'Ice Princess' skates into predictability

By Tom Long
The Detroit News

ICE PRINCESS (Rated G) Two Stars (Fair) This openly formulaic film about a science geek who finds her calling as a figure skater is pure Disney all the way, and parents and tweens may find that fine by them. Michelle Trachtenberg, Joan Cusack, and Kim Cattrall star for director Tim Fywell. Disney, 92 minutes.

As the movie progresses, young and old alike learn some valuable lessons. Puppy love is born. Triple loops, double somethings and those really fast thingamabobs where you go round and round are performed. Our heroine falls down. Our heroine gets back up. Tears are shed.

Yes, it's a Disney movie. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Well, if you're over the age of 13 there may be. But if you're a 10-year-old girl with dreams of high school, a cute boyfriend and major accomplishments, this is probably the movie for you — especially if your parents are pushy-pushy-pushy.

Michelle Trachtenberg stars as Casey, a science geek in high school who is destined for academic greatness and social oblivion. Her single parent mom (Joan Cusack) is pushing-pushing-pushing her toward Harvard and a life of sensibility.

But to land a major scholarship Casey has to spend the summer between her junior and senior year on a physics project. So she chooses to study the physics of ice skating, a personal love. Which brings her to the ice rink owned by former top skater Tina Harwood (Kim Cattrall), who pushes-pushes-pushes her students, including her daughter Gen (Hayden Panettiere) to perfection.

At first Casey simply observes the skaters and marks out their moves on her computer while spouting stuff about density and angles and inertia. Eventually she straps on some skates, too, and wouldn't you know it, turns out she's a born figure skater.

You can pretty much imagine everything from here on out. Casey's mom hates her wearing cute skating outfits and wasting her time on the ice while Harwood becomes her too-hard coach. Betrayal, true love with the Zamboni driver, gumption and sporadic bouts of clumsiness combine over the course of an hour and a half for a completely predictable experience.

So what else would you expect from a movie called "Ice Princess," starring the angelic-looking Trachtenberg? This is a niche movie and it fills the niche competently, offering a follow-your-dream plot and ugly duckling inspiration.

Of course, it's implausible and unintentionally laughable at times. But it's also the sort of film parents keep saying they want their kids to see — pure of heart, positive in intent, clean in execution.

Rated G.