Scott Grimes who was also in the movie responded on his official Twitter account... "best time of my life! Best friends of my life!" 26 February, 2018.
Michael Buie responded from his official Twitter account..." As a young Canadian actor, the opportunity to play an outdoor game of hockey DAILY on a lake in the Rocky Mountains was a dream (Zamboni cleared 3x normal rink). 20 years later, the friendships transcended well beyond that dream, we rely on them. But it all started on Mystery!" 27 February, 2018.
Russell Crowe, Scott Grimes, Kevin Durand and Michael Buie met during the movie and become life long friends and music partners. During the movie Russell Crowe was introduced to the music of Great Big Sea and Alan Doyle.
The movie also featured a young Canadian actress Rachel Wilson. Rachel Wilson went on to perform in a range of movies and television shows including the Canadian/Newfoundland television series Republic of Doyle with Allan Hawco. Russell Crowe, Scott Grimes, Kevin Durand, Micheal Buie and Alan Doyle who also combined in various combinations to work on some of the episodes of Republic of Doyle.
I am the first to admit that I don't know much about hockey or skating but I really enjoyed this movie. The story involves a small town, mad about hockey being invited to play their own kind of hockey game against the NHL team, the New York Rangers. It doesn't matter where a person is from, dreams to play professional sport can come true with a little bit of talent and some luck. This movie remains one of my favourite Russell Crowe movies.
Although Mystery Alaska was filmed in 1998 it was not released in the United States until October, 1999 and Australia in February, 2000.
The official Mystery Alaska IMDb site contains some interesting trivia about the filming of the movie, photographs, movie posters and fan and professional reviews. I have included a copy of a review from the New York Times which has been edited for copyright reasons. I chose this review as it is from New York. This review also contains a full list of the cast and production staff.
The first photograph is from hollywoodmoviejerseys.com. The following photographs are from the official Mystery Alaska IMDb site. I have also included a screen shot of the movie poster. As always no copyright infringement intended. A trailer has been circulated on my Google + page.
'A Small Town Takes on the Big Guys' by Stephen Holden published on 1 October, 1999 in The New York Times.
When it comes to capturing the bone-crunching, high-velocity world of sports, Hollywood has a surprisingly spotty record, often preferring to present the game as metaphor (''Field of Dreams'') instead of diving into the bruising reality of the arena. But ''Mystery, Alaska,'' an upbeat meat-and-potatoes movie that is a striking change in directorial style for Jay Roach, who oversaw the garish Austin Powers romps, conveys some of the thrill and ferocity of ice hockey while skillfully folding together multiple personal dramas.
Produced by David E. Kelley, the king of television drama (''L.A. Law,'' ''The Practice,'' ''Ally McBeal''), who wrote the screenplay with Sean O'Byrne, the movie is clearly a project dear to Mr. Kelley's heart. Twenty years ago, he was captain of Princeton's hockey team, and the screenplay includes enough technical jargon to demonstrate an insider's knowledge of the sport without clogging up the narrative.
''Mystery, Alaska'' uses sport to explore the hardy psyche of a remote Alaskan town that lives and breathes hockey and that's pride and joy is its legendary pond hockey team. The movie has the look and feel of an unusually well-constructed television drama in which a dozen sharply drawn characters interact in ways that are fairly predictable without seeming too snugly formulaic. You can also feel the chill; the climactic game takes place in minus-10-degree weather. In an amusing satirical touch, Little Richard (of all people) opens the event with a rendition of the national anthem that is so slow that some of the waiting players worry that their bones will begin to freeze.
What sparks the drama is the return to Mystery of Charles Danner (Hank Azaria), a native son who forsook his hometown for New York City to become a television producer. Danner has come up with a promotional scheme to pit the locals against the New York Rangers in a nationally televised exhibition game to be broadcast live from Mystery. The show would be an economic boon to the town. Without actually demonizing Danner, the movie presents him as a shifty city slicker and the high-powered network personnel who descend on Mystery as blase media gypsies. One dreadful, pat and inaccurate marketing pitch proposed is to dub the Mystery team Eskimos on Ice.
The movie's moral and emotional grounding wire is Mystery's sheriff, John Biebe (Russell Crowe), a 13-year veteran of the team and local sports hero who is devastated to learn that he is being retired from the first string to make room for Stevie Weeks (Ryan Northcott), a naive eager beaver only half his age. Biebe is a terrific role for Mr. Crowe, whose Rock of Gibraltar machismo anchors the film in decent common-sense values. Biebe's demotion sends a shock through the town and through his marriage to Donna (Mary McCormack), who years ago dated Danner but chose to marry Biebe and live a very circumscribed life.
Other colorful characters include the town's Mayor, Scott Pitcher (Colm Meaney); Skank Marden (Ron Eldard), the team's resident stud who blithely cuckolds Pitcher; the local judge, Walter Burns (Burt Reynolds); his wife, Joanne (Judith Ivey); their hockey-playing son, Birdie (Scott Grimes), and their teen-age daughter, Marla (Rachel Wilson). Finally there is Bailey Pruitt (Maury Chaykin), the blustering hyper-emotional lawyer who travels all the way to New York to argue the team's case when the game is in danger of being canceled because of union problems.
