holograf Just an awful movie. it's very long and drawn out with a poor climax. really one of the stupidest movies i have ever seen. there's no need to get into details as to why, but it's just very vapid, there's not much to it. they must've gone through several cases of fake blood, was so ridiculous. glad i didn't see it when i was a kid and everyone in school was talking about it. sometimes we romanticize the past, but if this was they type of humor people had a very simple sense of humor. paul newman was 51 at the time and playing an active hockey player. his character was all over the map, i was very unimpressed with him. looking at this i'd say he was a very overrated actor.

BoomerDT It's the mid-70's and Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) is the ancient player-coach of the Charlestown Chiefs, a minor league hockey team in the Northeast. Reggie, the Chiefs, as well as Charlestown are pretty much on life support, barely hanging on. He has a motley group of players, not exactly hot NHL prospects. But Reggie and his team all share one thing…they absolutely love playing hockey and everything that goes with it, the male camaraderie in the locker room and road trips, drinking, poker and their groupies. Unfortunately, with the steel mill getting ready to close in Charlestown, the team will be folding at the end of the year unless an out of town buyer can be convinced to purchase the team-so Reggie Dunlop figures the best way to attract attention is to raise the level of violence on the ice to a new pinnacle.What unfolds is absolutely hilarious, but it's not just the action on the ice. Although to do a sports movie well the participating actors have to look somewhat authentic and hockey is not an easy sport to play. You can't fake it and everyone, including Newman are believable in their hockey skills. SS has some memorable dialogue and moments, whether they are about hockey, sex, marital relations, machismo… hanging out with the Chiefs for 2 hours is a blast.Newman is the only really big star and he's terrific. But some other memorable faces in this including Strother Martin as the teams seedy GM, Michael Ontkean as a talented ex-Ivy leaguer who enjoys the life but has a wife (Lindsay Crouse) who hates being a hockey widow. Jennifer Warren plays Reggie's estranged wife-they are still in love with each other but she's realized it's time for her to move on. Melinda Dillon, who would become famous for "A Christmas Story" has a memorable nude scene with Newman, as the ex-spouse of an opposing goalie who also has discovered she's bi-sexual. Swoosie Kurtz also plays one of the wives who delivers a few memorable one-liners. As far as the Chiefs, great performances by virtually everyone, my favorite being Brad Sullivan as the perpetually horny Moe Wanchuk.And then there are the Hanson Brothers…simply put the most destructive line in hockey history!

MartinHafer "Slap Shot" is a very, very adult sports film. It features LOTS of profanity, lots of politically incorrect language, references to masturbation, nudity and LOTS and LOTS of violence. Even by today's standards (which, admittedly are pretty low), it's a very adult film. But, it also is very funny and, like a terrible traffic accident, it's something you may not want to watch...but you keep on watching! The Charlestown Chiefs are a lousy minor league hockey team in a lousy city. Their fans don't care and the team seems imminently in danger of either being sold or folding completely. However, the player-manager of the club (Paul Newman) is a bit crazy and has come up with a plan to POSSIBLY save the team and his career--get his players to play as dirty as possible to create fan spirit. And, after playing like a squad of nothing but goons, the team starts to win and fans come pouring into the stadium. And, to further excite his team, he begins spreading false rumors about a buyer for the team. It all culminates in an incredibly stupid finale at the championship game. Unfortunately, it's no longer a sport--just a punch of thugs hittin' folks!The bottom line is that "Slap Shot" is a funny and distasteful film. My wife even enjoyed it--and she normally doesn't like sports films. It's also pretty wild seeing Newman and some of the other actors on skates--as well as those Hanson brothers...who are kind of like Napoleon Dynamite combined with three Tasmanian Devils! Crazy fun.

kickacan Too often Slapshot is mentioned at the top of such lists as: best sports comedy, best sports movie, best hockey movie etc. - sometimes even best comedy. I recently saw it again after many years and it has not aged well. The main problem is with the script and dialogue and that is a very serious problem. I appreciate the main plot and themes of a minor league hockey team struggling to survive, but the actions and events are very contrived, especially the climactic striptease scene. The other "comic" actions and the "comedic" dialogue don't just fall flat, but they are outright embarrassing. Even Paul Newman manages to induce cringes. The only redeeming parts of the movie, and the reason for my score of "3" is the appearance of the three "Hanson" brothers. Played by actual pro hockey players, the scenes where they are prominent are a joy to watch. Not only is it obvious that they are very good players and skaters, but their comic scenes are the only genuinely funny scenes in the movie. The only reason to watch Slapshot is to observe the "Hanson" brothers in action. They don't appear until nearly halfway through and they only have about a half dozen short scenes - so keep your thumb near fast forward.