The Mighty Ducks (PG, 1992)

THE MIGHTY DUCKS tells the familiar story of an underdog sports team's rise from the bottom. Gordon Bombay's (Emilio Estevez) fast-lane life as a cutthroat attorney takes a turn for the worse when he's arrested for drunk driving. As part of his community service sentence, Gordon must coach a hockey team comprised of rag-tag neighborhood kids. Though he carries the guilt of a hockey failure and his father's death with him, Gordon, with the help of his team, is able to face his demons, and his old overbearing coach. In the process, the Mighty Ducks, as they come to be called, learn to work together and accept those different from them.

The Mighty Ducks is a fun and frothy family film. The pressure to excel is ever-present in kids' sports, and this movie is a good way to breach the topic with kids. There is a brief foray into single-parent romance, as Gordon courts the mother of one of the players.

Overall, things never get serious for very long, as the film highlights the camaraderie and laughs of being part of a team. It never really feels like a lecture to kids, so they are likely to enjoy it, and will hopefully take from it some lessons concerning competition. For kids 8 and up.