Die Eisprinzessin

I saw this film as a guilty-pleasure trip with a girlfriend of mine.

It was pretty cute. And I like Michelle.

She was very down-to-earth and graceful.

She is a good role model for the young audience.

I kind of liked the fact they didn't use big stars in the film, which, unless it is a blockbuster flick, can really be distracting.

However, during a few scenes, I spotted a microphone poking down over the actor's heads,which was extremely ridiculous, especially for Disney. But, all in all, not bad.

Plus, I paid only for a matinée ticket so I didn't feel cheated at all.

I'm going to "skate" over some of the more obvious flaws... Yes, Casey's physics project is laughable. Yes, the message -- that talent and independent spirit will shine, and that parents and children must respect each other's dreams -- is hackneyed. Sure, this is a feel-good movie aimed at tweens. But here's an ugly secret: Many an emotionally arrested adult derives guilty pleasure from these perky underdog flicks.

The compelling reason to watch IP, however, is two old (sorry, older) pros -- and one up-and-comer. We all knew Joan Cusack could act (indeed she's one of our top comedic thespians), but who knew she could believably play an initially unsympathetic tight-assed "Type A" mom? And Kim Cattrall portrays the conniving Tonya Harding-esquire bitch (with the requisite heart of gold) admirably. Watching these two pros interact is quite the treat: Note how expressive their faces are, even when delivering (or reacting to) dialogue that skates on thin ice indeed.

Michelle Trachtenberg makes a appealing protagonist, but the revelation is Hayden Panettiere who perfectly embodies (both physically and psychologically) the driven golden girl (with that requisite heart of gold, natch). She cemented her status as a young actress to watch in Bring It On 3 (yet another perky, underrated underdog flick... that almost matched the cutes of the original). Additional kudos to the energetic monsters who portray the Jumping Shrimp and Zoe the punker pincushion who skates to Pink.

Hardly a gold medalist, and admittedly formulaic, but certainly deserving of better reviews than it received upon release. Watch those three (well, five) gals go at it and you'll agree.

This movie was typical Disney; a sweet feel-good story despite some mediocre acting and plot holes. Michelle Trachtenberg is a very likable heroine, and both Joan Cusack and Kim Cattrall perform admirably in their respective roles. Granted, the "child breaks away from parent's desires to follow her own dream" story has been done many times, and this version is nothing special, but it's good for us well-intentioned mothers to be reminded every so often to let our children find their own paths in life.

My only big gripe is with what is presented as Casey's incredible physics discoveries. Some of the statements are downright wrong (pulling in your arms while spinning DECREASES, not increases, your moment of inertia), and all the equations shown in the movie are nothing but basic laws of Newtonian mechanics. While the target pre-teen audience will be fooled, anyone older who's ever taken a physics class will not. Come on, Hollywood...with all the recent publicity about whether women are suited for math and science, please don't insult our intelligence by assuming that scientific details are unimportant in a movie marketed to young girls.

'Ice Princess' is good. Nothing more, nothing less.

There are enjoyable performances from Michelle Trachtenberg (Casey), Hayden Panettiere (Gen), Kim Cattrall (Tina) and Joan Cusack (Joan - creative!). Even if the latter two's characters are irritating at times, but that is intentional to be fair. There's also an appearance for Erik King, which I guess you could say was a "Surprise!" ...

Props are in order for Christophe Beck, who I thought did a top job with the music - all of which suited events very well. The premise, which entails figure skating, is entertaining enough to see unfold. It's nothing special, but is certainly a harmless and fine production from 2005.

Casey Carlyle (Michelle Trachtenberg, RIP) is a physics genius and a skating lover. She is really good at explaining physics but also graceful at skating. And really good at almost anything. But she has to make a choice. Which one of the two will she choose?

This being a Disney movie shows us the humble beginnings and also the struggles of its main protagonist. In this case, Casey, struggling to please everyone but herself and paying the price for it. She's an excellent student, she leads by example but is she following her hearts desires?

Her relationship with her mother Joan (Joan Cusack) is non-existent and also a bit abusing to an extend. The same applies for her coach, Tina (Kim Cattrall). At least she has friends that she can count on like Ann (Amy Stewart), Gen, who is Tina's daughter (Hayden Panettiere) and Nikki (Kirsten Olson). She also meets her prince charming and also son of Tina, Teddy (Trevor Blumas).

The teachings of this movie are indeed powerful and the magic of the protagonist's determination to see her future through is actually aspiring and wonderful to see. Life doesn't start till you decide what's best for yourself. And then the magic starts to happen.