A teenaged pond hockey prodigy (Noah Reid) defies his hippie parents and his own pacifist ethics to join a junior team, catapulting him to improbable stardom and helping him become a man. And everybody sings. If it took itself even one iota more seriously, Score would miss the net, as the hockey action isn’t convincing and the songs are a mixed bag, with lyrics too often wedged into ill-fitting melodies. But writer-director Michael McGowan gets maximum mileage out of the singing-jock concept, playing the material with a knowing wink and serving a generous helping of in-jokes for fans of the sport. From vomiting goalies to puck bunnies to Nelly Furtado as a fan shrieking for blood, McGowan mines hockey culture to create a piece of high-camp Canadiana.
This article appears in Oct 21-27, 2010.