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What Breaks the Ice
By Jordan Elizabeth,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Fast friends and reckless decisions in teen crime drama.
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What Breaks the Ice
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What's the Story?
In WHAT BREAKS THE ICE, Sammy (Sofia Hublitz) lives in a small, quiet town known for attracting tourists from nearby cities during the summer months. Emily (Madelyn Cline) and her affluent parents arrive, and the two teens meet at a local convenience store. When Emily tries to shoplift from the store and gets caught by the store's attendants, Sammy covers for her, and a friendship is born. Emily quickly introduces Sammy to a world of partying and suggests that they make a pact: to both have sex for the first time that summer, but in the same room to keep each other safe. At first, Sammy is clearly uncomfortable with drinking and drug use, but her need for Emily's friendship starts to outweigh her morals. When Sammy catches her stepbrother, Travis (Joel Allen), sexually assaulting an intoxicated yet seemingly willing Emily at a party, Sammy pushes him to the ground, rendering him unconscious. The girls must decide what to do next, testing the depth of their friendship.
Is It Any Good?
This is the classic story of an innocent teen pulled into partying and crime by an unlikely, troubled friend. (One is blonde and the other brunette -- can you guess which is the innocent one?) When Sammy and Emily meet, Emily's shoplifting is what "breaks the ice" in their friendship. But as their crime escalates, the ice breaks completely, and Sammy is left in the freezing water on her own.
What Breaks the Ice is also a story about class and the protection against consequences that money can afford some and not others. The girls' friendship is tested and their loyalty to each other prevails, but not without more problematic choices. In order to save Sammy, Emily concocts a story of sexual assault -- an irresponsible storyline that adds to the misinformed belief that people frequently lie about sexual assault. While there are themes of friendship and loyalty, Sammy and Emily are asked to make choices against their own interests to preserve their friendship, which shouldn't be a condition of any true friendship.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how What Breaks the Ice depicts female friendship. How does it compare to other takes you've seen on TV/in the movies?
How is teenage drug use/drinking/smoking portrayed? Does the movie glorify these things? Are there realistic consequences? Why does that matter?
Why do you think it was easy for Sammy to be influenced by Emily? Why was Emily's friendship so important to her? Why was Sammy important to Emily?
Movie Details
- In theaters: October 3, 2021
- On DVD or streaming: October 1, 2021
- Cast: Madelyn Cline , Lukas Gage , Sofia Hublitz
- Director: Rebecca Eskreis
- Inclusion Information: Female actors
- Studio: Cinedigm Entertainment Group
- Genre: Drama
- Topics: Friendship
- Run time: 99 minutes
- MPAA rating: NR
- Last updated: June 20, 2023
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