The Cutting Edge (1992)

September 3, 2022 5:24 PM

Two former Olympians, one a figure skater and the other a hockey player, pin their hopes of one last shot at Olympic glory on one another. That is, of course, if they can keep from killing each other in the process...
posted by brainwane (19 comments total)

I saw this as a kid and loved it. I don't think I've seen it in thirty years but I still remember - what is it? "Toe pick."
posted by kbanas at 8:32 PM on September 3, 2022 [4 favorites]

One of those formula movies that Mrs Ber and I can watch over and over. Especially the "toe pick" scene.
posted by Ber at 8:41 PM on September 3, 2022

Stumble over your own feet in my house, odds are pretty good you're going to hear "Toe Pick!" from the other room.

Also directed by Starsky!
posted by madajb at 9:27 PM on September 3, 2022 [4 favorites]

TOE PICK
posted by suelac at 10:32 PM on September 3, 2022 [5 favorites]

TOE PICK!
posted by champers at 5:49 AM on September 4, 2022

TOE PICK!

Also, "And skating's the other one."

Also, Blades of Glory was a delightful send-up of this movie.
posted by TwoStride at 8:40 AM on September 4, 2022 [2 favorites]

This was my comfort movie during my late teens and early 20s. I used to watch it with my roommate when we were hungover. I still love it!
posted by emd3737 at 9:43 AM on September 4, 2022

Never seen it, though I learn belatedly it was filmed partly in my hometown and a schoolmate of mine has a (small) role in it; as well, it is the opening salvo of a stealthy franchise — it has three seemingly loosely affiliated followups. The things you learn on Fanfare.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:59 AM on September 4, 2022

my favorite quote is when Kate is mad because Doug got some time away and she yells, "...to go off whoring in New York City!"
Pamchenko replies, "It's not entirely true; he went to Boston."
posted by soelo at 11:06 AM on September 4, 2022

Finger painting?
posted by grog at 11:49 AM on September 4, 2022 [1 favorite]

As a longtime figure-skating fan... allow me to aver that the drama in this movie is incredibly tame compared to drama in the actual sport.

I mean, DRAMA. There is a lot of it.
posted by humbug at 12:38 PM on September 4, 2022 [2 favorites]

1 - I could have sworn this came out a few years earlier, '88 maybe?

2- I am sure this film imprinted many many people with a taste for enemies-to-lovers fiction

3 - I welcome any ideas on expanding the genre beyond hockey skater/figure skater sports-romance movies

'He's a snobbish fencer and track star; she's a trick shooter in a rodeo - can the Modern Pentathlon bring them together?'

"A broken heart meant she'd never trust again; an elbow injury crushed her dreams of being the first woman in Major League Baseball. Can they both find love and redemption - through softball? Find out this spring, in Fast Pitch"
posted by bartleby at 1:51 PM on September 4, 2022 [5 favorites]

As a teen, I watched this at many a sleepover
posted by dinty_moore at 2:54 PM on September 5, 2022 [1 favorite]

This is SO not in my wheelhouse, but for some reason I really adore this movie. This (and the sadly short-lived Strange Luck) are why D.B. Sweeney was one of those people I would look for in things. And of course it's also the source of my longstanding crush on Moira Kelly.

That said, I'm pretty sure the climactic move where he throws her into the air and catches her is the sort of thing that is only possible through the magic of film editing.
posted by Naberius at 10:31 AM on September 6, 2022 [3 favorites]

It certainly isn’t possible with any conservation of momentum. It doesn’t matter tho.
posted by janell at 8:58 PM on September 6, 2022

I love this movie. Both the leads are delightful, and it's got John Locke with (some hair).

There's also a remake¹ starring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder called Blades of Glory.

¹ Not really, but it's a lot closer to it's obvious source material than most remakes.
posted by thedward at 5:29 AM on September 7, 2022

Speaking of Strange Luck, I was watching that once and during a plane crash scenea car drove into my house (no one was hurt, but we had to move out for a couple weeks for repairs). AFAIK there's no legal way to watch it these days (and I've only found really bad VHS rips in regards to sublegal options).
posted by thedward at 5:36 AM on September 7, 2022

The so-called "Pamchenko," you mean, Naberius? Absolutely not possible. On release, the thrown partner would end up in the boards or the bleachers, most likely hurt pretty badly.
posted by humbug at 6:53 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]

Saw it in a movie theatre and loved it, more recently obtained a copy to rewatch. I still like it a lot (both leads are easy on the eye) even though it's a ton of smaltz (sp?) where you can see the storyline coming a mile away. It's a fun feel-good.
posted by Inanna at 10:25 AM on September 7, 2022 [1 favorite]