The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold

Sadly, this sub-par sequel does little justice to its parent movie, the popular early '90s romantic comedy The Cutting Edge. The plot is so thoroughly recycled that anyone familiar with the tale's first go-round will have little difficulty predicting the story's development -- right down to the placement of replays of memorable scenes, impossible stunts on the ice, and buzzwords like "toe-pick." And while the main characters are obviously cast as duplicates of the original duo, Jackie and Alex are more obnoxious than endearing in their ongoing power struggle.

But that's not all. Between the tense twists of a love triangle and the beach scenes with scantily clad girls and shirtless surfer guys, it's obvious this movie is geared toward teens, but parents have good reason to be wary of the messages it sends. Alcohol is common in many scenes, strong language is unnecessarily frequent, and there are multiple allusions to sex (including lewd lyrics about shaking a booty in someone's face), and nudity includes a full-length shot of a man's backside. To top it off, Jackie fills the role of ice princess a little too well, coming across as spoiled, demanding, and egocentric. She takes for granted her doting parents, who reward her rude behavior with expensive gifts. All in all, these aren't the best role models.