Posted: 01/23/2010

Ice Dreams, Hallmark Original Movie Premiering Jan. 23

(2010)

by Laura Tucker

This Hallmark movie is taking advantage of interest being up for the upcoming Winter Olympics. With both skiing and skating championships airing on network TV today, the cable channel is airing Ice Dreams, a movie that while being a little saccharine, is also a good story.

Tim (Brady Smith, husband of Tiffani Thiessen)  shows up in his hometown again after the death of his uncle. While Tim has a successful life teaching, he’s been left his uncle’s skating rink in the will. He can’t figure out why the rink was left to him, but the longtime rink handyman, Skipper (Jerry Stiller) reminds Tim how much fun he had when he played hockey there.

Because he isn’t planning on staying any longer then it takes to get the rink going again with a successful owner, Tim just bunks there in the office of the rink. He’s not alone, though, as he hears someone out on the ice in the middle of the night. It turns out to be a local waitress, Amy Clayton (Jessica Cauffiel of Legally Blonde), who’s a little down on her luck. She was once on her way to a sure medal at the Olympics, but a family tragedy aborted her plans, leaving her with a questionable future. Tim’s uncle had let Amy skate for free late at night in a special arrangement, and Tim decides to carry out the agreement.

The problem is Amy seems to be the rink’s only customer and she’s there for free. Once Tim goes through the budget, he sees that it hasn’t been successful for quite some time; it was continuously losing money. As he entertains the idea of selling to a big corporation, Amy is having money problems as well. A promising new skater, Nicky (Noelle Bruno), has a shot at the regional championships, but needs a coach. She and her mom (Kathleen Wilhoite) approach Amy who says no originally, but doesn’t want to have to go to her mom (Shelley Long) for money, so agrees to coach Nicky for the regionals.

It’s a Hallmark movie, and it’s incredibly saccharine, so we know exactly where the story’s going to go, but it’s still a fun ride there. It’s clear from the first moment Tim and Amy see each other that they’re headed for a romantic relationship, no matter how standoffish Amy appears. And as far as Nicky’s run for the regionals, yeah, we know where that’s going too, but it’s still enjoyable. After watching Nicky race for the regionals, it makes me want to see the real folks that made it there just that much more.

Laura Tucker is the webmaster of Reality Shack and its accompanying Reality Shack Blog, provides reviews at Viewpoints, and provides entertainment news pieces at Gather. She is also an Associate Instructor and 2nd dan black belt in tae kwon do with South Elgin Martial Arts. Laura can be reached at LauraBelle@realityshack.com.

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