What gives zest to a story that builds to a predictable David and Goliath confrontation on a pond (in which a Coca-Cola logo has been imprinted beneath the surface of the ice) is a screenplay that locates the characters' idiosyncrasies and a calm directorial style that respects their dignity even when they're under extreme stress. Where most films about small towns caught up in sports mania take a patronizing view of grown-ups living vicariously through their athletic children, ''Mystery, Alaska'' never questions the community's values. Without fawning over the players, the movie presents them as rugged, earthy embodiments of a healthy pioneer spirit that enables communities like Mystery to stay closely knit and proud.
''Mystery, Alaska'' is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has sexual situations and some strong language.
MYSTERY, ALASKA
Directed by Jay Roach; written by David E. Kelley and Sean O'Byrne; director of photography, Peter Deming; edited by Jon Poll; music by Carter Burwell; production designer, Rusty Smith; produced by Mr. Kelley and Howard Baldwin; released by Hollywood Pictures. Running time: 118 minutes. This film is rated R.
WITH: Russell Crowe (John Biebe), Hank Azaria (Charles Danner), Mary McCormack (Donna Biebe), Burt Reynolds (Judge Walter Burns), Colm Meaney (Mayor Scott Pitcher), Lolita Davidovich (Mary Jane Pitcher), Maury Chaykin (Bailey Pruitt), Ron Eldard (''Skank'' Marden), Judith Ivey (Joanne Burns), Scott Grimes (''Birdie'' Burns) and Rachel Wilson (Marla Burns).
Produced by David E. Kelley, the king of television drama (''L.A. Law,'' ''The Practice,'' ''Ally McBeal''), who wrote the screenplay with Sean O'Byrne, the movie is clearly a project dear to Mr. Kelley's heart. Twenty years ago, he was captain of Princeton's hockey team, and the screenplay includes enough technical jargon to demonstrate an insider's knowledge of the sport without clogging up the narrative.
''Mystery, Alaska'' uses sport to explore the hardy psyche of a remote Alaskan town that lives and breathes hockey and that's pride and joy is its legendary pond hockey team. The movie has the look and feel of an unusually well-constructed television drama in which a dozen sharply drawn characters interact in ways that are fairly predictable without seeming too snugly formulaic. You can also feel the chill; the climactic game takes place in minus-10-degree weather. In an amusing satirical touch, Little Richard (of all people) opens the event with a rendition of the national anthem that is so slow that some of the waiting players worry that their bones will begin to freeze.
What sparks the drama is the return to Mystery of Charles Danner (Hank Azaria), a native son who forsook his hometown for New York City to become a television producer. Danner has come up with a promotional scheme to pit the locals against the New York Rangers in a nationally televised exhibition game to be broadcast live from Mystery. The show would be an economic boon to the town. Without actually demonizing Danner, the movie presents him as a shifty city slicker and the high-powered network personnel who descend on Mystery as blase media gypsies. One dreadful, pat and inaccurate marketing pitch proposed is to dub the Mystery team Eskimos on Ice.
The movie's moral and emotional grounding wire is Mystery's sheriff, John Biebe (Russell Crowe), a 13-year veteran of the team and local sports hero who is devastated to learn that he is being retired from the first string to make room for Stevie Weeks (Ryan Northcott), a naive eager beaver only half his age. Biebe is a terrific role for Mr. Crowe, whose Rock of Gibraltar machismo anchors the film in decent common-sense values. Biebe's demotion sends a shock through the town and through his marriage to Donna (Mary McCormack), who years ago dated Danner but chose to marry Biebe and live a very circumscribed life.
Other colorful characters include the town's Mayor, Scott Pitcher (Colm Meaney); Skank Marden (Ron Eldard), the team's resident stud who blithely cuckolds Pitcher; the local judge, Walter Burns (Burt Reynolds); his wife, Joanne (Judith Ivey); their hockey-playing son, Birdie (Scott Grimes), and their teen-age daughter, Marla (Rachel Wilson). Finally there is Bailey Pruitt (Maury Chaykin), the blustering hyper-emotional lawyer who travels all the way to New York to argue the team's case when the game is in danger of being canceled because of union problems.
What gives zest to a story that builds to a predictable David and Goliath confrontation on a pond (in which a Coca-Cola logo has been imprinted beneath the surface of the ice) is a screenplay that locates the characters' idiosyncrasies and a calm directorial style that respects their dignity even when they're under extreme stress. Where most films about small towns caught up in sports mania take a patronizing view of grown-ups living vicariously through their athletic children, ''Mystery, Alaska'' never questions the community's values. Without fawning over the players, the movie presents them as rugged, earthy embodiments of a healthy pioneer spirit that enables communities like Mystery to stay closely knit and proud.
''Mystery, Alaska'' is rated R (Under 17 requires accompanying parent or adult guardian). It has sexual situations and some strong language.
MYSTERY, ALASKA
Directed by Jay Roach; written by David E. Kelley and Sean O'Byrne; director of photography, Peter Deming; edited by Jon Poll; music by Carter Burwell; production designer, Rusty Smith; produced by Mr. Kelley and Howard Baldwin; released by Hollywood Pictures. Running time: 118 minutes. This film is rated R.
WITH: Russell Crowe (John Biebe), Hank Azaria (Charles Danner), Mary McCormack (Donna Biebe), Burt Reynolds (Judge Walter Burns), Colm Meaney (Mayor Scott Pitcher), Lolita Davidovich (Mary Jane Pitcher), Maury Chaykin (Bailey Pruitt), Ron Eldard (''Skank'' Marden), Judith Ivey (Joanne Burns), Scott Grimes (''Birdie'' Burns) and Rachel Wilson (Marla Burns).
