a toe pick for the next generation
Posted by Cristin
March 13th, 2006 at 10:08am
In Great Feats of Strength Guilty Pleasures
Look, I’m not saying that I make a HABIT of watching ABC Family Originals. My sunday is pretty much jammed with Grey’s Anatomy, Family Guy, and Cheerleader Nation (which, by the way, OMG, it’s best show tv has seen in forever– forevah evah? forevah evah!). But when Channel 14 promises me The Cutting Edge Two: Going For The Gold, well, I sit up and I pay attention.
We all remember The Cutting Edge, yes? If pressed, I would say that between 40-60% of my close friends own this on VHS. And it continues to be worth the $8 they originally spent for it. So, so, good. Small plot summary: Doug Dorsey has his Olympic hockey career ended by an eye injury (is it an eye injury? A concussion? Help me out here) and is recruited to complete a pairs figure skating team with spoiled and haughty Kate Moseley, who is on her way not only to marrying the wrong guy, but to living a life of quiet predictability when Doug arrives to shake things up. FYI, Doug is played by DB Sweeney, whose IMDB headshot rivals Hugh Grant’s mug shot– not in terms of attractiveness, but rather creepy cracked out desperation. Perhaps this is because his biggest project since The Cutting Edge was short lived teen series “Live as we know it” with kelly osbourne. I’m just postulating. Anyway, there are some hilarious moments (“Hey, there’s only two things I do well, sweetheart, and skating’s the other one!”) and appropriate third act complications before they realize they’re in love and kick some ass at the Olympics.
I know what you’re thinking, and I’m one step ahead of you (as per always)– how could a plot so interesting and not at all formulaic be manipulated into a made for TV sequel? Will the Hilary Duff fans of the universe really tune in for a sassy skating movie? Can we ride the wave of the 06 Winter Games right into the shore of Cutting Edge 2 without wanting to take a skate blade to the temple?
This time, the sassy ice queen figure skater (get it? ice queen? Appropriate BOTH because of her skating on ice, and also her chilly demeanor?) hooks up with an equally sassy Xgames inline skater during a summer outing at the beach. Here’s the thing, though– neither knows that the other is famous for their respective athletic triumphs! They love each other based just on who they are! And, I’m guessing, the dude’s fondness for puka shell necklaces and the girl’s insistence on wearing spandex! But wait, then they find out that they hadn’t been totally upfront with one another! and they get upset and part ways! then she needs a new skating partner! and GUESS WHO shows up at auditions! But then, OMG, his exgirlfriend who looks like a scary mix between skeletor and Jeri Ryan shows up! And the pair totally blows their long program! And we’re JUST NOT SURE if they’re going to pull it out in the end, romantically or otherwise!
I don’t want to ruin the ending for you, so please just make a point to catch the repeats. And when you do, please mentally explore this topic: Who is Figure Skating Chick an odd hybrid of?
 I’m going with Jennifer Love Hewitt, Hayley from the OC, and a splash of Jennifer Garner. Thoughts?
9 Comments Add your own
1. emla | March 13th, 2006 at 10:33 am
I see a little Deborah Gibson in there, too.
2. Katie | March 13th, 2006 at 10:40 am
well, we clearly also watched this. IT WAS SO BAD. wow. the only good part was when the eight-year-olds taught him how to skate at an olympic level.
and the girlfriend totally reminded me of amy smart, who was ruby on felicity. right? can you dig it?
3.
Maggie | March 13th, 2006 at 10:46 am
Confession: ABC Family showed the original Cutting Edge before breaking out this sequel last night, and I totally watched it.
Also, this seems more like a remake than a sequel, yes? Sort of like Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights.
Other confession: I have seen that girl in another ABC Family Original Movie. It was called Campus Confidential. It. Ruled.
4.
Maggie | March 13th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
One more thing. Are we to believe that she is the daughter of the pair from the original movie (this I deduced from her character having the same last name on IMDB)? And that they procreated pretty much the second they left the ice after their routine, considering that was 1992, and she’s supposed to be a teen now? I saw the first three minutes of this movie and those parents most certainly were NOT DB Sweeney and Moira Kelly (voice of Nala). And if they are supposed to be her parents, how weird is it that she goes through the EXACT SAME romantic scenario her parents did (plus the Grease-twist, which I guess all the teen movies are doing nowadays)? And am I spending too much time thinking about this (and using too many parentheticals)?
5. Katie | March 13th, 2006 at 3:01 pm
she is supposed to be the kid of the original pair. which is so wrong, as at some point she drinks. which would make her 21. which she obviously couldn’t be as her parents didn’t meet until 1992.
just one of the many, many, many problems with this film.
6.
Cristin | March 13th, 2006 at 3:07 pm
Maybe this movie takes place… in the FUTURE.
7. Katie | March 13th, 2006 at 3:24 pm
i dunno, their clothing choices suggest 1998. homeboy was wearing a mexican-blanket hoodie. what was up with that?!
8. sara | March 13th, 2006 at 5:17 pm
AND they supposedly competed at the Torino Olympics. I cry foul, ABC Family. FOUL!
9. Kacsa | December 31st, 2006 at 12:06 pm
I just loved it! Acutally, I saw Going for the gold first and then it was not easy to find the original one to see, but I succeeded!
I think if I saw the 1st film first then I would not have liked the 2nd one but this way I just love the 2nd film 
I mean – as an individual film I like them both – if we make the connections… well… forget about the connections ;P
Well… after watching the 1st film I was a bit disappointed – because most what they did was switching the roles of the girl and the boy, but that’s it. I decided to like both movies separately
Happy New Year 2007!
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <cite> <code> <del datetime=""> <em> <i> <q cite=""> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed