Common Sense Media Review
By Jennifer Green
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Language, some violence in uplifting historical docu.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 11+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Watch
Videos and Photos
Miracle: The Boys of '80
What's the Story?
MIRACLE: BOYS OF ‘80 tells the story of how Coach Herb Brooks was tasked with pulling together a hockey team for the 1980 Winter Olympics in Lake Placid, knowing that US teams rarely triumphed over professional teams like Russia's. A hard-edged man and even tougher coach, Brooks selected and trained players, most of whom were college kids from Boston, Minnesota, and other areas of the East and Midwest. The film interviews those players, now in their 60s, about the training and their unexpected triumph. It shows how Americans rallied behind the team and found hope in their achievements, despite living through a difficult time historically.
Is It Any Good?
There are moments in individual lives that become historic and take on much larger significance, and the US Olympic hockey team's 1980 win was one of those. Miracle: The Boys of '80 conveys how the unexpected victory marked the lives of those involved, but also how it became a beacon of hope for an entire nation undergoing a difficult period. It's exciting to hear the players narrate playbacks of their underdog matches, and it's even more moving to hear them talk about their parents and childhoods.
Parallel to their personal stories, footage and commentators describing a recession- and Cold War-addled 1970s America position the wider battle as one of different visions of the future and of a nation that could in fact come together and do something positive.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how the team members interviewed in Miracle: The Boys of ‘80 demonstrated teamwork both on and off the ice. How did this impact their playing as well as their lives?
The film interviews journalists and other commentators. How did they provide historical context to the 1980 Olympics? What moments were most memorable for you?
How has American life changed since the 1970s and early 1980s, seen here, and today?
Movie Details
- On DVD or streaming : January 30, 2026
- Cast : Herb Brooks , Jim Craig , Mark Johnson
- Directors : Max Gershberg , Jacob Rogal
- Studio : Netflix
- Genre : Documentary
- Topics : Competition , Friendship , History , Sports
- Character Strengths : Teamwork
- Run time : 101 minutes
- MPAA rating :
- Last updated : February 3, 2026
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