I was going to do a different movie tonight, but since the Olympic figure skating is on way too late for this little blogger, I decided to take a chance on Love on Ice, which I hope is not as depressing as Ice Castles. I don’t think it will compare to The Cutting Edge, a movie whose VHS tape was worn out in my college dorm room back in the day. Let’s see how it goes – it stars a girl from some movie we’ve watched already, and the guy from that one about the winery.
Blonde girl is Emily James, an ice-skating teacher in Michigan, who is nice and inspiring. She has a nice relationship with a brunette up-and-coming skater, who has an overbearing Gail O’Grady as a mom. Emily also works as a waitress at Hildy’s Gourmet Cafe. Plus she wakes up before dawn to skate by herself. She’s super busy.
Enter Spencer Patterson, the coach for the brunette girl (Nikki), and apparently Emily James used to be a skater, and Spencer is intrigued – it’s been 8 years since she competed, and he wants to know what happened to her. What did happen to Emily? Did she get hurt? No. It’s the classic mom dying plot device. Seriously, Hallmark, would it be so hard to get a mom who lives and who is not an overbearing ogre like Gail O’Grady is sure to be? (You can tell by her blow out). Oh, and Gail O’Grady is totally being a bitch about Spencer’s ability to coach her daughter Nikki.
Spencer just called for Nikki to do an axel. Just one axel. Not a double or anything. What are we in, the 1980s? (Gail O’Grady just yelled at her daughter for missing a landing. I think she should go watch I, Tonya and realize that she is on the train to crazytown.)
Spencer was not very smooth with Emily just now, but he just had to tell her how much he admired her skating, and how he didn’t understand how someone that good could just leave her career behind.
The actress playing Hildy was in Best in Show. I LOVE that movie. She was married to Eugene Levy.
Spencer has come to Emily for help with dealing with Gail O’Grady because Gail O’Grady is very scary, and also because they both want what’s best for Nikki. Has nothing to do with the fact that he thinks she’s cute. Nikki loves the idea, Gail O’Grady not so much.
Not for nothing, but Spencer doesn’t seem to be a very good coach. But he does have floppy hair, and there is a certain magic in it. Gotta love long camera angles, that show skating but not a specific actor doing the skating. But Spencer is totally convinced, and he wants to get Emily ready for the Mid-West Regionals. She should compete again! She says no, but her Semi-Sassy Friend (who works in marketing and that has got to be a fact that comes up later) is encouraging. Hildy tells her to look inside her heart for the courage to go back to competing. That’s where all the answers are, Emily!
Nikki gets interviewed by a local reporter, who is also struck by the fact that Emily is there. Gail O’Grady plays it way down, but you know that the news coverage is going to cover Emily, not Nikki. Emily also asks Nikki if she’s ok to compete against each other, and Nikki says fine, because she’s a lovely girl with a gorgon of a mother. But yay for Emily, she’s back in the game. She is going to have to quit working at the diner in order to train, but she needs a sponsor…and marketing girl is working on a pitch for some kind of Sunny De-Lite or something…so guess what’s going to happen in the last act?
Gail O’Grady is very suspicious about how close Spencer and Emily are getting, and she’s going to start some shit, pretty soon.
Emily and Spencer actually have nice chemistry in this, as they bond over pizza. He is deciding if he wants to kiss her or not, and the answer is yes, but this is a Hallmark movie, so they won’t kiss until the last minute. She does tell him why she stopped skating, and now they are super-connected, you guys.
Gail O’Grady just laid down the ultimatum to Spencer, and now he’s no longer Nikki’s coach. She now will hire Lesley Adams to coach her daughter, and apparently Lesley is a super-bitch – and she was Emily’s coach 8 years ago, so Bitter, Party of 1. And she is also forbidding her daughter to talk to Emily now. That is such a dick move, Gail O’Grady. Your daughter is going to leave you alone with a million cats.
Spencer wants to coach a skater with passion in her heart, and that’s Emily. So now he’s cooking her dinner and she thinks he’s really cute. He believes in her so much, you guys, it’s inspiring.
Training Montage! It was very short because we have to make room for a fundraiser for Emily’s bills. The whole town is there – they love her so much.
Nikki’s new coach is just about winning, and she is very unpleasant. But I think it might give Gail O’Grady pause… will there be a redemption for this mother from hell by the end of this movie? It’s a Hallmark movie, so pretty sure the answer is yes.
Marketing Semi Sassy Friend has designed her Sunny D campaign all around Emily’s come back. Called it! But Emily is getting overwhelmed with all the attention, and all the expectations that she feels weighing on her. Lesley Adams is sowing some seeds of discontent, and Semi Sassy Friend’s marketing campaign is a hit with the Sunny D guy.
Lesley Adams, you bitch! You are sabotaging Emily’s interview with the news lady and the upshot is, Emily quits, giving Spencer the sad times until he can go explain himself to Emily and get out of that depth of despair. Emily misses her mom, tells a story about her mom would always give her a red Gerbera daisy after skating. That’s gonna show up again! Spencer admits he likes her and they hold hands. Awww.
Nikki wants to quit skating now after she found out what Lesley Adams (Say it, THAT BITCH) did to Emily. Nikki just wants to find the joy again, and Gail O’Grady sees that Nikki is happy finally on the ice without Lesley Adams barking at her. So now Lesley Adams is FIRED and Gail O’Grady is back to being a good mom. Good for you, Gail O’Grady.
Mid-West Regional Skating Competition. Almost like the Pan Pacific Grande Prix (Strictly Ballroom fans, anyone?) Lots of skating, lots of glitter, and Nikki and Emily are tied for first place after the short program! These skaters do a ton of spins, and hardly any jumps. Do you think there’s an insurance thing that keeps the skaters from doing so many? Nikki does a great job, and now it’s all down to Emily. Toe Pick!
Spencer rocks a chunky cardigan, and it doesn’t even look dumb.
Emily skates and is fabulous, even if all the camera angles just caught the back of her head. And is Spencer waiting for her with a red Gerbera Daisy? OF COURSE HE IS. Kiss him, you silly girl! Nikki wins Gold, and Emily wins the Silver. And unlike that girl on the Canadian Ice Hockey Team, she’s happy with that medal.
Final moment of this movie is anti-climatic, as finally they get their kiss, and then she goes and spins some more on the ice. Boring ending.
Not as much drama as The Cutting Edge, but no blindness, so better than Ice Castles. There are a lot more movies in my queue, and I can’t wait to get to them. Don’t think I need to revisit Love on Ice, but if necessary I will, just so you don’t have to.
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