Desertman84
The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold is a direct-to-video sequel that follows the romantic comedy,The Cutting Edge.It stars Christy Carlson Romano and Ross Thomas. Sean McNamara directs.In The Cutting Edge,the slightly arrogant hockey player Doug Dorsey and the snotty prima-donna ice skater Kate Moseley found themselves falling in love during a figure skating championship, while constantly at each other's throats.While in The Cutting Edge 2:Going For Gold,we meet the teenage daughter of Kate and Doug and singles figure skater,Jackie Dorsey.Ironically, Jackie finds herself traveling in the footsteps of her mom,when an ankle injury on the ice forces her to participate in double figure skating and take on a new partner. She soon teams up with Alex Harrison,an adrenaline-junkie surfer and in-line skater. And though Alex is officially tied to another girl, the partnership takes an intriguing turn when the two opt to go doubles for a skating championship, just like Jackie's parents once did. Soon, hints of romance between them fill the air. Could these two acerbic and bickering opposites end up in the end? Everyone knows the answer to that a hour before.The movie follows the footsteps of the original that includes familiar plot elements such as two incompatibles working together as a partner and the underdog theme in sports.Unfortunately,the leads - Christy Carlson Romano and Ross Thomas - does not have the same energy and chemistry of Sweeney and Kelly in the original to make it engaging and heartwarming.Added to that,the film could be quite overlong and boring unlike the first film which was definitely highly addictive that one could watch it many times and would not get tired of it.Aside from that,the sequel somewhat tries to copy many familiar scenes from the original film that one is very familiar with that one would accurately say that this is basically a rehash of the first film wherein it is centered on Kate's daughter,Jackie. The inclusion of the characters of Kate Mosley and Doug Dorsey,who are barely an interesting presence,as supporting characters made the movie only worse as the viewers familiar with the film would only draw comparisons on the two movies.It was a good thing that the original stars of the first film - D.B. Sweeney and Moira Kelly - rejected doing it and were not the ones playing those characters.The only good thing about it is that it has more realistic figure skating scenes to one would surely enjoy as even Sweeney admitted in a recent interview that the so-called Pamchenko twist in the first film is definitely very unrealistic and it could never be done in any figure skating competition including the Olympics as it was impossible to do so.This definitely does not hold a candle to the first film.No wonder it wasn't released in the theaters but only as a direct-to-video release.
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"Cutting Edge 2: Going For The Gold" is technically a sequel to The Cutting Edge (1992), but is constructed as an A-list audition vehicle for child prodigy, and Disney phenom, Christy Carlson Romano, one she passes with flying colors. Look for one or more starring roles in big-budget films from her in the next few years. Romano brings a level of talent, professionalism, and depth to this film that rivals Jackie Dorsey's (Romano) dominance over her skating rivals. Via Jackie, Romano completely dominates the film, the center of a circle, with all supporting characters equidistant along the circumference. The producers elected to use the long-overdue, and eagerly anticipated, sequel to the 1992 classic, one of the most underrated romantic comedies of all time as a showcase for Romano, to answer the question of whether or not she can carry a film as an adult. She most definitely can. She is so methodically proficient it makes everyone else's competent work look poor. This film was likely chosen as the vehicle because Romano's character is new, allowing her to build it from scratch.Romano's first hurdle was to evolve Kate (Stephanie Kramer) and Doug Dorsey's (Scott Thompson Baker) bloodline, and she proved an excellent student of the film's history. Jackie has Kate's beauty, grace, and refinement, strengthened by Doug's physical strength and hockey-player temperament. Her total fleshing out of Jackie makes it easy to assemble a "pinwheel" cast that does little more than play off her, with each character symbolized by its portrayer.Through a picture of Doug and Kate on the podium, we learn they medaled in 1992. We also learn that Doug and Kate now live in perfect, retired harmony, content to live vicariously through their daughter's intensity. Their vow not to push Jackie into figure-skating resulted in Jackie pushing herself harder than even her grandfather had pushed Kate. Instead of skating tips, a ticket to Los Angeles and a swiped pair of skates induce a much-needed vacation, as Jackie was pushing herself too much in recovery from a broken leg that converted her into a pairs skater who couldn't find a partner. Fans of the original film know that a fish-out-of-water will stumble into the sport, and Jackie's heart, and that the hardest trick the talented pair will have to learn is conquering its emotions. Enter extreme skater and slacker extraordinaire, Alex Harrison (newcomer Ross Thomas), a brief love interest upon meeting Jackie on the beach.This film disposes of the "talent question" quickly, by depicting Alex as a world-class skating acrobat, whose only barrier to figure-skating glory is motivation, and the ability to conform to a structured environment. We see tricks that make it very clear that once he "figures" out ice skates, the rest will come quickly, and naturally. A dynasty like the Dorseys stays on top by keeping an open mind, as Kate did when Alex showed up after three months of learning the basics. While all Jackie saw was red, Kate saw a "natural" with "no bad habits" that she could whip into Olympic shape, if only she could get him on the same page as her daughter, while remaining well aware of how much Alex is like Doug.Like Harrison, Thomas is more or less along for the ride, present primarily to showcase Romano's acting talents, while a bit raw, and out of his creative element. Like Jackie does with Alex, Romano brings out the best in Thomas, going out of her way to make him better, and to allow him to make her better. Both Alex and Thomas are vital to the plot, but Christy and Jackie are always in charge.Unfortunately, once you move past the four leads, the film falls apart. The peripheral cast, particularly the skaters, are well portrayed, with each given a bit of an ice showcase, rather than serving as mere elimination fodder for the leads, who are confident throughout the film that victory is imminent. This film would offer no miracles, no Pamchenko, and no need for anything but Jackie to keep her emotions in check, and Alex to continue to thrive in his newly structured environment, one he sought out because, as he said, he likes to challenge himself and work hard. The skating scenes have the lead pair repeatedly playing off each other's talent in a way that allows them to dominate the sport, as long as they remain focused on the skating, rather than the growing, alternating attraction they alternately deny. Kim Kindrick turns in a forgettable performance as Heidi, who takes over the "role" of Hale from the original.The only area where Romano is not convincing is not her fault: Jackie is just not BUILT like a figure-skater, and definitely not one who can do triples. Think "Tonya Harding" for the proper athletic build. Someone like Shawn Johnson (the gymnast) would have been a much more convincing lead. Romano is too lanky for this film, but her acting gets her a pass.The director did a horrible job with continuity, such as when Doug claims to have skated in a playoff game, despite his career ending as an amateur, or where Jackie says Alex is "engaged" before he announces it. Her body language and chemistry with Thomas were stellar, enough to earn this film a place in the series. Those who wish to trash this film as a lousy sequel do not understand its purpose, and haven't seen the third installment, which proves that a lot more could have gone wrong with this surprisingly decent film.Romano has proved that she can drive even a broken-down script. It's time to give her a Jaguar and let her rip apart the speedway. The right role could easily land her an Oscar. Like Jackie, she's bank.
