Inspiring + Heartwarming = Kind of Boring

Rating: 6/10 (12 October 2009)

I love Drew Barrymore, Kirsten Wiig, and especially Ellen Page. Drew is adorable, Kirsten is hilarious, and Ellen is adorable, hilarious, and is a really great actor (forget Juno. Watch Hard Candy.) I was really looking forward to this movie, and was really disappointed. The action scenes were great, and they're all good skaters, but the plot was predictable and tedious. Was there ever a question that she would be allowed to go to the finals? (see Bend it Like Beckham, a far superior film which had the same outcome). And what was that underwater nonsense about? I guess it was supposed to be beautiful and balletic, but left me breathless because I wondered when they'd come up for air.
Although the movie was a C+, I did enjoy Marcia Gay Harden's three-dimensional portrayal of the over-protective southern Mom. I especially appreciated the realistic portrayal of the parents. Too many movies play the parents as clueless, stupid, and/or narrow-minded. These parents loved their daughters and showed it.