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Ice Princess
Buena Vista Pictures

Ice Princess reviews
Critic Score
Metascore: 55 Metascore out of 100
User Score  
7.4 out of 10
based on 27 reviews
Read critic reviews
How did we calculate this?
based on 13 votes
Read user comments
Rate this movie

MPAA RATING: G for General Audiences

Starring Joan Cusack, Kim Cattrall, Michelle Trachtenberg, Hayden Panettiere, Trevor Blumas, Connie Ray, Kirsten Olson, and Juliana Cannarozzo

Brainy Casey Carlyle (Trachtenberg) is caught between her fantasy of becoming a championship figure skater and her strong-willed mother (Cusack), who has her on the fast track to Harvard. (Disney)


GENRE(S): Comedy  |  Drama  |  Family/Kids  
WRITTEN BY: Hadley Davis (also story)
Meg Cabot (story)
 
DIRECTED BY: Tim Fywell  
RELEASE DATE: DVD: July 19, 2005 
Video: July 19, 2005 
Theatrical: March 18, 2005 
RUNNING TIME: 92 minutes, Color 
ORIGIN: USA 

What The Critics Said

All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more...

75
Christian Science Monitor David Sterritt
It's great to see so many smart girls in a Hollywood movie!
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75
Chicago Sun-Times Roger Ebert
This movie is just about perfect for teenagers, and it's a surprise that even their parents are allowed to have minds of their own.
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75
Baltimore Sun Chris Kaltenbach
But the fine performances of all three leads rise above the cliches, giving the film a sense of reality that both impresses and inspires.
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70
Washington Post Stephen Hunter
A somewhat formulaic if nevertheless crudely effective manipulation of the figure skating themes that all of us girls love so much.
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70
Los Angeles Times Kevin Thomas
Although this is the kind of entertainment designed to send its audience home happy, Ice Princess has its share of stinging moments and has a good deal more edge than one might have expected.
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70
Washington Post Desson Thomson
A feel-good infusion for your precious little darling (or pack of darlings) who could use an uplifting fantasy.
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70
The Hollywood Reporter Michael Rechtshaffen
The Disney picture should handily score a direct hit to its targeted young female demographic as well as striking a chord with their big sisters, moms and aunts.
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67
Austin Chronicle Kimberley Jones
Mercifully, the frosted icing-icky title bears little relation to the film's actual content.
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63
Boston Globe Wesley Morris
A feel-good but inane Disney production.
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63
Philadelphia Inquirer Carrie Rickey
An unsteady empowerment film for 'tweenage girls and their moms, Ice Princess boasts more spark than sparkle.
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63
USA Today Claudia Puig
Parents and kids should be heartened to see a G-rated movie that is not dumbed-down or saccharine-sweet. Rather, it's subtly inspiring.
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60
The New York Times Stephen Holden
You can feel this niche-marketed tweener fantasy of athletic glory frantically trying to balance a decent sense of values against a market-savvy awareness.
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60
Chicago Reader Andrea Gronvall
It's Joan Cusack as her doting single mom who holds the film together--her sensitive turn as a flawed feminist hints at what she could do with a meatier role.
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60
Dallas Observer Luke Y. Thompson
Silly, yes, but sweet and fun too.
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58
Seattle Post-Intelligencer Ellen A. Kim
A sweet if bland film.
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50
The Globe and Mail (Toronto) Leah McLaren
Trachtenberg gives a sweetly compelling performance as Casey, as does the wonderfully kooky Cusack as her mother, but their charms are not enough to save this painfully unoriginal movie from coming out of a triple toe loop and landing flat on its bottom.
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50
Variety John Anderson
The most sparkling aspect to Ice Princess is Juliana Cannarozzo, a real-life, nationally ranked skater.
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50
Miami Herald Connie Ogle
The cast, which includes Kim Cattrall (Sex and the City) as a coach who pushes her daughter too hard, is likable and energetic, and the film's messages are entirely reasonable.
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50
The Onion (A.V. Club) Keith Phipps
Ice Princess will probably connect most strongly with kids who have yet to develop an awareness of sports- and family-film clichés.
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50
LA Weekly Ella Taylor
Joan Cusack and Kim Cattrall bring some nice ambiguity to their thankless roles as the mothers, while pintsize Kirsten Olson and punked-out Julianna Cannarozzo, both professional skaters, leaven this Disney sugarplum with much-needed wit.
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50
Chicago Tribune Allison Benedikt
I'll describe the central characters in Disney's new ice-skating flick, Ice Princess, and you guess the plot.
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50
San Francisco Chronicle Mick LaSalle
A cut above most pictures of its type.
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50
Village Voice Nick Sylvester
The surprisingly twisty plot skates along with zero friction, giving new meaning to "Disney on Ice."
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42
Entertainment Weekly Lisa Schwarzbaum
Peculiarly coy feminine-empowerment fable.
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40
TV Guide Angel Cohn
The film's utterly predictable dialogue and plot developments will leave most viewers cold. Ice-struck preteens are, of course, the exceptions.
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38
New York Daily News Elizabeth Weitzman
Cusack is excellent as Joan, the only woman in the film who values a girl's brains over her body, so it's a shame Fywell treats her with amused scorn.
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25
New York Post Kyle Smith
This movie wasn't just made for 11-year-old girls; it seems to have been made by 11-year-old girls.
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What Our Users Said

