Mystery, Alaska

 3.5/4

Starring: Russell Crowe, Mary McCormack, Hank Azaria, Colm Meaney, Ron Eldard, Burt Reynolds, Lolita Davidovich, Maury Chaykin

Rated R for Language and Sexuality

"Mystery, Alaska" does what every sports movie should do, and then a little more.  Of course it all comes down to a big game with the final score determined in the last few seconds.  That's no secret.  But what surprised me about this movie is its portrait of a town.  This tiny Alaska town begins to feel like a real place, and one that I wouldn't hesitate to visit in a second.

For Mystery, hockey is more than a religion.  It's a way of life.  If people aren't playing it, they're watching it or talking about it.  Nothing is more important than the Saturday match, where the best players play a scrimmage match on a local pond for the rest of the town.  This is where men like Sheriff John Biebe (Crowe) become legends on the ice.  The recent gossip revolves around the article in Sports Illustrated that features the local team.  Soon after, hometown deserter Charles Danner (Azaria) comes back with an insane development: the NHL wants to have an exhibition match between Mystery and the New York Rangers.

What is interesting about "Mystery, Alaska" is that there is not central character.  This is a true ensemble film.  Pretty much everyone gets the same amount of screen time.  Or seems to.  I never kept count.  Naturally, the big game isn't the only thing going on in this movie, and a lot of it has to do with who is boinking who.  It might be soap opera, but the cast is charming and the film's bawdiest moments lead to the film's biggest laughs.  They usually involve a guy named Skank (Eldard), who will sleep with anything possessing the correct body parts.  And if you're paying attention, this leads to a very funny joke (look for the sign in the audience at the big game).

Russell Crowe might seem like an odd choice for a small town sports comedy.  The Australian actor simply has too much screen presence and magnetism.  And while it isn't his best work, he's solid.  The rest of the cast is solid, but a special shoutout has to go to Ron Eldard, who shows a comic side I haven't seen from the normally low-key character actor.  Also worth mentioning is Hank Azaria, who has never been better.  Charles has more than the publicity on his mind when he comes home, and he plays the man with a sense of humor and pathos.

American cinema is built around small towns to one extent or another.  There's just something about the self-contained existence where everyone knows everyone and nothing ever changes that is uniquely American.  The list of examples are numerous: "It's a Wonderful Life," "The Last Picture Show," any Stephen King movie.  I would also throw "Tommy Boy" in the mix, because not only does it speak of my love for that film, but I thought of it a lot while watching "Mystery, Alaska."  It sounds strange, but the two films are quite similar.  In feeling at least.

I won't claim that "Mystery, Alaska" is an under appreciated classic that should be rereleased by the Criterion Collection.  But it involved me and made me laugh (sometimes quite hard).  More importantly, it made me care, which is something I truly appreciate.  It made me with that Mystery, Alaska exists, and that I could take the first plane to Alaska just so I could be a part of it.  And play in the Saturday match.