The Olympics end Sunday and hopefully along with it will be the end of #sochiproblems and the return of my favorite television shows.
Despite not really following any of the winter sports, the Olympics are still very engaging for me and many others. It’s a cultural event filled with upsets, triumphs and heartbreak. Because I only know about a handful of the athletes, I love listening to the promo packages shown before competitors compete.
The Olympics can become all about the personal stories of the journey to the games. Everyone has stories for why you should root for them, which gives me a personal investment in wanting them to win and keeps people glued to the television in anticipation.
If you’re like me though, it feels like the Olympics have barely started. Between midterms, meetings and attending class, I’ve watched very few events and have missed out on the whole Olympic experience. Part of what makes the Olympics such a key event to watch is that it only happens once every four years, but the downside is I now have to wait until I’ve graduated for the next Olympic games, the ones in Rio.
To handle withdrawal from the Olympics after the closing ceremonies, watch these Olympic-related and inspired movies. The majority of these are cheesy, feel-good films, but that’s what makes them great.
1) “Ice Princess”
In one of Michelle Trachtenberg’s breakout movies, she stars as Casey Carlyle, an excellent high school student who uses her gift for math to figure out the physics behind skating. She teaches herself to skate and against all odds, journeys to nationals. This movie is definitely geared towards straight females. There’s a love interest, rooting for the underdog and drama between other skaters and parents. The fabulous Joan Cusack, Hayden Panettiere and Kim Cattrall all have supporting roles.
2) “Miracle”
Do you believe in miracles? With that being the title, the viewer definitely goes into the movie not expecting to be surprised, but this movie, based on the USA hockey team’s quest to beat the dominating Russian team in the 1980 Olympics, is a classic sports film that will bring out the patriot in anyone. Kurt Russell stars as the team’s inspirational coach.
3) “Cool Runnings”
Confession: I have never actually seen this movie because I didn’t have the Disney Channel growing up. However, during a discussion about the Jamaican bobsled team, a group of my friends brought up this movie. They went on for a good 10 minutes about how much they love this movie, set during the 1988 Olympics, and how relevant it is to this year’s Olympics. John Candy stars as the team’s coach, and as always, he gives a great performance. This is a movie I’m putting on my own watch list.
Bonus movie: “Blades of Glory”
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @musovogr
