The Cutting Edge




There's only two things I do well, sweetheart, and skating's the other one!

Doug Dorsey (D. B. Sweeney) is a macho hockey player who has his chances in the NHL sidelined by an injury. Kate Moseley (Moira Kelly) is a snooty figure skater that goes through partners like they're going out of style. So they'll be perfect for each other, right? Pamchenko (Roy Dotrice), Kate's coach, recruits Dorsey on a long shot, but Doug isn't one to back down. So begins a love-hate competition between the two mismatches. You know what happens next.

The Cutting Edge at its core is a mish mash of character stereotypes and predictable plot lines. The idea of a hockey player figure skating is good for a few laughs but not much more. Actually, it is a fairly original concept, but it is never backed up with enough support. The banter between Doug and Kate is fun and energetic, but it somehow never mixes. While delivered with enough conviction, it feels like the script is always reaching for the humor by pushing the point too hard.

There are other elements that don't fit well together. The music score sounds like something for the Olympics, but it doesn't go with the rest of the movie. There are also a large number of early 90's pop songs, but very few ever match up. The slow motion of the action sequences also gets annoying.

Undeniably, Sweeney and Kelly have chemistry. It takes a while to get going and isn't spectacular, but it is there. Both handle their comical parts aptly, but they are actually more competent when it gets to the serious stuff. The one really good part of the plot is how we slowly find why Kate is a figure skater in the first place.

There's not much here. Across the boards this movie rarely rises above stock and seems content to be average.



-The Gnome