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Ice Princess
User Score
7.4 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 12 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 15
  3. Negative: 3 out of 15

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  1. ChadS.
    Jun 1, 2005
    7
    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.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  2. ClueLess
    May 27, 2005
    10
    This is the best sports movie EVER!!! Marvelous...simply, marvelous.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. AmilaL.
    Jul 19, 2005
    10
    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!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  4. [Anonymous]
    Jul 24, 2006
    10
    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!… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  5. ValerianoO.
    Sep 20, 2008
    9
    Good movie having a comedy and drama.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  6. VinceH.
    Mar 21, 2005
    3
    Despite it all, Joan Cusack proves once again (as she did last year with the excerable "Raising Helen") that she rises above the muck. Her performance is attuned and sensitive enough to actually pass for something mildly realistic and not the pure invention of some former Lizzie McGuire writer. Trachtenberg and Catrall as well do what they can with their roles, but they really don't have much to work with within the small confines that the script develops. Instead of allowing any room whatsoever for human moments or even a slight breathe of fresh air amid all the saccharine music-swelling and back-talking, the movie's plot is a steaming pile of been-there-done-that cliches that I found boring. Granted I am not the direct audience meant for a film like this (being a 21 year old male) but most of the younger girls in the audience seemed dissapointed too. I've always felt that these kinds of movies (the Disney-fied, teen boy/girl wish-fulfillment type) the best ones have a decent mix of solid storytelling, some invention and originality, and at least a few memorable characters and moments, none of which this has.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  7. TylerH.
    Mar 19, 2005
    1
    It was another one of those childish Disney movies that would never happen in a Billion years!
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  8. MarkB.
    Mar 29, 2005
    7
    Most men,unless they're dragged to this Disney tweener sports saga, about a physics whiz who rediscovers her love for skating, by their daughters or happen to have the hots for star Michelle Trachtenberg, would probably just as soon start their own My Little Pony or Hello Kitty collection as attend it. They should reconsider: the skating sequences are thrilling, and the three lead actresses are all excellent and worth seeing. Trachtenberg's breezy likability did a lot to make her TV role as Buffy the Vampire Slayer's kid sister a lot less whiny than she'd otherwise appear, and she ALMOST turned last year's teen raunchfest Eurotrip into a guilty pleasure. Kim Cattrall, as a hard-edged, ethically questionable skating coach, is of course famous as the most predatory of the Sex and the City gals, but before then gave the one good performance in Brian DePalma's disastrous Bonfire of the Vanities as Tom Hanks' patrician wife, contributing the only scene in the film that was halfway true to Tom Wolfe's novel. Best of all, there's the wonderful Joan Cusack as Trachtenberg's mom;the actress has progressed from playing flaky, overachieving coworkers in the 1980s (Broadcast News, Working Girl) to full-blown Type A personalities in the last few years (School of Rock, Raising Helen) while keeping the deeply individualistic quirkiness that makes all her characters so captivating. (And three extra cheers to Cusack for completely submerging any sense of personal vanity, deglamorizing herself for the sake of the character.) Tim Fywell directs all three with as much empathy as he brought to the lovely I Capture the Castle a couple of years ago, but beyond that, Ice Princess is more tough-minded and unpredictable than you'd expect; it may be the work of some of the folks behind The Princess Diaries and aimed at that crowd, but it's no fairytale. Beyond the fact that this is the only G-rated movie I can ever recall seeing whose dialogue includes such bon mots as "eat it"and "blows", some of the skaterettes seen here are so competitive and ruthless that they're better suited to the Roller Derby than the rink. (Be especially careful not to get in the way of The Jumping Shrimp!) I would respectfully disagree with Vince H.'s contention that there are no surprises: the school snob (Hayden Panettiere) who seems at first to be a standard one-dimensional teen movie villainess turns out to have far more dimensions than one would attribute to her, and even the good parent/bad parent dynamic (real or surrogate or both) that is a familiar thematic element of countless films as different from one another as Platoon, The Flamingo Kid and Spanglish, branches out into all kinds of interesting and challenging avenues. Yes, the Big Skateoff climax plays more or less as expected (complete with the big money shot you'd be disappointed at NOT seeing) but don't leave the theater too soon after; it's followed by a surprisingly dark, ambiguous coda that leads our heroine and the audience to wonder just what she's gotten herself into. Not exactly a Friday Night Lights with Zambonis, but no Gret Brinker either, Ice Princess gets mostly high scores...but if you tell the gang at my favorite sports bar that I voluntarily went to see it, I'll deny everything. Oh, what the heck...go ahead and tell 'em.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  9. fritay.
    Dec 14, 2005
    10
    Very inspiring movie.
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  10. MovieLonely94
    Nov 4, 2010
    8
    great job, Disney.
  11. Zilcell
    May 25, 2012
    6
    The movie gives you the impression to follow your dreams. The story works for the most part.
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Critic Reviews

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Metascore
55 out of 100

Mixed or average reviews - based on 27 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 11 out of 27
  2. Mixed: 14 out of 27
  3. Negative: 2 out of 27
  1. The A.V. Club
    Reviewed by: Keith Phipps
    50
    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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  2. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Lisa Schwarzbaum
    42
    Peculiarly coy feminine-empowerment fable.
    Read full review
  3. L.A. Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ella Taylor
    50
    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.
    Read full review
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