Smooth Skating for Disney’s Ice Princess

Casey Carlyle (Michelle Trachtenberg of Buffy the Vampire Slayer fame) is a high school student caught up living her mother Joan’s (Joan Cusack, School of Rock) dreams. Mom wants her to win a prestigious physic’s scholarship and attend Harvard, her daughter then getting a chance at the excellent education Joan never got to experience. Casey’s more than happy to acquiesce and throw herself into the project, the geeky science-nut teen’s social schedule not exactly overwhelmed with party invites or date requests.

Besides, the project has a serious upside; Casey’s decided to focus on the physics of figure skating, analyzing the local amateur skaters practicing at her neighborhood gym. The girl adores skating, her dreams of floating down the ice like Michelle Kwan or Sarah Hughes the stuff of fairy tales. Soon Casey’s taking beginner lessons herself from infamous local skating champion Tina Harwood (Kim Cattrall, Sex in the City) and everyone who’s anyone can see the spunky 17-year-old is a natural. When Casey discovers her dreams of skating glory might more within her reach than she’d ever thought, will she pursue them even with Joan pushing her vehemently to do otherwise?

Like I need to even ask? There is nothing remotely unpredictable about Disney’s latest teen girl confectionary treat Ice Princess. Just by watching the saccharine-laced trailers you can tell exactly what is going to happen and when it is going to occur. It’s filled with clichés and if it actually has a single original idea in its head I sure as heck couldn’t find it. This is the type of picture I usually hate; I should loathe it with every fiber of my being, finally shouting down from the heavens why moviegoers should ultimately stay away.

Funny how things never work out like you think they should. Ice Princess isn’t just a surprise, it’s a wonder, and I couldn’t help but bask in blissful happiness as I watched it delicately unfold. Meg Cabot (author of The Princess Diaries books) and Hadley Davis’ (one of ‘Scrubs staff writers) story is solidly moving, hitting many sports and coming of age movie clichés yet doing so subtly and without pounding them over the audience’s head. It’s an intoxicating treat delivered in the old-school Disney tradition.

The reasons for this are many, yet all of them can be directly tied to the performance of young Trachtenberg. She’s delightful, slipping into Casey’s Cinderella-etched ice skates with vivacious ease. The young woman is a natural in front of the camera, bringing depth, passion and a realistic intensity to her character that’s sure to speak to little girls everywhere. I simply loved her in this, most of my enjoyment of the movie flowing out freely from her spunky, naturally exuberant portrayal.

The rest of the cast is just fine. Cattrall brings some nicely unforeseen shades to her win-at-all-cost stock character while Cusack makes more of her thin caricature of a parent than she really has any right to. Both Hayden Panettiere (Racing Stripes), playing the popular girl whom also just happens to be the coach’s skating prodigy daughter, and Trevor Blumas (the Canadian telefilm Prom Queen: The Marc Hall Story), as the sexy red Zamboni driver, are also fine adding just the right personal touches to each of their semi-standard characters. But it’s pipsqueak real-life amateur figure skater Kirsten Olson that’s the real hoot. Nicknamed ‘The Jumping Shrimp,’ she’s all charisma and energy, stealing the movie right out from under her more seasoned costars every chance she gets.

Sure, this isn’t high art, not by any stretch of the imagination (some of the skating doubles look nothing like the actors they’re doubling), but Tim Fywell (I Captured the Castle) directs confidently letting both the simple charms of the plot and the performances speak for themselves. So maybe I’m getting soft, or maybe this movie was just so much better than I’d feared I’m over compensating in my praise, and yet, I really don’t think so. From top to bottom this is pretty much a class act. While it doesn’t break any new cinematic territory it still sure as heck skates across the ground it does cover marvelously.

Film Rating: êêê  (out of 4)