It’s taken many years since its 2006 premiere but The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold is finally available to watch on Blu-ray. Outside of optional subtitles, there are no bonus features accompanying the Blu-ray release.
The film was the first of four sequels to 1992’s The Cutting Edge. Not surprisingly, it also retcons the earlier film as it takes place just over 20 years after the first film. This puts Kate Moseley (Stepfanie Kramer) and Doug Dorsey’s (Scott Thompson Baker) previous Olympic Gold during the 1984 Winter Olympics in Sarajevo rather than Albertville ’92. In any event, the earlier film–directed by Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky & Hutch) and written by Tony Gilroy–went on to become a cult classic. Another two sequels would follow with Christy Carlson Romano moving into coaching in the 2008 sequel.
Most films in the series follow a similar formula. A figure skater runs into a bump on their way to the Olympics or other major figure skating competition. They form a partnership only to have friction. Things fall apart so badly that it looks like winning is out of reach but are resolved as they reveal romantic feelings for each other. The first film is a classic rom-com but with a sports setting. Future sequels, including this one, tend to fall under the romantic drama category. This isn’t to say that there are not comedic moments because there are definitely a number of them!
What makes this film different from the rest is that Jackie Dorsey (Christy Carlson Romano) starts out as a figure skater competing in individual competition rather than pairs. In any event, she’s just as hard to work with on the ice as her mother in the earlier film. Forced to compete in pairs as a way into the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin means recruiting a partner. Jackie ends partnering with an extreme sports athlete, Alex Harrison (Ross Thomas). Both have their own baggage in the form of being stubborn, which makes it nearly impossible to skate together. Of course, neither of them knew anything about the other when they initially meet at the beach. Kate works her magic and eventually, Jackie and Alex reach a place where they’ll be able to compete on the ice.
As the weeks pass, both Jackie and Alex develop a real chemistry with each other, both on and off the ice. Where things go sidetrack is when Jackie learns of Alex’s on-again, off-again girlfriend, Heidi (Kim Kindrick). It’s the relationship between Alex and Heidi that impact things during the second half of the film. Again, not much of a surprise given the formula playing out in the films involving the skaters. Jackie takes Doug’s advice and eventually tells Alex how she feels, only it’s Heidi listening and then locking the door. Alex chases after her as he breaks up with Heidi for the last time. Following a bad performance during their short program, Alex reveals his feelings for Jackie while skating in a flawless long program on their way to winning Olympic Gold.
The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold may be geared towards teen audiences but the chemistry between Christy Carlson Romano and Ross Thomas makes the film as much fun to watch as the original 1988 cult classic.
DIRECTOR: Sean McNamara
SCREENWRITER: Dan Berendsen
CAST: Christy Carlson Romano, Ross Thomas, Scott Thompson Baker, Kim Kindrick, and Stepfanie Kramer
The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold premiered on ABC Family on February 7, 2006. The film is now available on Blu-ray. Grade: 3.5/5
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