The Cutting Edge
1992
If it were possible to distill the essence of the early ’90s to its purest form, the result would be a VHS copy of The Cutting Edge, the tale of two zamboni-crossed lovers set against the backdrop of the decade’s ice skating craze. Stars Moira Kelly and D.B. Sweeney have long since moved on to television guest star oblivion, but for one brief, sequined moment, they were Kate and Doug: she couldn’t keep a partner, and injuries forced him to put down his hockey stick.
When they become skating partners, she says bitchy things; he acts like a stupid jock (“There’s only two things I do really well, sweetheart, and skating’s the other one.”), but wouldn’t you know it, they fall in love anyway. And go to the Olympics!
Why didn’t she just become a singles skater? What kind of injury prevents someone from playing hockey but has no bearing on his ability to compete as a world-class figure skater? These are questions best left off the ice. Just watch the close-ups of skating feet, will yourself to believe they belong to Kate and Doug and enjoy. (But never mention the made-for-TV sequel: The Cutting Edge 2: Going for the Gold — then what, I have to ask, were they going for in the original?)