Vote Now!The average user rating for this movie is 7.4 (out of 10) based on 13 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.

Valeriano O. gave it a9:
Good movie having a comedy and drama.

[Anonymous] gave it a10:
I really, really, really enjoyed this film. I loved Michelle as geeky student Casey. Hayden Panetierre was funny. It made me see how tough it really is being a skater (even though I am one myself, currently at a novice level) and what training isn't really like. I thought this movie was pretty funny, I liked Julianna (Zoey) because I am a bit like her character (but more like Kirsten (Nikki) the jumping shrimp). I am currently in England (where I study dance, figure skating and english). I think ice skating is a promising sport, as it makes you know what it is like to be competitive. I loved Michelle's style, though, and I am going to learn a spiral next, because I can't wait to do that!

frita y. gave it a10:
Very inspiring movie.

Amila L. gave it a10:
I really like this film, and i think the boy is so cute! ;) So i give it ten! It can be quite sad sometimes, because I have no friends, i always watch it on my own. Oh well, at least I have my poster of Aston Kutcher to keep me company!

Chad S. gave it a7:
It's not as if Casey (Michelle Trachtenberg) is ditching a promising future in science to be a stripper; ice-skating is a legitimate sport that takes a lot of talent and dedication, but still, "Ice Princess" might give young girls the impression that it isn't cool to be good at science and math. Casey gains confidence by excelling at sports rather than feel good about her talent with numbers. She also gets noticed by a boy; no personal zamboni service for bookworms. "Ice Princess", for all its reactionary attitudes towards girls and education, is bolstered by an immensely appealing cast and an act of sabotage that seems absolutely plausible, and understandable. Michelle Kwan's presence as an ESPN commentator is an interesting one because Casey is a johnny-come-lately like how Tara Lipinski was perceived to be in the 1998 Winter Olympics, and it seemed cruel that the veteran Kwan had to lose like Gen (Hayden Panettiere) if she was edged out by a competitor who paid less dues. "Ice Princess", had it been made by a studio that wasn't all sugar and spice, could've gone in a different direction to better effect. There's a reconciliation late in the film that's hard to believe.

Clue Less gave it a10:
This is the best sports movie EVER!!! Marvelous...simply, marvelous.

Gary B. gave it a10:
Regardless of my sexual attraction to the star, this movie was amazing. it's really the most uplifting, entertaining movie since the first mighty ducks.

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