Hockey is peaking in popularity right now. Even people that don’t regularly follow a team or go to games are showing interest in the sport. From the Winter Olympics to Heated Rivalry, it’s buzzing. It’s not always the most graceful display of athleticism as violence is built into its DNA. But it’s produced some of the world’s best-known players, from Wayne Gretzky to Sidney Crosby (both Canadian, by the way). So, it seems like an excellent time to reimagine a 1980s hockey feature. Youngblood follows a player whose career is stunted when he can’t get out of his own way.
Dean Youngblood (Ashton James) has the potential to be a great hockey player. Since he and his brother, Kelly (Emidio Lopes), were kids, their father (Blair Underwood) pushed them to play their best — his way. He was a scrapper, and he expects Dean to follow in his footsteps. Except Dean has talent and finesse. Unfortunately, his misconception about being an enforcer on and off the ice overshadows his natural abilities. If he wants to stop warming the bench, he needs to focus on scoring goals — not throwing punches. When he joins the Hamilton Mustangs during their playoff run, his new no-nonsense coach (Shawn Doyle) is going to help him learn the hard way.
This film tells the opposite story of its predecessor. In that picture, the young hockey prospect played by Rob Lowe is an unconventionally soft farm boy. He only earns his success when he becomes tough enough to take down his bully. In this update, Dean makes the move from the Motor City to Steeltown. He lacks discipline and is too ready to drop his gloves, making him a liability to the team. But his hostility also stems from a constant need to establish his value as a minority in a predominantly white sport.
He works hard at being a skilled player, but he’s got a giant, dad-shaped chip on his shoulder. His father insists the only way for a Black player to get a pro contract is to be aggressive — anything else shows unacceptable weakness.
To this end, the narrative shines a spotlight on toxic masculinity and how it’s passed down between generations. It’s a prevalent issue among male athletes and their deeply invested fathers. As in this case, many of them are trying to live vicariously through their sons after their own attempts at greatness failed.
There’s a scene on the team bus that almost resembles an impromptu group therapy session. Dean mentions the pressure his dad puts on him, and suddenly, every boy around him is confessing the worst thing their hockey dad did to them. While it makes Dean feel less alone, it also highlights the commonness of such harmful behaviour.
The remake does away with many of the clichés featured in the original movie, from the May-December seduction to a potentially risky hazing ritual. But it maintains a tried-and-true classic with Dean’s love interest being the coach’s daughter (Alexandra McDonald). At least they give her an identity this time, also making her a gifted goalie for the local women’s team.
The narrative centres on 18-year-old Dean’s coming-of-age story. During a critical pep talk, the coach gives an apt speech about making choices. He asserts that even when you make the wrong one, you’re responsible for that decision. Moving away from home gives Dean the opportunity to begin thinking for himself. With some distance between him and his father, Dean is finally able to question his indoctrination and its effect on his career.
The hockey is secondary to the storytelling, but there’s enough skill on the ice that it remains relatively exciting. Even though the disgraceful refereeing is a plot device, it will likely still annoy sports fans. The refs miss blatant calls and allow dangerous plays to go on unchecked. But it’s all in the name of the sports hero’s journey.
This update is an improvement on the original, which glorified sex and violence. Instead, it tells a more meaningful story about forging your own path and overcoming your parents’ bad habits.
Youngblood opens in theatres on March 6.
