Directed by: Paul M. Glaser
Starring: D.B. Sweeney, Moira Kelly, Terry O'Quinn, Roy Dotrice, Dwier Brown
There is nothing about The Cutting Edge which would surprise any viewer that has seen a movie before. It doesn't accumulate points for originality, but it is a pleasant, engaging romantic/sports comedy. The leads are appealing and give us just enough reason to care about their romantic and competitive plights. As we know in a movie like this, both plights will be cleanly resolved by the end, which is just as it should be.
We first meet hockey player Doug Dorsey (Sweeney) and figure skater Kate Moseley (Kelly) during a disastrous 1988 Calgary Winter Olympics for both. Doug's peripheral vision is damaged after a dirty hit, thus ending his promising hockey career, while Kate's program with her male partner ends with a botched move and no medals. Three years later, Kate is in need of a partner because of her reputation for churlishly bulldozing through potential partners, while Doug is unable to even sniff a pro hockey tryout. The mismatched pair wind up as partners and naturally they fight about everything. She's prissy and snobbish, he is a macho hockey player who can skate, but finds figure skating to be a wholly different animal.
We know just as night follows day that the Kate and Doug will fight, then thaw towards each other, then call a truce, become friends and a skilled skating duo which can qualify for the next Olympics, and then future lovers who will get together once Kate dumps her rich snob boyfriend (Brown) and the two lovebirds can admit they love each other. The soon-to-be dumped boyfriend isn't blind to Kate's feelings towards Doug. He calls their constant bickering foreplay, and we know he isn't wrong.
The plot and characters are what they are. They march on inexorably towards the outcome we find ourselves rooting for. Sweeney and Kelly have instant chemistry, and that is more than half the battle in a movie like this. We also have our share of Rocky-style training montages with heavily synthesized pop music blaring over the soundtrack. Is it remotely possible that Kate and Doug don't get together and/or win the gold medal? No.
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