juneebuggy This movie was an interesting little bit of Canadiana I caught late night on CBC. On that note I'm sure it will only appeal to other Canadians. I mean it's about Wayne Gretzky's dad and its kinda cheesy, bordering on melodramatic, with wooden dialogue and a very made-for-TV feel. There is a lot of hockey here and the Gretzsky's are Canadian royalty, but still.So, the story is based on Walter Gretzsky's autobiography "On Family, Hockey, and Healing" which follows his struggles after a stroke and his fight to remember not only his life but the impact he had on his legendary sons spectacular career on the ice. (He's known as the world famous hockey dad) That part of the story is pretty good, and I have to say I did end up enjoying this way more than I expected to. Walter's determination is inspirational and it makes you wish this had been a better movie. Kris Holden-Ried plays Wayne and in an honourable mention there's even a scene where they go to Tim Hortons -which I kinda loved. 04.11

goleafs84 This was a movie that was highly recommended to me by a good friend and I'm glad to say I saw it.This was a movie that tells the story of Walter Gretzky suffering a stroke, along with the struggles and triumphs he had to deal with since then. I can remember first hearing about this when it actually happened, but I knew little of it.This movie is special to me in a way, because being a stroke survivor myself (going on four years now), I can relate to some of struggles Mr. Gretzky had to deal with and it has inspired me to go out and try to do the things I used to do once again (If I can ice skate and play hockey again, I'd really be happy!!!).Although my stroke was not as big as Mr. Gretzky's, I've had to deal with problems (and still do) in life. At times I can get so frustrated and I've had the feeling to quit on some things at times. This movie is a reminder to me that things can get better and to keep trying.After watching this film, I bought the DVD and it's something I can watch again and again. It's a keeper.

drama-queen-1 Living in Brantford, Ontario I have had the pleasure of meeting several members of the Gretzky family - especially Walter. To us, the Gretzky story is more of a reality than a story and it is known by almost everyone. This movie more than captured the feelings of what happened to Walter, and the whole experience. They way that the actor in the movie portrayed Walter is exactly how I see him every time I am at the local hockey arena. This is definitely a movie worth watching, even if you are not a fan of hockey. It will bring tears to your eyes and make you smile at the same time.

Skriptman Why was this film even made? No disrespect to Walter Gretsky, but countless people have been felled by strokes. Other than his near celebrity status as the father of hockey legend Wayne, Walter's story just isn't that interesting -- or that well executed - to make a decent movie. The wooden dialog and homespun feel the filmmakers were obviously looking for teetered on the brink of melodrama. I found looking into the Gretskys' private life, and conversations between friends and family members (as imagined by the writer), somewhat disquieting. The filmmakers seem to have overlooked the fact that you can't make a good movie without a good story And this one just doesn't cut it.