accent. Although it is humorous to watch an overweight American man try to imitate Jamaicans, it shows how he has adapted to become part of the team. He jokingly mocks Jamaicans’ accents, but it shows how this experience has affected him. The humor