Every now and again, a movie comes along late on a Friday night being aired on some obscure cable channel that pulls you in and keeps you there, despite the premise being something that interests you less than collecting rocks - and Slap Shot is one of them.Paul Newman plays Reggie Dunlop, an ageing Ice Hockey coach who is torn between a genuine love for his soon to be leaving wife, and an undying love for the game that has allowed him to remain a child all of his years. On the back of a series of heavy defeats, he decides to tear up the rule book and bring what is described as 'aggressive hockey' back to his side of dysfunctional misfits, the Charlestown Chiefs, in order to draw attention to the side in the vain hope that the team won't be foreclosed along with what appears to be the entire town.That's the premise, but what lies beneath is something incredibly fantastic; a genuinely funny, raucous and carefree movie that has clearly benefited from not only the time in which it was made, but also from the seeming freedom the director had when making it.If you don't like Ice Hockey or any sport for that matter, it doesn't make a blind bit of difference. This movie works in the same way that Airplane! and Blazing Saddles does - with an effortless fluidity and style that will have most viewers going back for repeat views again and again in search of another comedic nugget of gold.The character combinations here are superb, and the casting agent did a wonderful job getting Paul Newman on board, who seems to revel in this sort of role - this movie makes you feel good because it's clear from the start that it was a whole bunch of fun to make.Full to the brim with one-liners, appropriate and hilarious cursing, memorable catch-phrases and all the dysfunction you could ever hope for in a slick 123 minute runtime. Some of the scenes are genuinely laugh out loud funny; my favourite, the Charleston Chiefs organ player who gets clouted in the head and knocked off his chair by a stray puck shot from distance, only to appear in his next scene resplendent with a protective helmet - I had to spit my drink out.As mentioned in other reviews there is a small amount of social commentary here, but not enough to spoil the jokes, of which there are plenty. Hilarious, compelling and wonderfully carefree in a way that studio executives dare not entertain in this day and age, Slap Shot will surprise and revive you on one of those rainy Wednesday evenings after a bad day at work. So spend a couple of hours with the Chiefs - you'll be glad you did.8.1 / 10

I recommend people read "Hilarious, oddly influential dark sports comedy" (ggh6; 27 July 2001). Also, "Funny, cynical and irreverent" (JohnRouseMerriottChard, 27 September 2008); "Enjoyable romp" (Big Neil-2, 20 July 2002) and "...a hockey game broke out (Gary M. James; 8 May 2001)."Slap Shot" is a very complex movie. It works very well as a sports comedy that that can seen in a party setting. For many people, that is all it needs to be.I really like how it looks. The extensive use of natural lighting, the grainy quality of the film is appealing. I also admire George Roy Hill's visual style. There are a number of interesting compositions.The opening credits begin in a cutaway section of what was previously the blue square of an American flag. The finish concludes with a parade for the Charleston Chiefs. The Chiefs win using disreputable tactics. It is hard to deny that Slap Shot is making a statement about the falsity of American life; i.e., Americana.Then there is the homophobic quality (which Gary James mentions in his 8 May 2001 review). If one reads between the lines, Slap Shot can be viewed as an out-of-the-closet statement for Paul Newman. (If not Newman, then his character, Reg Dunlap.) Contrary to what many have written, Newman's Reg Dunlap does not originate the idea that if the Chiefs become a goon-squad it will bring in a financially depressed crowd. Reg Dunlap is a classic weather vane. What he thinks this minute is determined by who is around him. He cannot decide which woman he wants. He also repeatedly contradicts himself about what style of hockey he wants his team to play. (He even tells the police he thinks the Hanson brothers should be locked up, then works for their release.) Given the transient nature of Reg Dunlap's opinions, and the clearly identifiable scenes where Dunlap encounters the subject of homosexuality, it seems easy enough to interpret these scenes as Newman (or Dunlap) acknowledging that he has a gay impulse, regardless of what Dunlap says about homosexuality in scenes where he is more in control.Slap Shot depicts not not just the corruption of hockey, but also with American society. We are made to believe both are acceptable. Like the team's fanatical boosters, we are rooting for the Chiefs to win by using disreputable tactics.There is a powerful sense of indoctrination in Slap Shot. It does make the audience welcome thuggishness and the breakdown of civil society. (If the CIA made it that would explain why.) I laughed from start to finish, and the introduction of the Hanson brothers to ice is a riot. Slap Shot is amusing. There are many layers of interest beyond the mirth.

If you accept sports as entertainment with machismo and honor, you can appreciate this film for its' dressing room cliché humor and small town usual killing time on the road for the Charlestown Chiefs, a minor league hockey team led by an over the hill payer-coach and in a town one plant closing short of collapsing. Loving hockey, I saw this in the theater and still see it as a small town story. It may have a cult following, but that is not to say it doesn't light the red light for new fans as well. Quoted as much as Spinal Tap and The Godfather, the writing is crisp and action hilarious as Paul Newman works his con man act on a memorable team of cast offs. This film remains both relevant and funny with some really silly scenes countering a few heartfelt moments. I said, a few, as the transformation of this hockey team of cast offs into a goon-a-thon on ice. The characters not on the ice are just as memorable for their proliferation of the problem that Nancy Dowd was writing about

A minor league hockey team tries to salvage its losing season while dealing with the possibility of being sold. It is not clear what this film is meant to be. It's advertised as a comedy, but there's hardly anything funny here. There are endless scenes of home and road games that do little to propel the narrative. Newman is the player-coach, although he's too old to be playing and is not shown doing any coaching. The characters are undeveloped and uninteresting. This is inexplicably regarded as one of the best sports films. Director Hill is reunited with Newman, but the magic of "Butch Cassidy" and "The Sting" is missing here; perhaps if Robert Redford played Newman's teammate...