Slap Shot

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Slap Shot

R

1977

2h 3m

Comedy

Drama

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

87%

Tomatometer

38 Reviews

88%

Popcornmeter

25,000+ Ratings

In the small New England town of Charlestown, the local mill is about to lay off 10,000 workers. The town's minor league hockey team, the Charlestown Chiefs, is doing no better. After years of failure, this will be the team's last season. Exasperated player and coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) lets the club's recent acquisitions, the Hanson Brothers, play. The brothers' actively violent and thuggish style of play excites the fans. Dunlop retools the team, using violence to draw big crowds.

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Critics Consensus

Raunchy, violent, and very funny, Slap Shot is ultimately set apart by a wonderful comic performance by Paul Newman.

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Stephanie Zacharek

TIME Magazine

Aug 1, 2024

Newman often cited the role of Dunlop as one of his favorites; the performance, in all its wicked, foul-mouthed glory, is freeing to watch. No wonder Newman loved the experience.

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Pauline Kael

The New Yorker

Sep 13, 2023

What holds the picture together is the warmth supplied by Paul Newman. As Reggie, the player-coach of the Chiefs, a minor-league ice-hockey team, he gives the performance of his life -- to date.

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Dan Epstein

Rolling Stone

Sep 21, 2017

Slap Shot remains the greatest sports flick of the 1970s.

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Sean Burns

Crooked Marquee

Jul 23, 2023

Newman’s breeziest, most waggishly charming role.

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Steve Warren

The Barb (Atlanta)

May 9, 2023

Believe it or not, this leads to a moral ending, and provides a lot of laughs along the way, mostly involving foul play or foul language.

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Stephen Silver

Tilt Magazine

Mar 4, 2022

B+

Its the best movie ever made about its sport; you can have your Miracle. (45th anniversary)

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G W

@Tonopah May 31, 2026

On the Mt Rushmore of comedy, and the greatest hockey movie ever made.

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Smith D.

@RT30928287 May 27, 2026

What makes Slap Shot work is the exceptional performance of Paul Newman. Perhaps it’s the fact that we all know him is this bright eyed blonde straight man, and the fact that he is so off brand and outrageous just gives the absurdity of the film constantly surrounding him a strange kind of credence. It also strikes me as a film that must’ve been extremely important to the shaping of directors like Wes Anderson. Maybe not in terms of content, but certainly in terms of filmmaking aesthetics.

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Indiana S

@JayStates Apr 25, 2026

The worst hockey movie ever made.

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Joseph I

@RT90905012 Apr 18, 2026

Just mildly funny. Slow at times. I was disappointed.

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Russell H

@RT85733992 Mar 23, 2026

It was silly and all over the place. Pace was a little slow but the good parts hit. It would have been 3 and a half stars but the Hanson Brothers made it a 4. They should have been more featured.

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paul L

@RT07931946 Mar 13, 2026

By modern standards, it may look dull. And though it is a relic of it's era, it is owed a great debt for early boundary pushing. Paul Newman added the wholesome element to balance the raunch- a balance that is still used today. The sports narrative is actually almost more engaging than the comedy. Release date: 1977 - essentially 50 years ago as I write this review in 2026. Back then it was tricky to get to theaters with even 4 minutes of edgy comedy and just 10 years later in 1987: Trains, Planes and Automobiles and Space Balls released. Clearly, a lot happened to push the envelope in those 10 years and this movie can be thanked for that momentum. Aside from historical impact and sentimental value though: ZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz wake me up for the one or two great scenes.

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George Roy Hill

Director

Paul Newman

Reggie Dunlop

Michael Ontkean

Ned Braden

Lindsay Crouse

Lily

Strother Martin

McGrath

Jennifer Warren

Francine

Slap Shot: Official Clip - Fashion Show

2:18

Now Playing

Slap Shot: Official Clip - Braden's Striptease

2:58

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Slap Shot: Official Clip - Old-Time Hockey

2:17

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Slap Shot: Official Clip - Reg Taunts the Goalie

2:53

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Slap Shot: Official Clip - Reggie vs. The Owner

2:08

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Slap Shot: Official Clip - The Hansons Play Dirty

2:59

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Slap Shot: Official Clip - The Hanson Brothers

2:23

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Slap Shot: Official Clip - Pre-Game Brawl

1:48

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Slap Shot: Official Clip - The Hansons Are Pumped

0:57

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Slap Shot: Official Clip - The Finer Points of Hockey

1:58

Now Playing

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Synopsis

In the small New England town of Charlestown, the local mill is about to lay off 10,000 workers. The town's minor league hockey team, the Charlestown Chiefs, is doing no better. After years of failure, this will be the team's last season. Exasperated player and coach Reggie Dunlop (Paul Newman) lets the club's recent acquisitions, the Hanson Brothers, play. The brothers' actively violent and thuggish style of play excites the fans. Dunlop retools the team, using violence to draw big crowds.

Director: George Roy Hill
Producer: Stephen Friedman, Robert J. Wunsch
Screenwriter: Nancy Dowd
Distributor: MCA, MCA/Universal Pictures [us]
Production Co: Universal Pictures, Kings Road Entertainment, Pan Arts Productions
Rating: R
Genre: Comedy, Drama
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Feb 25, 1977, Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Aug 19, 2015
Runtime: 2h 3m
Sound Mix: Mono

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