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Directed by John Power and written by Jacqueline Feather and David Seidler, this enjoyable Disney TV adventure film is aimed at young girls and casts Alyssa Milano as a feisty frontier woman. The year is 1899, and Frances Ella Fitz (Milano), nicknamed "Fizzy," is a spunky free spirit who lives with her mother and musician sister in New York City. Fizzy gets all fired up about the Alaskan gold rush, and heads off in search of adventure and riches. She signs on with a ragtag team of misfits headed by handsome dreamer Pierce Madison (Bruce Campbell), and they soon set sail for Nome. Fizzy — who's traveling with her typewriter and scruffy dog named Faust, must prove herself constantly to male members of the expedition, who don't think adventuring is a suitable occupation for a young woman. Naturally, Fizzy turns out to be worth her weight in gold and the equal of any man: She coldcocks a sailor who messes with her mutt, matches wits with three unscrupulous Alaskan lawyers, and rises above blizzards, cutthroats, avalanches and the dubious charms of Madison, who's forever disappointing her. Charmed star Milano possesses the right charm to play a frontier heroine, and Campbell (who's so wonderful in Sam Raimi's EVIL DEAD trilogy and TV's Xena: Warrior Princess) is pleasingly charismatic. The threats are never too scary for youngsters and Milano's headstrong gumption should please parents in search of suitable role models for their daughters. leave a comment --Dennis Dermody
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