What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that although this movie is tamer than the two Cutting Edge titles that came before it, there's some kissing and talk about sexual activity. In one scene, a woman's panties are held up as evidence that a main character was sleeping with someone; another character confesses that she slept with Celeste's fiancé. Zack and his new partner, Alex, are told not to sleep together and don't. There's not much language or drinking, and kids who watch may take away a positive message about working hard for your dreams.

Families can talk about whether this movie follows a "formula" for sports and/or romantic movies. What elements of the story have you seen before? What's new/fresh? What does this movie have in common with the two that came before it? Families can also discuss how the skating scenes were filmed. Do you think stunt doubles were used? How do you think the death-defying move at the end was shot so that it looked like all one move?

Common Sense Media Review
Filled with tributes to the original The Cutting Edge, THE CUTTING EDGE 3: CHASING THE DREAM follows a similar plotline, adding a gender flip. When pairs figure skater Zack Conroy (Matt Lanter) loses his partner to an injury, he discovers hockey player Alejandra Delgado (Francia Raisa), who had to give up figure skating because her parents could no longer afford the lessons. With the help of coach Jackie Dorsey ( Christy Carlson Romano) -- the daughter of the characters in the original film, who's own story was told in The Cutting Edge 2: Go for the Gold -- Zack and Alex work hard and try not to fall for each other.

If you go in with the understanding that you're going to get hit with just about every cliché in the skating movie play book -- and knowing that credibility will be stretched almost to the point of tendons snapping -- The Cutting Edge 3 is actually kind of fun. The point of the movie is silly romance, and it's quite good at that. The characters are mostly engaging -- Raisa, in particular, puts a nice spin on the spunky-but-beautiful heroine.

Sure, you know how everything is going to come out, but there's just enough tension to make it interesting. It probably won't change anyone's life, but it is a reasonably amusing way to spend an evening.

Fans might also like the two prequels, Ice Castles, and Ice Princess.