she praised Paul Newman for giving "the performance of his life——to date." Legacy In the years since its initial release, Slap Shot has come to be regarded as a cult classic. Critical reevaluation of the film continues to be positive. In 1998, Maxim magazine named Slap Shot the "Best Guy Movie of All Time" above such acknowledged classics as The Godfather, Raging Bull, and Newman's own Cool Hand Luke. Entertainment Weekly ranked the film #31 on its list of "The Top 50 Cult Films". In the November 2007 issue of GQ, Dan Jenkins proclaimed Slap Shot "the best sports film of the past 50 years." On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has a rating of 83%, based on 35 reviews, with an average rating of 7.10/10 and the critical consensus stating "Raunchy, violent, and very funny, Slap Shot is ultimately set apart by a wonderful comic performance by Paul Newman." Novelization Concurrent with the release of the film, Berkeley Books released a novelization of the screenplay, written by Richard Woodley. Sequels The film was followed by two direct-to video sequels: Slap Shot 2: Breaking the Ice (2002) and Slap Shot 3: The Junior League (2008). Paul Newman and the rest of the original cast did not participate in either sequel, with the exception of the Hanson Brothers, who had major roles in both. References Bibliography External links The Official Home of the Hanson Bros. The Charlestown Chiefs compared with the Johnstown Jets at ESPN Capturing the spirit of "Slap Shot" ...30 years later Interviews with cast members about the 25th anniversary Part 1 Part 2 Where Are They Now: The Hanson Brothers Slap Shot (Then and Now) Filming Locations 1977 films American sports comedy films Films directed by George Roy Hill Films shot in New York (state) Films shot in Pennsylvania American ice hockey films Universal Pictures films 1970s sports comedy films Films scored by Elmer Bernstein 1977 comedy films 1970s English-language films 1970s American films