5. Mighty Ducks 2: The Flying V
I offer no apologies; this list is sort of a love letter to the
D2:The Mighty Ducks. In fact, this isn't the last time you'll see the film highlighted. You may be wondering what it is that makes
D2 so special. Like most 90's kid's sports movies, it has the essential ingredients; sport + ragtag team + down-and-out coach=good box office. What sets it apart from the pack, however, is its scope. As I said earlier, to a young kid, everything about sports is larger-than-life. That's exactly what
Mighty Ducks 2 delivers to its young viewers. Nothing's small scale here. Disney must have decided to give
D2 the prestige picture treatment wherein the best writers, composers, cinematographers etc., were assigned to work on the film. As a result the jokes are better, the performances stronger, and the sport scenes more convincing, and deeply felt. With D2, a B-movie got an A-movie treatment, which was basically what happened with
Jaws. Yes, I just compared
D2: The Mighty Ducks to
Jaws. How can you not praise a film that introduces landmark iconography into the cultural landscape? The Knuckle Puck was one example, and the Flying V is another. I don't care if the Flying V is technically off-sides. A lot of the stuff the Ducks did was wrong or illegal in the strictest sense of the game, but I couldn't care less. It feels right. It feels epic. It makes you cheer on the inside, and thrills you. When Jessie goes behind that goal and makes the call, I get chills. If every sports movie was just an exercise in technical proficiency then the genre wouldn't be as well regarded as it is. People don't watch sports for the ordinary and mundane. They watch sports to see the impossible and ridiculous. They watch to see dreams born and heroes rise.
Mighty Ducks 2 gave the kids of the 90's a dream, and to this day, it still hasn't died. Ducks fly together. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WZ0uRJOatQ