Cool Runnings
Directed by	Jon Turteltaub
Produced by	Susan B. Landau Christopher Meledandri
Written by	Lynn Siefert
Starring	Leon Robinson Doug E. Doug John Candy Rawle D. Lewis Malik Yoba
Distributed by	Walt Disney Pictures
Release date(s)	October 1, 1993
Running time	98 min
Language	English
Budget	$14,000,000 (estimated)
Allmovie profile
IMDb profile

Cool Runnings is a 1993 comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub. It is loosely based on the Jamaican Bobsled Team at Calgary, Alberta in the 1988 Winter Olympics. It stars Leon Robinson, Doug E. Doug, Malik Yoba, Rawle D. Lewis, and John Candy. Image File history File links Coolrunnings. ... Jonathan Charles Turteltaub (b. ... Leon Preston Robinson IV (born March 8, 1962) is an American actor and singer. ... Doug. ... John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian comedian and actor. ... Malik Yoba (born September 17, 1967 in Bronx, New York) is an African American actor. ... Old logo from 1985-2006 Walt Disney Pictures refers to several different entities associated with The Walt Disney Company: Walt Disney Pictures, the film banner, was established as a designation in 1983, prior to which Disney films since the death of Walt Disney were released under the name of the... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1993 (MCMXCIII) was a common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1993 Gregorian calendar). ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Comedy film is genre of film in which the main emphasis is on humor. ... Jonathan Charles Turteltaub (b. ... The Jamaican Bobsled Team first gained fame during their debut in the 1988 Winter Olympic Games in Calgary. ... Calgary is a city in the province of Alberta, Canada. ... The 1988 Winter Olympics, officially known as the XV Olympic Winter Games, were celebrated in Calgary, Alberta, Canada and opened by Governor General Jeanne Sauvé. The Olympics were highly successful financially as they brought in million-dollar profits. ... Leon Preston Robinson IV (born March 8, 1962) is an American actor and singer. ... Doug. ... Malik Yoba (born September 17, 1967 in Bronx, New York) is an African American actor. ... John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian comedian and actor. ...

Plot

Irving ("Irv") Blitzer is an American bobsled double gold medallist at the 1968 Winter Olympics, who finished first in two events again in 1972 but was disqualified for cheating and retired in disgrace to Jamaica, where he leads a destitute life as a bookie. He is approached by top 100m runner Derice Bannock, who failed to qualify for the 1988 Summer Olympics when another opponent, Junior Bevil, tripped at the trials, and pushcart driving champion Sanka Coffie, who both wish to use his previous experience as a coach in order to compete in the Winter Olympics as bobsledders. Blitzer had been good friends with Derice's father, Ben, a former gold medal sprinter whom Blitzer had tried to recruit for the bobsled team years ago. Bobsleigh is a winter sport in which teams make timed runs down narrow, twisting, banked purpose-built iced tracks in a gravity-powered, steerable sled. ... The 1968 Winter Olympics, officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games, were held in 1968 Grenoble, France and opened on February 6. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Johnson winning the 100 m final The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were the Summer Olympic Games celebrated in 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A runner carries the Olympic torch The Winter Olympic Games, Winter Olympics for short but more correctly The Olympic Winter Games, are the cold-weather counterpart to the Summer Olympic Games. ...

The Jamaican bobsled team

The first half of the movie centers on Jamaica, efforts to recruit Bevil and Yul Brenner (he was also tripped during the qualifiers), and training the team. After Blitzer is convinced to coach the team, the three months of practice begins, initially resulting in embarrassment. However, the four men get used to the sport and make their way to Calgary and the Olympics.

The second half of the movie is the drama of the Olympics, and the fish-out-of-water scenario of the laid-back tropical black Jamaicans in both the white-dominated sport and the cold of Calgary winter. The Jamaicans' first day on the track results in, once more, embarrassment, and a last-place finish. The second day proves better; the Jamaican team finishes with an incredible time of 56.53 seconds which puts them in eighth position. For the first half of the final day's race it looks as though they will break the world bobsled speed record, until tragedy strikes; their rickety sled (an old practice sled Blitzer acquired from the US team) falls apart towards the end of their run, leaving them metres short of the finish line. However, the team lifts their sled up and walks across the finish line to rousing applause from onlookers, including antagonists such as Junior's father (who proudly bears his Jamaican bobsled team T-shirt beneath his jacket), Josef Grull (an East German driver who had ridiculed the Jamaicans constantly) and Kurt Hemphill who is a member of the Olympic alliance. The team, at the end, feels accomplished enough to return in four years to the next winter Olympics, which they do, though neither they, nor any other team in the world, ever comes close to matching the run in which their sled fell apart.

