Movie Review: The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that for most of this movie, Jackie
acts like an adult-sized spoiled brat. She's arrogant,
self-centered, and rude to everyone around her -- including her
parents, who not only give in to her demands but even at one
point surprise her with a lavish vacation. There's lots of
flirting between Jackie and Alex, and Alex and his on-again,
off-again girlfriend allude to their physical relationship. A
nude shower scene shows Alex's full-length backside and an
obscured glimpse of his girlfriend's upper body, and later, she
sports revealing lingerie. Strong language ("damn," "bitch,"
and the like) is often used, but it's the movie's presentation
of drinking as a way to celebrate, relax, or deal with romantic
rejection that is most concerning for its intended teen
audience.
Families can talk about how the media can influence viewers' impressions of appropriate behavior. What messages about relationships, drinking, and sexuality did this movie evoke? Were they positive or negative by your own standards? Why is irresponsibility often presented in a positive way in entertainment? Are morals often sacrificed for the sake of entertainment value? Do you think questionable content is designed to intentionally send negative messages to its audience? Are you affected by what you see on TV and in the movies? How so?
Common Sense Media Review
As the talented daughter of Olympic medalists Kate
Moseley-Dorsey (Stepfanie Kramer) and Doug Dorsey (Scott
Thompson Baker), Jackie (
Christy
Carson Romano) has her sights set on adding an individual
ice skating title to her parents' pairs one. But then a tragic
fall halts her plans just months before nationals, and she's
left to re-evaluate how she can get back to top form and
achieve her goal. When Jackie's chance encounter with extreme
in-line skater Alex (Ross Thomas) leads to their joining forces
on the ice, the pair must overcome more than inexperience to
make it to the Olympics. As competition looms, Jackie and Alex
find their uncertain romance puts their skating relationship
out of synch, and they struggle to find harmony on and off the
ice.
Sadly, this sub-par sequel does little justice to its parent movie, the popular early '90s romantic comedy The Cutting Edge . The plot is so thoroughly recycled that anyone familiar with the tale's first go-round will have little difficulty predicting the story's development -- right down to the placement of replays of memorable scenes, impossible stunts on the ice, and buzzwords like "toe-pick." And while the main characters are obviously cast as duplicates of the original duo, Jackie and Alex are more obnoxious than endearing in their ongoing power struggle.
But that's not all. Between the tense twists of a love triangle and the beach scenes with scantily clad girls and shirtless surfer guys, it's obvious this movie is geared toward teens, but parents have good reason to be wary of the messages it sends. Alcohol is common in many scenes, strong language is unnecessarily frequent, and there are multiple allusions to sex (including lewd lyrics about shaking a booty in someone's face), and nudity includes a full-length shot of a man's backside. To top it off, Jackie fills the role of ice princess a little too well, coming across as spoiled, demanding, and egocentric. She takes for granted her doting parents, who reward her rude behavior with expensive gifts. All in all, these aren't the best role models.
Some better romantic comedies include Sleepless in Seattle , Say Anything , and Serendipity .
Common Sense Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing information to help parents make media and entertainment choices for their families.
