Michelle Trachtenberg is a talented actress, but it seems the older she gets, the poorer her judgement. She really should have read the script before agreeing to this - it's certainly not Shakespeare! Surprising then, to see so many other good actors taking part. I guess it fulfils a role - simple, inoffensive, happy-ending. Great for a kids' movie, and shown on TV here at Christmas, which is probably where it belongs.On the plus side, the skating is pretty impressive. A couple of experts were bought in - very wise - and both Trachtenberg & Panettiere (can't they find actors with simple names anymore?) appear to be quite proficient themselves. If there were doubles employed, then they were very skillfully integrated.All-in-all, technically quite slick but with a script seriously lacking in depth; easy on the eye and the heart, and not a bad way to spend an afternoon with the kids.

I spent much of my childhood figure skating, from the age of 5 until I was 15. I even coached the younger skaters (beginner to elementary level) from the time I was 12 years old until my last year. I have to say that, while Michelle can definitely skate fairly well, I'm pretty disgusted at some of the complete falsehoods this movie promoted.Yes, good skates are very expensive. But, for one thing, a figure skater would never ever have begun doing the jumps and spins she was showing (I mean... come on... an axle?) in the skates she was wearing at first. A single wrong landing would break her ankle.The skates a real skater has, after they've begun doing jumps and spins of ANY sort, are very thick and heavy for a reason. It helps prevent broken ankles and gives you proper picks that won't skid over the ice unlike beginner skates.Not to mention, the coach lied. She'd have been able to start competing at her level, I did. And I hadn't even landed my first axle. Competition isn't always about reaching regional level, sometimes its just for competition.You don't win "trophies" and have "recitals", you win "badges" (at the low levels) and "medals" and have "performances" during the year or "carnivals" at the end of the year.I was pretty impressed with the ability that Michelle Trachtenberg showed. I completely didn't take her for a figure skater with her performance in Buffy the Vampire Slayer.The costumer sucked, and the red dress was hideous.I do have to say that they got the stage mom perfectly. They are like that.Have to admit, I find it funny that she found probably the one in fifty clubs that actually has a guy involved. They exist, they're just rare.Like I said, not bad. If you're bored and have nothing else to do.If you're looking for a good skating movie, go grab Cutting Edge. Thats much closer to real.

for me,this movie was just bland.not really boring,but not really interesting either.it just plods along to the end.i also thought most of the characters were not interesting.in fact,some of them were unlikable.there are some good actors in this movie,but they seem to sleep walk through it for the most part.once in awhile there is a bot of overacting,at least in my mind.a little levity(humour)would have made the movie better.it's just takers the subject matter too seriously,in my mind.basically,i was disappointed in this movie.i had higher expectations.not the worst movie movie ever made,just sort of middle of the road for the genre.my vote for Ice Princess is a 5/10

Updated and redone at April 2008This is a nice fantasy story, one that can benefit from repeated viewing. I can accept and enjoy it as just that, but would I really prefer that it was closer to reality? The spoilers relate to that. Step one for getting that conclusion was to obtain my DVD and just watch it a few times, for sheer fun. The commentary too, and with my DVD that is by The Tract Berg and Hayden-Here Blond and Kirsten-Nikki Shrimp and Trevor-Teddy Of The Tract. * What stood out for me straight away was that the science is low quality fantasy. I assume that basic skating manuals will cover the skating points in a qualitative way. I vaguely remember part of it being used as illustrations in school level physics when I did that, 1960's UK. There is a more important point there, though. Once a visiting Teacher Ed student mentioned a science project he had done about Yams, he was from Africa and in England to qualify as a teacher. Me I froze up, how does one go about choosing a class project, how does one organise it, etc. In Ice Princess, The Tract Berg is expected to choose a project, an individual project. Worst, an original project. Worst, one that shows individuality. At first this told me that the writers do not know anything about school physics and the kids who are into that. I could be wrong as I am hopelessly out of date re how things are now, but this film seemed by an arts orientated type looking to what they might call nerd worlds and assuming that the rules of art worlds apply, how things are done from year dot there? If they are insane then okay, they have a reasonable excuse. I assume that nerd = geek, my dictionary translates these as 'fool', I translate them as 'technical type'. What for me is an interesting question, how does a school kid go about tooling up to be able to chose a science project for themselves and carry it out in a useful way. I assume that the education gap in school physics is likely to have been filled by now. I do not ask how on earth does a school kid choose an original research project for themselves. But individuality? This big Disney project looks at the realities of school science kids and seems to impose art studies qualities and values and realities, disenfranchising science kids from their reality? Disney takes pride in being in touch with arts kids' dreams? * The commentary shows me that the same thing is true re sports issues. This takes a serious sports theme. I had not previously considered ice skating as properly sport, despite having once watched it on televised Olympics in 1972. The commentary helps me to view it differently and also shows how the storytelling has churned up that world's realities in favour of a pretty arty substitute that is nothing like the sport. At least it gives the commentary. * From a different angle, this is a story about someone who was once rather effective in school level technical stuff. She had been encouraged at home to develop her maths skills, her physics skills too, from an early age. She also has somewhere for enjoying ice skating basics. So far I can relate to some of that. I interpret her as being channelled to be an embryonic geek, but one in big trouble from an early age. Not that her style shows it. The ice skating practice will be part of what softens the scene. She has potential for growing to become an effective technical type. Mad Hot Ballroom, a documentary, can be read as identifying ballroom dancing as an additional skill with potential for developing balanced individuals. Ice skating and classical music seem good as symbols, as a bit more too, just not as basic. Transgender? Her bookshelves should be more impressive than shown. Her world falls apart by her being given notice, in unreal terms, about a potential windfall, while her physics teacher is making toast in an arts orientated classroom fitted with a science teacher's bench. The solid reality of her world has turned into unreality, which on the surface shows impressive results. The film lives in her dream world. Brazil 1984 + 1. I can relate to that sort of crash too. It happens at exactly the right age for this to create a sympathetic resonance in me. I do not expect the reality to be other than destructive to her and to her surroundings, one of many fresh planetary disasters. Tract refusing the peanut butter underlines this. Copper sulphate. * The roots of the story thus read as about someone starting from behind in some way, her family not having the fullness and sense that she needs, but her growing to blossom as a technical type or as an athlete or as both or to fail in both. She will fail in both. We are shown a fantasy, it is shown through rose tinted glasses, its reality for 17ish who get there is very different. The actor commentary appears to say that empowerment is relevant. I accept that would be an essential component of any solution. To attain realistic ways she would need expert help and some get the sort of help that sends them in totally the wrong direction, a component of social disease formation. Whatever, I find this to be close to the level of Lindsay's Mean Girls, unusually worthwhile. I find it interesting to compare this with Lindsay's Confessions Of A Teenage Drama Queen, which I read as relating to someone facing a similar teen hurdle.