Mystery, Alaska (1999)

38% of critics liked it
(81 reviews)
65% of users liked it
(31,353 ratings)

In this comic drama about fame, sports, and small-town life, Mystery, Alaska is a small town in one of the least accessible parts of the coldest state in the union. It's a town where everyone knows each other and there isn't much to do. In places like this, small things tend to become very… More In this comic drama about fame, sports, and small-town life, Mystery, Alaska is a small town in one of the least accessible parts of the coldest state in the union. It's a town where everyone knows each other and there isn't much to do. In places like this, small things tend to become very important, and in Mystery, the one thing that keeps everyone sane is hockey. Most of the men of Mystery are obsessive hockey fans, and a local hockey league has sprung up, with pools of neighborhood talent facing off on the ice every week. When a national sports magazine does a story on the hockey fans of Mystery, Alaska, someone at the National Hockey League gets an idea for a publicity stunt: send the New York Rangers to Mystery to play the local all-stars in a nationally televised game. Most of the locals are thrilled; the game will give the people of Mystery a chance to bask in the limelight and make their sleepy town a household word. On the other hand, in a small town where everyone knows everyone else's secrets, this event could cause everyone to start airing their dirty laundry in public, with the whole world watching. Mystery, Alaska was directed by Jay Roach, who enjoyed considerable success with the two Austin Powers films, and stars Russell Crowe as John Biebe, Mary McCormack as his wife Donna, Burt Reynolds as Judge Burns, and Lolita Davidovich as Mary Jane. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

Rating, Runtime: R, 1 hr. 55 min.
Directed By: Jay Roach
Written By: David E. Kelley, Sean O'Byrne
Genres: Drama, Comedy

In Theaters: Oct 1, 1999 Wide
On DVD: May 9, 2000
Studio: Buena Vista

Critic Reviews

Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee
This is an attractive, talented, most companionable cast.
Susan Stark, Detroit News
The Detroit Red Wings' season begins Saturday. Why enrich Disney's coffers for a shameless piece of cinematic junk like Mystery, Alaska when you can see the real thing?
Tom Keogh, Film.com
Roach has to deal with some pure corn at the end, but he pulls it off and guides the actors to and through far better moments.
John Petrakis, Chicago Tribune
There is no denying Kelley's ability to write a funny one-liner or pen a poignant speech, but this frustrating film has the potential to be much more than it is, especially with the collection of able actors on hand.
Jay Carr, Boston Globe
Kelley is obviously aware that to make the move from TV to films he must fill his scripts with greater depth and density.
Nell Minow, Common Sense Media
Grown-up Mighty Ducks isn't meant for kids.
Jean-François Vandeuren, Panorama
La preuve qu'il est encore possible de produire de belles choses lorsque la passion est au rendez-vous, même si cela signifie parfois travailler avec des matériaux usés...
Michael Dequina, TheMovieReport.com
With so many characters and plotlines, it seems that TV king Kelley mistook this big-screen assignment for another network pilot.
Philip Martin, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
...completely inoffensive -- if you don't mind old ladies and little children saying shockingly rude things. But it's no Slap Shot, if that's what you wanted to know.
Pablo Villaca, Cinema em Cena
O roteiro cria uma série de subtramas que jamais se tornam relevantes e - o que é pior - mergulham no mais puro clichê.
Jeffrey Westhoff, Northwest Herald (Crystal Lake, IL)
No matter how stale the storyline, these actors breathe fresh emotion into it.
Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat, Spirituality and Practice
While sports may well be the toy department of life, hanging out there is often what creates and sustains community.
Michael W. Phillips, Jr., Goatdog's Movies
The only thing that saves it from being total trash is the skill of the lead actors, who make the best out of nothing.

Read all 13 critic reviews

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Fresh (60% or more critics rated the movie positively)

