Ice Angel

This movie was great! I've read other comments that state the movie was bad because it was Canadian, But frankly, I don't Believe that that has anything to do with the movie. I am glad to see a movie made for and about ice skating that wasn't a compation because most are, and they take place only on the ice. I am glad that this one didn't!

No this movie isn't the best I've ever seen, but it is cute and has a unique story line.. The tie ins and ending of the movie are great even if slightly predictable. I would recommend this movie as a sit at home no date Saturday night movie, just for the fun of it.

I went into this film expecting pure schlock... and it delivered in that area. From chasing the angel around the table to the "guy walk" all the way through the movie, from the oogie-oogie to the oy-oy (you just have to see the flick to understand) there was no schlock opportunity missed.

But that's okay. Because in addition to that this film presented some very unexpected emotional moments as well as being a good lesson in ethics and figuring out what matters and what doesn't. There were heart-clencher and tear-jerker moments and even once (just once) when they got an actual laugh out of me. That was more than I expected.

Unfortunately, if I'm going to be honest I can only rate it 6 stars. That is admirably above my 5-star "just mediocre" score... which gives it credit for delivering more than expected. But there were three major flaws: 1) corny 2) highly predictable and 3) sloppy no-effort ending. I can forgive the corn and predictability, but not a sloppy ending. It's like the writers and director got lazy and decided to just drop the story in the audiences lap. Without spoilers, the final plot concept has no sensible reason nor any forecasting throughout the film. The director drops it on us like a bomb... and that's how it hits. It is writer and director stupidity at its worst-- sheer laziness. "Okay folks, we hit our 90 minute mark. That's a wrap!"

This was like a Disney after-school movie with a little more heart thrown in and for a more adult audience. If it had a better, more sensible ending I'd have no problem giving it a good, solid 7 stars. But the ending stunk and cost them in this review. Had the rest of the film been less enjoyable it could have cost them a lot more, but I actually enjoyed the film. In the end game, that's about as good as one can say about any kind of entertainment.

Ever heard the critics' expression, "trying to give this movie a bad review is like trying to kick a puppy?" Well, it's most certainly true here. Make no mistakes, this is a bad film - the plot goes far beyond the realms of the improbable whilst somehow fitting in every cliché going as hockey star Matt is killed and reincarnated as a female ice skater.

The first half of the film concentrates on Matt's gender dysphoria as he tries to adapt to life as a girl, which is handled in a light hearted and, dare I say it, funny way. The second half of the film advances the plot as Matt/Sarah tries to make it as a figure skater.

This is mindless, made-for-tv viewing, but as I said at the start of this review, it's got a certain naive charm and a great feel-good factor that makes this a watchable film, although the fact that I was too far gone to change channel probably helped. Though I wanted to, I couldn't find it in myself to actually dislike this movie.

Even though it's spliced throughout with five minute no-dialogue-just-song montages to pad it out, the charm of this movie alone carries it through and above the drudgery of daytime TV. Watch this if you want to while away a bored hour and a half, it's a 'bad' film, but its not a bad film to watch.

For years I've watch all the figure skating movies I'e come upon. This one has become my favorite. It goes beyond the story of a skating career and casts an amused but compassionate glance on the human condition.

It is surprising with all the modern interest in unconventional sexual themes that movies where the member of one sex experiences the life of another are so uncommon. I don't mean transvestite stories like TOOTSIE, but plots wherein a person undergoes a real change. This gives a film a real chance to explore sex roles, a theme ostensibly so important to modern consciousness. There have been some such films, but these have been shallow comedies going for simpleminded yucks, like "Dr. Jeckyll and Ms Hyde" and "Switch" that really have nothing to say about the being a better humanbeing. Wouldn't it be better to address ideas of courage, compassion, and resilience in the face of difficulty? I thought Sarah's story of coming to grips with a new kind of life, of making peace with the past and moving on to the future, of friendship and striving to excel, made the story as warm as it was funny.

In criticism, it was too bad that the film didn't deal more with Sarah's social adjustments and less with skate training. Time to do so could have been salvaged from, for instance, that street hockey scene that was pretty much a throwaway. I think Ms Tom was a little too mature for the way the role was written and an actress who looked the age of Tara Lipinski would have been more suitable. Nonetheless, Tom does a good job and it is a shame that she doesn't get the chance to do more movie work (It is also a shame that her NANNY role was so restricted, and she was never allowed to break out of the background, as Nikki Cox did in UNHAPPY EVER AFTER).

Like "Heaven Can Wait," "Ice Angel" is clearly inspired by the classic "Here Comes Mr. Jordan." I hold it is superior to the former movie in thought and content, though shot on a small budget.

I'm amused by Nancy Kerrigan fans (which I count myself one)who express the wish for more screen time for our star. The few lines she had in the movie showed her limitations in delivering a dramatic line. She is a wonderful skater, but not an actress. Tara Lipinski did much better as the second lead.