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On Edge

2004, Movie, R, 94 mins

On Edge: Review

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This mockumentary aspires poke fun at the world of women's competitive figure skating in the same way BEST IN SHOW (2000) skewered dog people and shows, but the inconsistent comic tone ensures that it falls short of a gold-medal perfromance. A small documentary crew headed by Professor Robinson (Chris Hogan) sets out to discover why so many young women attempt to become Olympic figure skaters, despite the overwhelming odds of failure. Robinson and his team focus on a handful of Olympic hopefuls working at an ice rink run by former gold medallist Yuri Moskvin (John Glover). Moskvin doesn't have much insight to offer, since he spends most of his time trying to pay off some mysterious debts and keep his business afloat. Zamboni Phil (Jason Alexander), on the other hand, is a font of information regarding the ins and outs of the rink's various prospects, and points Robinson's crew in the direction of his four favorites to win the upcoming countywide competition. The one to beat, he says, is ice queen Veda Tilman (Barret Swatek), whose exemplary discipline comes courtesy of her annoyingly persistent stage mother (Wendie Malick). Tiffany Bernstein (Christina Gossard) has talent, but she's more interested in making out with her boyfriend than practicing. Wendy Wodinski (Marissa Jaret Winokur, of Broadway's Hairspray) is enthusiastic and can land a triple jump, but judges frown on her plumpness. And finally, Zamboni Phil has a soft spot for underdog J.C. Cain (A.J. Langer), the plucky free spirit whose role model is Tonya Harding; Phil admires the fact that the tattooed pot smoking rebel works at the rink to earn her time on the ice and gets sponsorship for costumes and travel from the local tuna factory where her deceased father was, literally, canned. With a slew of other hopefuls, these four young women hope to earn one of three slots for the regional 'golden horn' competition. Interspersed among footage of the aspiring medallists is footage of their parents and an interview with Ricky Medford — real-life Olympic gold medallist Scott Hamilton — who talks about the purity of the sport and offers bizarre observations like, "Skating is like fresh churned butter. It is sweet and wholesome and you want to submerge yourself in it." While the film includes several inspired scenes and characters, it lacks the spontaneity or genuine creativity of THIS IS SPINAL TAP (1984) or WAITING FOR GUFFMAN (1997), and commits the ultimate comedic sin of trying too hard to be funny. leave a comment --Angel Cohn
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