Mystery has its characters, but none of the exaggerated small-town caricatures that would have been so easy for director Jay Roach to lean on: the hard-ass judge (Burt Reynolds) isn't unbelievably cold-hearted; the big, dumb hockey player isn't painfully stupid; and the town floozy is male. Peeking out from behind Mystery's preparations for the big game are stories that draw delicate comparisons between small-town folk and big-city people -- betrayal and jealousy turn out to be innate human conditions, regardless of setting -- while also revealing details that remain specific to tiny communities, like the threatening pull of more exciting cities. All this deep thought is well-balanced with the climactic hockey game, which is white-knuckle intense and teaches the kids a few lessons on winning and losing.