Youngblood

by Mike McGranaghan

Youngblood is an odd choice for a remake. The 1986 Rob Lowe/Patrick Swayze hockey drama was a theatrical bust, earning just over $15 million at the box office. Unlike other films targeted at a similar audience during that period - The Lost Boys, St. Elmo’s Fire, etc. - it hasn’t established a notable legacy through home video, either. It’s one of those movies you probably forgot existed. The new version won’t be remembered any better. It goes down easily enough without ever making a true impression.

Talented teen hockey player Dean Youngblood (Ashton James) has seen his career hit the skids before it really gets started, thanks to a temper that leads to a lot of fighting. His father Blane (Blair Underwood) taught him to never take flak from anybody, a lesson he has deeply internalized. Dean is left with only one option on the table: sign with the Hamilton Mustangs, a team whose coach, Murray Chadwick (Shawn Doyle), is under pressure to win a championship. Once given this chance, he has to avoid losing it by learning to control his hotheaded ways. There’s also an obligatory secret romance with the coach’s daughter Jessie (Alexandra McDonald).

The best parts of Youngblood are those taking place in the rink. Director Hubert Davis previously made the documentary Black Ice which explored what it’s like to be Black in the predominantly white world of ice hockey. His passion for the sport comes across loud and clear. The games are staged with the sort of vibrancy that only a serious fan could achieve. Davis’s camera often gets up close to notice the little details of the game, which helps non-fans gain more understanding of how much skill is required to play.

The screenplay is what drags things down. You’d think, given the director’s prior work, that more time would be spent on Dean dealing with racism. It’s hinted at without ever being fully developed. The Dean/Jessie romance is similarly underwritten. She’s not here as a character in her own right; her function is merely to motivate him to change. Other Mustangs are one-note, given no personalities, so there’s never a sense of how Dean’s behavior affects any of them.

Slightly better is the focus on Dean’s conflicted personality. Ashton James nicely shows how the character has a tug-of-war going on in his head. He doesn’t want to let his father down yet realizes that the paternal advice given to him isn’t necessarily compatible with what it takes to actually win. It’s a good performance, and James’ scenes with Doyle really delve into the player/coach dynamics that make or break a team.

Youngblood is pleasant enough to watch. Certain aspects of the film hold your attention, and the hockey sequences are strong. There doesn’t seem to be much of a core to the story, though. Potentially interesting ideas are left mostly unexplored or are explored in a shallow manner. We’re left with a nagging feeling that the movie could have been a lot more than just amiable.

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