History YMMV / CoolRunnings

* HarsherInHindsight:
** The scene where Derice and Sanka surprise Irv Blitzer, leaving Blitzer clutching his chest in exasperation. Doesn't seem funny anymore, knowing that Creator/JohnCandy (who played Blitzer) died from a heart attack just five months after the film's release. This would've been especially painful for any family renting the newly-released movie on home video, as typical release schedules of the time would place the video release date right around the time of Candy's unexpected death.
** Watching the film for a second time now knowing that [[spoiler: Irv was caught cheating in the Olympics, embarrassing his coach, team, family, country and himself, plus having his gold medals revoked,]] casts a different light on his hostile reactions to Derice and Sanka bringing up his bobsledding past and especially calling him "Sled God"; he likely thought they were cruelly making fun of him.

* QuestionableCasting: It's initially quite difficult to buy the morbidly obese John Candy as an ex-Olympian. His performance is strong enough though that he carries it off.

* ClicheStorm: The film is considered ''the'' quintessential "[[SaveOurTeam inspiring sports movie]]", containing all the trappings of the genre long after they were established, from the team of [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits loveable misfit underdogs]], the world-weary but inspiring coach ready to lead them to BigGame, the [[OpposingSportsTeam stereotypical rival faction of bullies]], to even the celebratory SlowClap. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools It's still widely seen as a charming and beloved example of such]], in large part due to playing the tropes with such sincerity and cheesy, feelgood wholesomeness.

* ClicheStorm: The film is considered ''the'' quintessential "[[SaveOurTeam inspiring sports movie]]", containing all the trappings of the genre long after they were established, from the team of [[RagtagBunchOfMisfits loveable misfit underdogs]], the world-weary but inspiring coach ready to lead them to TheBigGame, the [[OpposingSportsTeam stereotypical rival faction of bullies]], to even the celebratory SlowClap. [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools It's still widely seen as a charming and beloved example of such]], in large part due to playing the tropes with such sincerity and cheesy, feelgood wholesomeness.

* ClicheStorm: [[Administrivia/TropesAreTools But charmingly so.]]

* WTHCastingAgency: It's initially quite difficult to buy the morbidly obese John Candy as an ex-Olympian. His performance is strong enough though that he carries it off.

* HarsherInHindsight: The scene where Derice and Sanka surprise Irv Blitzer, leaving Blitzer clutching his chest in exasperation. Doesn't seem funny anymore, knowing that Creator/JohnCandy (who played Blitzer) died from a heart attack just five months after the film's release. This would've been especially painful for any family renting the newly-released movie on home video, as typical release schedules of the time would place the video release date right around the time of Candy's unexpected death.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: This film is considered an all-time family classic in Japan.

* GermansLoveDavidHasselhoff: This film is considered a classic in Japan.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: The scene where Derice and Sanka surprise Irv Blitzer, leaving Blitzer clutching his chest in exasperation. Doesn't seem funny anymore, knowing that Creator/JohnCandy (who played Blitzer) died from a heart attack just five months after the film's release. This would've been especially painful for any family renting the newly-released movie on home video, as typical release schedules of the time would place the video release date right around the time of Candy's unexpected death.

* {{Symbolism}}: It's probably not a coincidence that everyone on the East German team is blonde haired or blue eyed, or both.

** The death of [[https://www.google.com/amp/s/syndication.bleacherreport.com/amp/2886981-jamaican-bobsledder-sam-clayton-jr-dies-at-age-58-because-of-coronavirus.amp.html Sam Clayton, Jr]], one of the actual 1988 bobsledders, due to the coronavirus pandemic.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: The scene where Derice and Sanka surprise Irv Blitzer, leaving Blitzer clutching his chest in exasperation. Doesn't seem funny anymore, knowing that Creator/JohnCandy (who played Blitzer) died from a heart attack just five months after the film's release.
** Would've been especially painful for any family renting the newly-released movie on home video, as typical release schedules of the time would place the video release date right around the time of Candy's unexpected death.
* SugarWiki/HeReallyCanAct: Despite the FakeNationality of his character, Leon proves he can play a harmless, but aspiring lead character rather than just a ScaryBlackMan thug he had played in action movies ''Film/BandOfTheHand'' and ''{{Film/Cliffhanger}}''.

* RetroactiveRecognition: This is the first major film that Music/HansZimmer did music for.
* TearJerker: The film carries some surprisingly powerful moments for what is, by and large, a RagtagBunchOfMisfits comedy, but none more devastating than the final race, [[spoiler: where the old bobsled finally breaks halfway through, turns them upside-down in a heap, and ruins their big moment. The crew getting up and slowly carrying their sled to the finish line (with everyone present applauding them) turns this into a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}}.]]

* ClicheStorm: [[TropesAreNotBad But charmingly so.]]

* TearJerker: The film carries some surprisingly powerful moments for what is, by and large, a RagtagBunchOfMisfits comedy, but none more devastating than the final race, [[spoiler: where the old bobsled finally breaks halfway through, turns them upside-down in a heap, and ruins their big moment. The crew getting up and slowly carrying their sled to the finish turns this into a SugarWiki/{{Heartwarming Moment|s}}.]]

* TearJerker: The film carries some surprisingly powerful moments for what is, by and large, a RagtagBunchOfMisfits comedy, but none more devastating than the final race, [[spoiler: where the old bobsled finally breaks halfway through, turns them upside-down in a heap, and ruins their big moment. The crew getting up and slowly carrying their sled to the finish turns this into a CrowningMomentOfHeartwarming.]]

* HeReallyCanAct: Despite the FakeNationality of his character, Leon proves he can play a harmless, but aspiring lead character rather than just a ScaryBlackMan thug he had played in action movies ''Film/BandOfTheHand'' and ''{{Film/Cliffhanger}}''.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: There scene where Derice and Sanka surprise Irv Blitzer, leaving Blitzer clutching his chest in exasperation. Doesn't seem funny anymore, knowing that Creator/JohnCandy (who played Blitzer) died from a heart attack just five months after the film's release.

* FunnyAneurysmMoment: There's a scene where Irv Blitzer clutches his chest in exasperation. John Candy died from a heart attack five months after the film's release.

** After the Jamaican team's third bobsled run at the Olympics, the East German team captain congratulates Derice with "Very good, Jamaica. See you in four years, ja?" Ironically, that wouldn't happen, because while Jamaica did return to compete in future winter Olympics, East Germany itself ceased to exist prior to the next Olympics in 1992. (Of course, this was already known when the film was made in 1993, so it's status as a FunnyAneurysmMoment is debatable. And in any case, the former East German team could have returned under the banner of the reunited Germany for 1992 and onwards. In fact, the real captain of the East German bobsled team, Wolfgang Hoppe, was Germany's flag-bearer at the 1992 Winter Olympics.)