“Nice Princess”
There’s been much in the news about Disney divorces.
Pixar is leaving. Harvey and Bob Weinstein, the leaders
of Disney’s art house division Miramax, are exiting.
There is a fear that there will be a dearth of respectable
product from the Mouse House. However, there is still one
thing that Disney does extraordinarily well, as exhibited
by “The Pacifier”’s $72 million take
in under three weeks. Walt Disney Studios has the ability
to take a high concept, a low budget, and connect with
audiences. Their latest entry, “Ice Princess” offers
up the “Rocky” outline – underdog succeeds
at sporting event, all the catchphrases and clichés
and still manages to sparkle, thanks to a talented cast
and an infectious heroine in Michelle Trachtenberg.
Casey Carlyle (Trachtenberg) lives an invisible existence
at her high school. Regarded by the few that even acknowledge
her as a science-geek, she lives outside the fringe in
her small town, knowing very few of her classmates, none
of the popular ones. She lives with her mother (Joan Cusack)
a driven woman who missed out on a higher education and
blames that on their low-income lifestyle. Casey’s
mother dreams of Casey attending Harvard, a dream Casey
assumes she shares, but fate will reveal her own calling.
A physics project introduces Casey to the sport of figure
skating. She first observes the girls at the rink to calculate
the mathematical equations necessary for a skater to improve
her game. Needing to personalize the assignment, she picks
up her ragged skates and takes lessons. It doesn’t
take long for her to realize her innate talents as a competitive
skater.
From there, you can hear the “Gonna Fly Now” theme
blaring, as she practices, falls on her face and practices
again. From then, the plot follows the points a three-year-old
would expect. I could list the points, but I wouldn’t
want to give the story away to the 2-year-olds. Needless
to say, if the lines of children prevent you from seeing
this opening weekend, you could still write a skeleton
of “Ice Princess” after renting “The
Mighty Ducks,” “Little Giants” and “The
Big Green.”
So why recommend this film? Because it doesn’t star
Emilio Estevez, Rick Moranis nor Steve Guttenberg. A cast
of likable actors who fit snuggly in their roles can savage
many weak scripts. If you’re not having a riotous
time, at least you’re in the company of comforting
people, like having lunch with a close circle of friends.
Trachtenberg embodies every girl: polite, conscientious,
and ambitious. You want her to excel, you wish you could
get on the screen and help her out anyway possible.
Kim Cattrall displays a cold indifference and calculation
as Casey’s coach. The character is surprisingly complex,
one filled with cunning, anger and shame, but one built
with an icy armor. After years of brilliantly playing the
sexually charged Samantha on “Sex And The City” it’s
intriguing to see a varied role.
Hayden Panettiere continues her role in Disney films as
second fiddle to the lead whether Denzel Washington (“Remember
the Titans”) or Kate Hudson (“Raising Helen”).
Panettiere playing the snotty popular girl who slowly warms
to Casey’s acts of friendship, registers the thought
processes that lead her to respect Casey, a girl she once
disregarded. Many films’ relationships are dictated
merely because the script demands, but Panettiere’s
talent allows this change of heart to occur organically.
My only problem is with Joan Cusack, not the gifted actress
per se, but Disney’s casting of this comedienne several
times as a drained den mother here and in “Raising
Helen.” Casey’s mother has been written as
a thankless, colorless role.
“Ice Princess” would never survive a dissection,
the whole is much better than the sum of its parts, but
a charming cast goes a long way, and “Ice Princess” reaps
the rewards of Michelle Trachtenberg. Grade: B- |
