SLAP SHOT (1977): WHY THE HANSONS MEAN SO MUCH TO FANS

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Now with enhanced closed captioning (cc).
Warning: Spoilers
Since first viewing George Roy Hill’s Slap Shot (1977), I have been fascinated by the average fan’s relationship to the Hanson brothers. Despite people’s adoration of the three young players, I nevertheless thought that the characters were vastly underestimated. That is, they really do come close to stealing the entire show (though theft is not in their repertoire and one doesn’t ‘steal’ a movie from Mr. Newman, one of the most compelling actors of his or any other generation). It would be more accurate to say that the film wouldn’t work nearly so well without the Hansons. They add an unexpected layer of credibility and watchability to the film.
To my way of thinking, the brothers gin up the level of verisimilitude, give it an injection of grit that would surely be present on most minor league teams, elevating the film to cult status. The actors who play Jack, Jeff and Steve are gregarious, charismatic real life players whose natural love for their sport shows up on screen in their performances. They make their characters compelling and totally believable.
Three others who understood how much the Hansons would add to the film include:
1) Paul Newman, who was widely known to be both generous, professional and mature on set (never threatened by other actors), 2) George Roy Hill, who always knew what viewers would find compelling, and 3) Nancy Dowd, whose timeless, hilarious and insightful script gave life to these three immortal characters.
There is something else as well: in today’s era of extreme ‘wokeness’, Slap Shot feels more daring and naughty and boundary-breaking than it might otherwise. It is something we rarely see anymore: a comedy for adults, which tells an interesting story, without too much fanfare…and somehow the film only gets better with age. It decidedly does not attempt to reinvent the wheel. The film succeeds because of strong, memorable acting, a visionary director and a solid script, created by a gifted screenwriter.
Here, in this video, I will discuss how much the Hanson brothers enhance the ‘hockey IQ’ of this film, why their characters continue to fascinate and entertain fans, and also how (the actual techniques) which Nancy Dowd employs in her script to so endear the three brothers to viewers.

0:00 Pre-Intro
0:09 Introduction
1:24 Nancy Dowd's Technique
2:28 Arrival
4:44 Team Hanson
5:50 Wish Fulfillment
9:32 Hansons in their own words and the words of others
13:55 The Slot Car Scene
17:53 The Team First Mindset
24:27 Devil-May-Care Attitude
25:53 Their Basic Characters
27:16 Getting Into the Game
27:49 "They're not just bullies?"
30:16 Outro
30:35 End Screen

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