Ice Princess

Ice Princess was typical family fluff that was an enjoyable hour and 1/2 escape from the tensions of real life. With that in mind, it was a great success as entertainment and release from stress.

The plot is simple and "age worn" - a teen named Casey (Michelle Trachtenberg) is torn between fulfilling the dreams of her parent or following her own dreams. Nothing new here. Yet, the supporting characters of Gen Harwood (Hayden Panettiere) and her mother Tina (Kim Cattrall) also have the same situation. Tina, a skating coach, wants her daughter to become a skating champion, an achievement Tina was unable to fulfill in her own skating career. Thus, both Gen and Casey have something in common: pleasing mom or pleasing themselves.

Yet, Gen and Casey were dramatically different. Casey was a brilliant student with her eyes on Harvard while being gifted at skating, too. Meanwhile, Gen excelled only by becoming a slave to skating and sacrificing her schoolwork.

And it is with that difference that I believe Disney missed the potential. The "Casey's" of the world are few and far between, and it is difficult to relate to them: "Oh, gee. Will I go to Harvard because I'm brilliant at school? Or will I become a skating champion because I'm brilliant on the ice?" Because she is so distant from the vast majority of people, she never truly grabbed my empathy.

Gen, on the other hand, is very, very real. She is being pushed into a sport by a parent, and her social life and academics are suffering. She faces a real dilemma. Plus, she has no hope of excelling at either academics or skating. Her social life is her only escape from this vise. And Gen is endearing because she seems to have a "good heart" despite the difficulty. And how often we see kids with "good hearts" trapped by situations.

I believe that most of us can relate much better to Gen than to Casey. I would have preferred the character of Gen to be the focus of the story with Casey's character in the supporting role. It would be tougher, grittier, and more meaningful to the audience.

Yeah, we all cheered for Casey, but I was cheering for Gen even more.

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.

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 a fun, lighthearted movie with a simple but engaging plot. It follows a classic underdog story, making it easy to root for the main character. While the storyline isn't groundbreaking, it works well for a family-friendly film, keeping things straightforward without unnecessary drama. The directing is solid, balancing the emotional moments with the sports aspects, and the pacing keeps things moving without dragging. The cinematography captures the elegance of figure skating, making the performances visually appealing, even if some scenes feel a bit predictable.

Michelle Trachtenberg delivers a strong performance, carrying the movie with ease. She makes the character relatable, and her acting adds depth to the story. The supporting cast does a good job as well, though no one really steals the spotlight from her. The script is decent, with natural dialogue that fits the tone of the film. The music and sound design complement the skating sequences, adding energy where needed. Overall, it is an enjoyable and well-put-together movie that makes for a great watch, especially for a casual family night. Michelle Trachtenberg's presence, both on and off screen, was exceptional. She will be deeply missed.

ICE PRINCESS is not the kind of movie to which this reviewer is usually attracted - the trappings indicate that we are in for a happy-wappy, sterilized, PG, Disney candy box. But, surprise!, here is a film that is better than its package. Writers Meg Cabot and Hadley Davis have combined the sport of ice skating with the drama of teenage angst and come up with a credible tale of a 'science geek' discovering her talent and following her dream of figure skating.

Director Tim Fywell knows his way around the ice rink and the halls and lockers of high school kids and his preparation for the film is apparent. Casey (Michelle Trachtenberg) is a fine student who is encouraged by her physics professor to find a project that incorporates her personality along with physics that will assist her in gaining a scholarship to Harvard. Casey's mother (Joan Cusack) is a pragmatist, a schoolteacher who wants Casey to succeed beyond the mother's status. Casey loves to skate on their home pond, but one day happens into a private skating rink class owned by one-time star skater Tina (Kim Cattrall), a place where Tina relentlessly drives her daughter Gen (Hayden Panettiere) toward winning prizes. Tina's son Teddy (Trevor Blumas - a much underused handsome actor) is always around to keep the ice surfaces smooth with his machine.

Casey observes the brilliance of fine skating, thinks of a way to analyze moves on her computer that will diagnose aerodynamic physics aspects of skating, and once that is perfected, and she is able to aid the skaters with her scientific knowledge, she personalizes her theories. Before long has won a place along with the other aspiring skaters. She encounters resistance from her mother, encouragement from Tina, and friendship from Gen and her fellow skaters as well as the eye of Teddy! When Casey has her Harvard interview, she admits that her real love is for skating, not physics, and commits to pursuing that love full time. The rest is predictable: all's well that end's well.

What sets this little film apart is the quality of acting from Trachtenberg, Cattrall, Cusack and Blumas: they create characters about whom we care. The skating is fun to watch, and the 'sitting in the bleachers rooting for the good guys' feeling is refreshing. This is not a great film but certainly one of the best of this genre. It is most definitely a 'feel good' popcorn movie! Grady Harp