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Featured Audience Ratings

Jason O

Ever since I saw the previews for it a couple of years ago, I knew I had to see "Mystery, Alaska." One thing that surprised me was that my mom even liked it and she HATES watching any kind of sports. Another thing, I haven't ever been that much of a hockey fan myself.… More
Ever since I saw the previews for it a couple of years ago, I knew I had to see "Mystery, Alaska." One thing that surprised me was that my mom even liked it and she HATES watching any kind of sports. Another thing, I haven't ever been that much of a hockey fan myself. In my whole life, I probably haven't watched enough hockey to account for more than two whole NHL games. I'm an NBA and MLB fan instead. However, I liked "Mystery, Alaska" A LOT! An amateur, but very skilled hockey team from a small town in Alaska called Mystery, get national attention after a former resident writes an article praising them. Surprisingly, this earns the now not so mysterious team from Mystery, Alaska, a game against THE New York Rangers. Will the Mystery team that is led by the town sheriff (Russell Crowe) and is coached by the town's strict judge (Burt Reynolds), have a chance against professionals who get paid millions of dollars to play the game they love? Let me make it short, I have never been a hockey fan in my life, but I really enjoyed this movie a lot, and my mom doesn't like any sports, and she even liked it. Even if you're not a hockey fan in the least sense or even a sports fan, give "Mystery, Alaska" a shot. It doesn't have any spectacular special effects or anything fancy, and that's good because it didn't need it. But let me tell you, this movie never gets boring the whole time and it features great acting from everybody, especially Burt Reynolds and Russell Crowe. NOTE: That was my Amazon review from the year 2001. I liked this movie and I don't even like hockey.
Dean M

I love ice-hockey in comedy film since <i>Slap Shot</i> and <i>The Mighty Ducks</i> series, but this is a hilarious tale of romance, passion and the ultimate power play.
Jason S

It was the usual sports movie. The underdog takes on the top dog.
danny d

very good movie
Leigh R

I liked it.
Cameron J

Here's a mystery for you: "Why are sports movies so boring?" Oh wait, that's no mystery. The reason is that sports, in general are boring enough without someone trying to back it up with whatever dramatic storyline you can possibly relate to the sport at hand. I… More
Here's a mystery for you: "Why are sports movies so boring?" Oh wait, that's no mystery. The reason is that sports, in general are boring enough without someone trying to back it up with whatever dramatic storyline you can possibly relate to the sport at hand. I can't believe that no one is doing a sports drama that deals with parkinson's, which is more compelling and realistic than most of the stuff these people come up with. I don't care if you think your wife doesn't love you just because she laughed at her high school boyfriend, Russell. Ironically, this film really isn't that boring. Hey, it's all paced pretty smoothly to me after "Tin Cup", which was basically over 2 hours of Kevin Costner doing pretty much nothing other than lightly tapping a ball into a hole with a club. But seriously though, while the film is certainly more exciting than most sports flicks, it does still have slow spots and like most slow films, it's vulnerable to other flaws. Here, these flaws include a mild lack of development, a somewhat inconsistant sense of humor, a deal of fall-flat jokes, some vile dialogue, (I'm not a whimp, I'm just saying that what Crowe's character's wife sarcastically said to express her excitement about the town getting a Zamboni was some ol' high school freshman bull) a bit of an out-of-place score, ceesiness, melodrama, forced plot points, predictability, a lot of cliches and an atmosphere that's too clean for the mature content. Still, as flawed as the film is, it remains pretty decent. For this, we have to thank a decent storyline, some nice cenimatography, fair performances and a solid and heartwarming ending, Hallmark-tastic though it may be. Ultimately, "Mystery, Alaska" is a cliched, melodramatic and gratuitously mature mess, but the well-ended story and performances are compelling enough to make it a decent watch.
Chad R

Mystery Alaska, where you can ice skate to school or ride your snowmobile or go roll around naked in the snow and then jump in the hot tub (you know you want to do it!). The biggest thing that goes on in this town is Hockey. Every sunday, the best players in town (voted on by the… More
Mystery Alaska, where you can ice skate to school or ride your snowmobile or go roll around naked in the snow and then jump in the hot tub (you know you want to do it!). The biggest thing that goes on in this town is Hockey. Every sunday, the best players in town (voted on by the city council) play schoolyard hockey on natural ice with the whole town watching. They don't get paid, but they get a certain noteriety and status in the town if you are good enough to play. Russel Crowe plays the town sheriff/team captian when (as a result of a sports illustrated column) a former resident and former bf of Crowe's wife shows up and sets up a exhibition game with the town team against an actual professional team (Rangers). The town goes apeshit and the team starts kicking ass to get in shape to try and pull off the "Any given Sunday" scenario. The results damn near tear the team and town apart until the game actually arrives. Crowe and Burt Reynolds (as the coach) are great and the results are fun to watch. Recommended.
Lee K

ok hockey movie one of the few times rusell crowe didnt get on my nerves
Miriam K

A great Hockey film.