Pasión por el triunfo

Take a handsome young ex-hockey star who could never do much other than skate, a prima-donna figure-skater who finds fault with every world-class partner thrown her way and laughs at said ex-hockey star, and an obligatory crazy-genius Soviet expatriate, send them all after Olympic glory, and you have The Cutting Edge.

Lead characters Doug Dorsey (D.B. Sweeney) and Kate Moseley (Moira Kelly) are star-crossed skaters: an eye injury at the Olympics ruined Doug's hockey career, while an ill-timed fall in the pairs figure skating finals leaves Kate's destiny unfulfilled. Coach Anton Pamchenko (Roy Dotrice) fishes Dorsey out of a construction site and transplants him to the Moseley estate in Greenwich. The fish-out-of-water concept was not as blatant as Pauly Shore's movies, but it was definitely there.

The stereotypical supporting cast did its job: Terry O'Quinn is the wealthy, doting father who is either obsessed with an Olympic medal for his daughter, or obsessed with his daughter who happens to want an Olympic medal (the movie never really makes clear which), while snobby fiancé Hale Forrest (Dwier Brown) is forgettable yet necessary to the plot, as is Walter Dorsey (Chris Benson), Doug's stereotypical nuts-and-bolts, slightly homophobic and very skeptical brother.

With Breakfast Club-like cost-efficiency, the film sticks to the dialogue between the few main characters, who are on screen for the large majority of the film. The questions are timeless: will Kate marry her snobby fiancé or will passion erupt from the love-hate relationship with her skating partner? Will they overcome the judging bias against ex-hockey players and win gold? Will Kate loosen up? Will Doug gain some culture and refinement? One could say that this film is predictable, but that is a good thing. Films like The Cutting Edge lose very little even if you've heard the story told a hundred times in a dozen ways. Suspense is not the goal here; romance is, and this film serves up more of it than almost every media-hyped "blockbuster" I've ever seen.

I never said a romantic movie "must watch" before. But this one is really something special. "The Cutting Edge" may not have an interesting story or plot twist offered by movies of the same genre. It has a very simple story which was portrayed in a very simple manner. Still this movie succeeds in winning the my heart. Thanks to Moira Kelly for it. The character "Kate Mosley" was safe with Moira and she immersed into it with extreme perfection. The chemistry between Kate and Doug was heart-warming and it uplifts this movie into a different level. I would recommend this movie to everyone and promise you from my heart that it never disappoints.

As a figure skater, my movie choices of my profession are rather limited. If you take out Ronin, in which Katarina Witt is shot, Ice Castle, which I hated, the Cutting Edge is practically the only one left. I loved it. Sure the movie wasn't realistic, but it was good none the less. Wholesome and the skating sequences weren't bad. I loved the Pamchenko. My parter and I even attempted it a few times. Overall, definitely watch this if you are a fan of skating or just have an afternoon to watch a movie. I've seen it more than 20 times...this movie is timeless. My coach plays clips from this movie to us when we are waiting for our turn to compete and even at the celebration parties. I love it.

WOW, I always thought I was strange for watching this movie 14 times in one day when I was 16. I have a feeling most of you are women, I'm a man and I think this movie is one of the best Rom/Com I've EVER seen. Never mind the fact that it's pretty much an adaptation of Shakespeare's"Taming of the Shrew" The chemistry is spot on between the cast. There was a girl like Kate's character that I was madly in love with at the age of 16. We bickered just like the two leads of this film. This film was my "light and the end of the tunnel". Alas, it was not to be. When I finally confessed, my best friend told me "Never..." Why can't life be like the movies.....

The Cutting Edge is a classic movie and one which I never get tired of watching.

The chemistry between Moira Kelly and D.B. Sweeney really sells this picture, even before you see the impressive scenery and fantastic skating sequences.

The script is filled with quotable gems, (It's not like his nose was perfect) and what could be a fairly thin story (that, OK, has been done before) is lifted firmly out of the cliche zone by first class direction, a thumping early 90's pop soundtrack and breathtaking choreography.

I can't fault this movie - it's one of my top five - and would recommend it as a family favourite.

This movie gets a very enthusiastic 10/10 from me.