Cool Runnings | |
---|---|
Directed by | Jon Turteltaub |
Screenplay by |
|
Story by |
|
Produced by | |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Phedon Papamichael |
Edited by | Bruce Green |
Music by | Hans Zimmer |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Buena Vista Pictures Distribution |
Release date |
|
Running time | 98 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $17 million |
Box office | $154.9 million[2] |
Cool Runnings is a 1993 American sports comedy film directed by Jon Turteltaub from a screenplay by Lynn Siefert, Tommy Swerdlow, and Michael Goldberg, and a story by Siefert and Michael Ritchie. It is loosely based on the debut of the Jamaican national bobsleigh team at the 1988 Winter Olympics, and stars Leon, Doug E. Doug, Rawle D. Lewis, Malik Yoba and John Candy. In the film, former Olympian Irving Blitzer (Candy) coaches a novice four-man bobsleigh team from Jamaica, led by sprinter Derice Bannock (Leon).
Originally envisaged as a sports drama, Jeremiah S. Chechik and Brian Gibson were attached to direct before dropping out, causing Turteltaub to be hired. Leon was cast in 1989, followed by Doug and Yoba a year later. Lewis, who had little acting experience prior to the film and was first sought as a dialect coach, joined in November 1992. Principal photography began in February 1993 and lasted until that March, with filming locations including Kingston, Discovery Bay, and Calgary. Cool Runnings is Candy's final film released in his lifetime, while its score was composed by Hans Zimmer.
Cool Runnings was theatrically released in the United States on October 1, 1993, by Buena Vista Pictures. It received positive reviews from critics, with praise for its humor, tone, and cast performances. The film grossed $154.9 million worldwide and its theme song, "I Can See Clearly Now" by Jimmy Cliff, reached number 18 on the US Billboard Hot 100.