On Frozen Blog

Tomorrow, the dreams of Roy Dupuis fans will come true: “The Rocket” is being released on DVD. (The trailer is here for your viewing pleasure.) I was able to see this introspective of Maurice Richard’s life again, and the movie holds up well over multiple viewings. The movie depicted the struggle in Canada between Anglophones and Francophones, as well as the various social classes, especially well. This aspect of the plot helped to further develop my understanding of the issues. As an American with a French-Canadian husband, I was already aware of the tensions, but this movie further defined the fine points of the problems.

However, my favorite part of the movie was when Sean Avery “Bob Dill” got the stuffing knocked out of him by Richard. Avery will never win any awards for acting, but even he seemed convincing, probably because he was doing what he always does: mouthing off, pushing guys around, and generally acting like a jerk. Other players were involved in the film– Vincent Lecavalier and Mike Ricci, to name a couple– so there was a degree of authenticity when it came to the hockey scenes. (It didn’t hurt that Dupuis has been skating since he was three.)

Personally, I preferred watching the film in French with English subtitles; it added to the experience. I’d rank this movie up there in the hockey movie genre, somewhere between “Mystery, Alaska” and “Miracle” (and definitely higher than “Most Valuable Primate.”) If you’re in the mood for a hockey movie and want to see something other than “Slapshot,” check out “The Rocket.”