Mystery, Alaska

MPAA Rating: R

Entertainment: +2 1/2

Content: -3

The small-town Mystery, Alaska Saturday hockey league has been challenged to a game by the big-time New York Rangers professional hockey team. The game is to be televised nationally and played on a frozen pond in Mystery. But not wanting to participate in this National Hockey League publicity stunt, the hockey players union is taking the league to court to stop the game. Since the Mayor (Colm Meaney) and the townspeople have sunk the town treasury into this event, they must find a way to make it happen. The town judge, Judge Burns (Burt Reynolds), sends a representative to New York to convince the federal judge that the Rangers must play as agreed. Meanwhile, the local sheriff (Russell Crowe), also the teams coach, is back in Mystery trying to prepare his rag-tag bunch of pick-up hockey players for the game of their livesif it happens. MYSTERY ALASKA is a classic underdog story with a little twist. But hockey fans may find the drama and excitement they love in the real game a little too orchestrated on the big screen.

The only mystery is why this film has to be so offensive. Dialogue includes 26 f-words, two spoken by a small boy for comedic effect, 14 s-words and a barrage of other crudities and profanities. The opening scene shows a trailer home rocking and the sounds of sex coming from inside. One of the hockey players says that fornication and hockey are the only fun things to do in cold weather. And he and the mayors wife are shown in bed with near nudity having graphic sex. He apologizes later to the mayor for his adultery. A teenage couple attempts to have sex in a snowplow but the boy has a little trouble. Many crude and explicit sexual comments between both adults and teens further degrade a film that could have been fun and exciting. Judge Burns reprimands the town for exalting hockey over what is right. MYSTERY ALASKA should be reprimanded likewise.

Preview Reviewer: Cliff McNeely
Distributor: Buena Vista/Hollywood Pictures/Walt Disney Co., 500 S. Buena Vista St., Burbank CA 91521

Summary
The following categories contain objective listings of film content which contribute to the subjective numeric Content ratings posted to the left and on the Home page.

Crude Language: Many (18) times mild 6, moderate 12

Obscene Language: Many (47) times f word 26, s word 14, other 7

Profanity: Many (23) times All Regular (for G sake 5, J 6, GD 6, G 2, JC 3, G knows 1)

Violence: Few times moderate (man shot in foot, man hit in head with shovel, fighting in hockey games, man punched in nose)

Sex: Few times graphic (movement and sounds from trailer, couple commits adultery in bed with near nudity, teens in snow plow attempt sex but boy has trouble)

Nudity: Once (male rear nudity); Near Nudity: Few times (man/woman in underwear during sex, teens undressing for sex, male rear nudity on ice rink-nonsexual)

Sexual Dialogue/Gesture: Many times explicit (crude/explicit comments about sex, sensual kissing, teens discuss/attempt having sex, implied male gratification, comical comment about incest, references to breasts and male genitals, crude sexual proposition, comment about fornication being fun, girl discusses wanting to have sex with boyfriend)

Drugs: Few times (alcohol, some drunkenness and vomiting)

Other: Hockey given first priority in town

Running Time: 111 minutes
Intended Audience: Older teens and Adults

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