Slap Shot

"Slap Shot out slaps... out swears... out laughs..."

1977 2h 3m EN

👍

6.8

SOLID

★6.8TMDB · 467

ComedyDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

To build up attendance at their games, the management of a struggling minor-league hockey team signs up the Hanson Brothers, three hard-charging players whose job is to demolish the opposition.

“Slap Shot out slaps... out swears... out laughs...”

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Cast

Paul Newman
Reggie 'Reg' Dunlop
Strother Martin
Joe McGrath
Michael Ontkean
Ned Braden
Jennifer Warren
Francine Dunlop
Lindsay Crouse
Lily Braden
Jerry Houser
Dave 'Killer' Carlson
Andrew Duncan
Jim Carr
Jeff Carlson
Jeff Hanson

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: George Roy Hill
Writers: Nancy Dowd
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Made its money back 4.7× over at the box office.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

49 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

CINEMA

Did you know

Part of the "Slap Shot Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by George Roy Hill, shot by Victor J. Kemper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Dede Allen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Paul Newman and Strother Martin and Michael Ontkean carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Slap Shot out slaps... out swears... out laughs...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0076723 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

George Roy Hill directs. Victor J. Kemper behind the camera. Dede Allen cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Made its money back 4.7× over at the box office.
249 years old — old enough to be someone's favourite childhood film.
3Part of the "Slap Shot Collection" — so the characters or world continue elsewhere.
4Directed by George Roy Hill, shot by Victor J. Kemper. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
5Editor Dede Allen shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Paul Newman and Strother Martin and Michael Ontkean carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Slap Shot out slaps... out swears... out laughs...".
8IMDB entry: tt0076723 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Victor J. Kemper
Editing: Dede Allen
Costume design: Tom Bronson
Makeup / hair: Stephen Abrums
Runtime: 123 min · 2h 3m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,000,000
Box office: $28,000,000
Return: 467% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Slap Shot (1977)

Part of

Slap Shot Collection

Slap Shot is a 1977 American sports comedy film starring Paul Newman and Michael Ontkean. It depicts a minor league ice hockey team that resorts to violent play to gain popularity in a declining factory town. While the film received mixed reviews upon release and was only a moderate box office success, it has since become widely regarded as a cult classic. The film was followed by two direct-to video sequels, Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice (2002) and Slap Shot 3: The Junior League (2008). Paul Newman and the rest of the original cast did not participate in either sequel, with the exception of the Hanson Brothers, who had major roles in both.

Also by

George Roy Hill

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What people are saying

John Chard2019-02-10
★ 8/10
Funny, cynical and irreverent. Paul Newman is the coach of third rate failing minor league hockey team, The Charlestown Chiefs. The town is hit hard by unemployment and this appears to be the Chiefs' last season, however, if the coach can whip up the team up into a winning frenzy, then the unknown owner might just find a buyer and save all their carers? The management bring in three odd looking brothers who, once unleashed, take the whole team on a blood thirsty winning streak right to the championship final. The crowds flock in thirsting for more blood, but then the problems start to arise. Slap Shot is a tremendously funny film, it's also incredibly violent and often vulgar in dialogue, but be sure to know that both things go hand in hand here (or should it be glove in glove?) to create one of the smartest sports pictures in the modern age. The hockey sequences are excellent (especially to a non fan like me), and the script bristles with course and biting humour. Slap Shot on its initial release was frowned upon by many critics, it was considered too profane and overly harsh with the win at all costs theme driving it forward. However, it's now rightly embraced as the smart and intelligent piece that director George Roy Hill wanted it to be seen as. A new generation of movie fans have started to seek it out and its reputation and fan base grows ever more larger by the year. Newman was a bona fide star, his hair silver grey but his good looks still firmly intact, his performance has a grace about it that oddly sits nicely amongst this cynical stab at professional hockey; even if his characters' clothes are, in truth, icky. It would be a big disservice if I didn't mention the impact of the Hanson Brothers, surely one of the finest combinations to have ever graced a sports movie? They are at once unassumingly likable, the next gleefully violent, they are the glue that binds the whole picture together. Film is filled out with sparkling support work from the likes of Strother Martin, Michael Ontkean, Jennifer Warren, Lindsay Crouse and Jerry Houser. Not long after originally writing this review, the legend that was Paul Newman sadly passed away, he left behind a movie legacy that few can touch, and trust me, this is one of them. A sports movie that never gets old and continues to pay off on repeat viewings. 8.5/10

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