Teaser poster

Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links Metadata No higher resolution available. ...

Box office

• U.S. Gross Domestic Takings: $68,856,263
• Other International Takings: $86,000,000
• Gross Worldwide Takings: $154,856,263
• Jamaican Takings: $46,271

Cast and Characters

• John Candy - Irving 'Irv' Blitzen
• Leon Robinson - Derice Bannock
• Doug E. Doug - Sanka Coffie
• Malik Yoba - Yul Brenner
• Rawle D. Lewis - Junior Bevil
• Kristoffer Cooper- Winston
• Peter Outerbridge- Josef Grool
• Michael Chicklis- Street Tough # 3 (Calgary)
• Winston Stona- Mr. Coolidge
• Charles Hyatt- Whitby Bevil (Junior's Father)
• Bertina Macauley- Joy Bannock
• Pauline Stone Myrie- Sanka's Mother
• Thomas C. Schorsch - Irving 'Irv' Blitzen's Son (Deleted Scene no.109)

John Franklin Candy (October 31, 1950 – March 4, 1994) was a Canadian comedian and actor. ... Leon Preston Robinson IV (born March 8, 1962) is an American actor and singer. ... Doug. ... Malik Yoba (born September 17, 1967 in Bronx, New York) is an African American actor. ... Peter Outerbridge (born June 30, 1966 in Toronto, Ontario) is a Canadian actor. ...

Real-life discrepancies

Characters

The bobsledders portrayed in the film are fictional, although the people who conceived the idea of a Jamaican bobsled team were inspired by pushcart racers and tried to recruit track sprinters. However, they did not find anyone interested in competing, and ended up having to recruit four sprinters for the team.

Irving Blitzer is a fictional character; the real team had several trainers, none of whom were connected to any cheating scandal. As the time of the movie's release, the United States had not won a gold medal in Bobsleigh at the Winter Olympics since the four-man event in 1948. The double gold medalist in bobsleigh at the 1968 Winter Olympics was Italy's Eugenio Monti. Bobsleigh has been contested at the Winter Olympics since the first Winter Games in 1924, with the exception of the 1960 games in Squaw Valley when the organizing committee decided not to build a track in order to reduce expenses. ... The V Olympic Winter Games were held in St. ... The 1968 Winter Olympic Games Bobsleigh results Mens events Four-man Two-man There was a tie for first place. ... Eugenio Monti (January 23, 1928 – December 1, 2003) was an Italian bobsledder. ...

Organization

A fictional sports governing body, the "International Alliance of Winter Sports" appears in the film (in reality, every winter sport has its own separate governing body). Also, England is listed on the board shown in the tavern in Jamaica, whereas in reality English athletes compete under the flag of the United Kingdom.

Competition

The bobsled competition in the film consists of three individual runs, whereas in reality the Olympic bobsled competition is two runs a day held over a two-day period.

Funding

In the film, Junior of the bobsledders decides to sell his car to raise money to get to Calgary after being turned down for sponsorship. The other members also hold fund-raisers, and several prospective sponsors laugh at them. In reality, the team got to Calgary on corporate funding. In a deleted scene, Irv also agrees to wrestle a live Bear, but his traumatic experience with "Bart the Bear" in the "Great Outdoors" quickly yanked the project from the drawing board. John Candy was relieved. This article is about the Canadian city. ...

See also

• Tropical nations at the Winter Olympics

Although traditionally associated with northern nations, the Winter Olympics has also had a number of teams from warm/tropical countries competing. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Cool Runnings

• Cool Runnings at the Internet Movie Database
• Cool Runnings at Allmovie
• Cool Runnings at Rotten Tomatoes
• Cool Runnings at Box Office Mojo
• Devon Harris Cool Runnings Team Member