1992’s The Cutting Edge represents the coming together of two resilient Hollywood genres: an Underdog in Training sports film, crossed with total opposites in love. While not a huge hit upon its initial release, the film has gone on to become a cult classic. I have seen the film at least a dozen times over the years, and I always find myself charmed by the story.
Kate Moseley (Moira Kelly) is the bane of competitive figure skating. She has undeniable talent, but few people can stand to work with her. Since she is a pairs figure skater, the fact that no partner will stick with her, presents a huge problem. As the film opens, Kate stumbles badly at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, when she falls during a tricky maneuver. She blames her partner, Brian (Kevin Peeks), and storms off the ice, leaving her wealthy father, Jack (Terry O’Quinn), and her Russian coach, Anton Pamchenko (Ray Dotrice), to clean up the mess.
Also in Calgary is Doug Dorsey (D.B Sweeney), a Minnesota boy, whose hockey talent is the talk of the sport. Unfortunately, Doug’s hockey career ends abruptly when a freak head injury damages his vision just enough to disqualify him from competition. Dejected, Doug returns to his hometown to work construction and help out in his brother’s bar.
Two years later Pamchenko turns up with a proposal. Would Doug be willing to try on a pair of figure skates? For a rough and tumble guy like Doug, this sounds like a nightmare. However, his desire to lace up a pair of skates again—any skates—is very strong, and he reluctantly agrees to give it a shot. Doug treks to the Moseley complex in Greenwich, Connecticut, where Kate has been chewing up and spitting out one prospective partner after another. Opposites clash, sparks fly and two tenacious competitors bring out the best in each other. A partnership is born.
As for the rest of the film, there’s nothing particularly new here. As the pair ostensibly goes for the gold in Albertville, France, they fight constantly as it becomes clear they’re falling in love. The rules of the genre require obstacles, and Tony Gilroy’s script provides plenty of them. There are numerous skating competitors, among them Kate’s former partner, Brian, now dating one Lorie Peckarovski (Rachelle Ottley), who immediately makes a play for Doug. There’s Kate’s own boyfriend, Hale (Dwier Brown), a proper but bland businessman who works for her father in “currency arbitrage” and is conveniently out of town most of the time.
But what makes The Cutting Edge work as well as it does is the fact that the characters of Kate and Doug seem so real. Their love/hate relationship is played out perfectly, recalling the Bruce Willis/Cybill Shepherd sparring matches of Moonlighting, albeit without the occasional hard edge. It’s the romantic tension, not the pursuit of skating glory that makes The Cutting Edge such a memorable film.
Anyone expecting a movie dominated by figure skating will be disappointed. The characters are the dominant force here, with skating playing only a supporting role. Credit Moira Kelly and D.B Sweeney for bringing plenty of energy and notable chemistry to their roles; they turned what could’ve been a forgettable romantic comedy into a true cult classic.
Shown in an aspect ratio of 1.85:1, this 1080p transfer is quite good, though not reference quality. Colors, while not particularly vivid, contrast nicely. They never look washed out or overblown. Detail is generally very good with just a few shots that appear soft, and some print dirt and mild scratches also pop in from time to time. Grain is also handled evenly. This is a definite step up from any previous DVD release.
The DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio sound mix is very good. We get clear dialogue, a few nice surround effects (dozens of camera shutters clicking, sparklers at a New Year’s Eve party), and a punchy soundtrack. It’s what was here originally, amd works just fine.
Spanish and French Dolby Digital 2.0 sound mixes are included, as are English SDH, French, and Spanish subtitles.
We don’t get much in the way of special features:
- The Cutting Edge: Reflections from the Ice (SD, 10:53): Made in 2006, this retrospective featurette consists of comments from Sweeney and Kelly edited together, after they were interviewed separately. The two actors share vivid memories of working on the film, and they agree that the three months they spent training together in skates were invaluable in developing the credibility of the relationship they portrayed on screen. They also touch on the filming techniques that had to be improvised for capturing scenes of skaters interacting in close-up.
- Trailer (SD, 2:04).
