Airs Staurday, April 26, 2008 on the Family channel.

Did you know they made not one Cutting Edge movie, but three? I didn't, until the third one arrived in my mailbox last week; so I sat down for a revisiting of the 1992 D.B. Sweeney-Moira Kelly dramedy. This time out, the original couple's daughter serves as the coach to our latest enterprising duo, thinly connecting the first couple with the latest, sixteen years later. I will "reveal" certain so-called twists, but the average movie fan will not be terribly surprised! While I might not be a figure skating fan, the film does share ties with the original "toe pick," and the uplifting message is sure to be one that translates well to young people looking to chase the dream.

Here, Alex is a hockey-playing female who agrees to aid the world championship-caliber Zack in his quest to qualify, even after he contributes to the ankle-shattering of his ex-lover/partner Celeste. The catch here (beyond the gender reversal) is that Alex has herself dreamed of figure skating success since she was a child, but her parents were too poor for her to continue. The poignant moment in our set-up for emotional attachment occurs when Alex's mother reveals that she rescued her childhood skates from the trash, and stood outside Alex's bedroom as she mourned the loss of her skating dream growing up. Here, mother and daughter bond, and the movie provides its inspirational push.

When Zack's former coach and Celeste sell him out for greater competition and other relationships, the deck is stacked against the professional and the waitress-hockey player couple. Of course, a third place team gets disqualified for drug use to qualify the unqualified duo for the championships&ellips; but you have to expect that in light of the premise and the third-time's-the-charm redux.

The Cutting Edge: Chasing the Dream is one of those movies that critics hate, but preadolescents with unfulfilled dreams will love, and so will many of their parents. The movie is cheesy, predictable, and absolutely dull for those who can't stand movies like this and/or hate ice skating. But that's not who the movie aims to please, and in knowing it's audience, it succeeds.

The lone "twist" comes when Zack finally sees the championship in terms of Alex's happiness rather than in terms of winning. I'd probably argue that he has cared more about others than himself throughout, although he has been tagged "dangerous" and injures not one, but two, partners. Strangely, in the end, the credits roll with the duo's final skate over and no score. They did skate for the love of the game, with no prize achieved but their own desire to compete.

Life puts scores on all of us, and trades away our dreams for the world's vision of success. The second sequel to the once-funny flick reminds us again that dreams come in all shapes and sizes, and denying our call to use our gifts only makes us grumpy, and ill-fitted to our lives. The film succeeds because it follows its own call to inspire, skate, and dream.