Score: A Hockey Musical

Score: A Hockey Musical is a 2010 Canadian musical film written and directed by Michael McGowan starring Noah Reid, Allie MacDonald, Olivia Newton-John, Marc Jordan and Nelly Furtado.

Synopsis

Seventeen-year-old Farley Gordon has led a sheltered life, home-schooled and isolated by his parents. His closest friend is Eve, their next door neighbour. When his skill at hockey is realised, Farley is signed to a major hockey league and achieves instant fame and success. But pressure from his coach and teammates and a changing relationship with Eve begin to create intense strain in Farley's life.

Cast

• Noah Reid as Farley Gordon
• Allie MacDonald as Eve
• Olivia Newton-John as Hope Gordon
• Marc Jordan as Edgar Gordon
• Nelly Furtado as an ardent hockey fan
• Stephen McHattie as Walt Acorn
• K. Trevor Wilson as shirtless fan
• John Pyper-Ferguson as Coach Donker
• John Robinson as Ace
• Dru Viergever as Moose
• Chris Ratz as Maurice
• George Stroumboulopoulos as an arena announcer
• Evan Solomon as himself
• Brandon Firla as Don Mohan
• Gianpaolo Venuta as Marco
• Steve Kouleas as himself
• Wesley Morgan as a sensitive player
• Marc Trottier as Jean Luc, the Braces goalie
• Paul O'Sullivan as a doctor
• Walter Gretzky as himself
• Theo Fleury as himself
• John McDermott as himself
• Hawksley Workman as Gump
• Thomas Mitchell as Darryl

Songs

The soundtrack to Score: A Hockey Musical contains 21 songs:

1. "O Hockey Canada (O Canada)" by John McDermott and Canadian Children's Opera Company Written by Marco DiFelice, Jonathan Goldsmith and Michael McGowan
2. "Darryl vs. The Kid" Written by Barenaked Ladies and McGowan
3. "Best Friends" Written by DiFelice, Emilie Mover, Benjamin Pinkerton and McGowan
4. "Frozen Toe" Written by DiFelice, Pinkerton, and McGowan
5. "Hugs" by Olivia Newton-John Written by Olivia Newton-John, Amy Sky and Marc Jordan
6. "Give it a Shot" Written by DiFelice, Pinkerton and McGowan
7. "Buck 55" Written by DiFelice, Pinkerton and McGowan
8. "Kraft Dinner" Written by DiFelice, Pinkerton and McGowan
9. "Baboons" Written by DiFelice, Jody Colero, Alexander Andresen and McGowan
10. "Donker's Dilemma" Written by DiFelice, Pinkerton and McGowan
11. "Boyfriends" Written by DiFelice, Brent Barkman, Colero and McGowan
12. "Pacifism Defence" Written by DiFelice, Pinkerton and McGowan
13. "Ordinary Boy" Written by DiFelice, Ryan Corrigan and McGowan
14. "Boy in the Bubble" Written by DiFelice, Corrigan and McGowan
15. "Dead and Done" Written by DiFelice, Corrigan and McGowan
16. "Toe to Toe" Written by DiFelice, Corrigan and McGowan
17. "Legends" Written by DiFelice, Benjamin, Pinkerton, Jordan and McGowan
18. "Eve's a Goddess" Written by DiFelice, Corrigan, Amy Sky and McGowan
19. "Hockey, The Greatest Game in the Land (Movie Version)" Written by DiFelice, Pinkerton, Colero and McGowan
20. "Time Stand Still" by Nelly Furtado Written by Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson and Neil Peart
21. "Hockey, The Greatest Game in the Land (Radio Edit)" by Hawksley WorkmanWritten by Colero, McGowan, DeFelice, Pinkerton and Hawksley Norman

Reception

Peter Howell of the Toronto Star gave Score: A Hockey Musical two and-a-half stars out of four saying: "Score isn’t deep and there’s no danger of it becoming a global phenomenon. But it’s as true a crowd-pleaser, one that doesn't require season tickets to the Maple Leafs to appreciate." Stephen Cole of The Globe and Mail gave the film three stars out of four, praising McGowan's direction of its genre saying: "McGowan's (Saint Ralph) wondrous achievement here is making a discarded genre seem like ready-made fun. He does so by creating a playful satire of musicals, while somehow - this is the hard part - capturing the charm that made song and dance movies so popular." Other reviews were less positive. Greig Dymond of CBC said the film is "marred by weak lyrics, even weaker melodies and a number of actors who probably shouldn’t be singing in public." Will Sloan of Exclaim! said the film "fails resoundingly on every level" and "that it was selected to open the Toronto International Film Festival is embarrassing."

Release

The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 9, 2010 as part of its Opening Night Gala. It was released in theatres in Canada on October 22.

Home video

The DVD was released on January 18, 2011.