The Cutting Edge

Plot

Kate Moseley is a world-class figure skater representing the United States in the pairs event at the 1988 Winter Olympics. She has genuine talent, but years of being spoiled by her wealthy father Jack have made her all but impossible to work with.

Doug Dorsey is captain of the U.S. ice hockey team at the same Winter Olympics. Just minutes before a game, he and Kate literally run into each other at the arena. During the game Doug suffers a head injury which damages his peripheral vision, and he is forced to retire. Later in the Games, Kate's partner drops her during their program, costing them a chance at the gold medal.

In the next two years, while training for the 1992 Winter Olympics, Kate has driven away all potential skating partners with her attitude and perfectionism; her coach, Anton Pamchenko, needs to find another replacement, an outsider who doesn't know that Kate is spoiled and nearly impossible to work with. He proceeds to track down Doug, who is back home in Minnesota, working in a steel mill and a carpenter on the side, living with his brother and playing in a semi-professional hockey league or hockey bar league on the side. Desperate for another chance at Olympic glory, Doug agrees to work as Kate's partner, even though he has a macho contempt for figure skating.

However, Kate's snooty, prima donna behavior gets on his nerves immediately. Their first few practices do not go well. In time, though, their relationship grows warmer, and they learn to work together and become a pair to be reckoned with both on and off the ice. They advance to the U.S. Nationals, and despite strong performances in the short program and long program, they are on track to come in third-place, which does not advance them to the Olympics. However, when one of the leading pairs falls during the competition, they advance.

At the finals at the Albertville Olympics, they look to be one of the top pairs competing for the gold. Everything is going well until they realize that they have fallen in love with each other.

Cast

Music

The original music score was composed by Patrick Williams. The film's theme song "Feels like Forever" was performed by Joe Cocker and written by Diane Warren and Bryan Adams.

Soundtrack

The soundtrack album was originally released by Rykodisc in 1998; in 2004 it was reissued by Varese Sarabande with 20 minutes of Patrick Williams's score (tracks 11-22).

1. Street of Dreams - Nia Peeples
2. Cry All Night - Neverland
3. Ride On Time - Black Box
4. Groove Master - Arrow
5. It Ain't Over 'til It's Over - Rosemary Butler & John Townsend
6. Shame Shame Shame - Johnny Winter
7. Turning Circles - Sally Dworsky
8. Baby Now I - Dan Reed Network
9. I've Got Dreams to Remember - Delbert McClinton
10. Feels Like Forever (Theme From The Cutting Edge) - Joe Cocker
11. Ich Namen Gita/Olympic Hockey
12. Battle of the CD's
13. Limo to Mansion/Nine Months Later
14. Kate Skates Alone
15. Chicago Practices
16. Hoedown
17. Tequila
18. Olympic Fanfare/Dubois & Gercel
19. Doug & Kate Get Angry
20. The Russians Skate
21. Finale
22. End Credits

The following songs are heard in the movie but not included on the soundtrack album:

Reception

The Cutting Edge was released on March 27, 1992, and grossed $25,105,517 domestically.

The film has a 60% rating (based on 15 reviews) on Rotten Tomatoes.

Sequels

The film was followed by several sequels: The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold (2006), The Cutting Edge: Chasing the Dream (2008) and The Cutting Edge: Fire and Ice (2010), each with mostly different casts.