Why so much hype?

Fantastic!

Expected more

I cannot think of one single thing that I would change about this film. The acting is incomparable, the directing deft, and the writing poignantly brilliant.

I saw this in the theater when it came out. Then I saw it this afternoon on streaming. I remember kind of liking this one as a teen, but still there was something about it that nagged at me through the years and convinced me not to go to any great trouble to see it again. Today I was reminded what that was: the characters are such unpleasant people. Yeesh. I'm glad I don't have friends or family like this.The dad has his head in the sand and will do just about anything to prevent his only child from taking a brave risk to better herself. The boyfriend is a self-centered jerk and a quitter who drops out of medical school and semi-pro hockey in the first 30 minutes of the film, and who also seems to resent Lexie's potential to succeed in life, the same potential he himself has squandered twice already. And the ice rink owner is a shrieking harpy. I don't think too many ice rink owners are Care Bear types, really, but Beulah did altogether too much screaming and cussing. (Funny thing: from seeing the film in the theater, I remembered Colleen Dewhurst as "the fat lady"... guess what? 35 years later I see she wasn't at all fat. She was a middle-aged woman. She looked... ahem... rather like I do now. "Stupid" clothes and all.) The one exception to the unpleasantness is Lexie herself; I thought Lynn-Holly Johnson played her very believably, with great exuberance while skating and credible depression after the accident. She was a joy to watch on the ice... I'm not a sports or skating fan at all, but I streamed it twice just to watch her skate. Wow. The film would have been a total zero without her.There are confusing plot issues: what about that boyfriend of Lexie's new trainer, who not only gravitates from the trainer to Lexie herself, but the trainer doesn't seem to care or even notice? And continuity issues: towards the end, see Tom Skerritt on the pond wearing boots, then skates, then boots again, while helping Lexie regain her skating ability. And as I said, just too much nastiness between the characters: okay, I get that Robbie Benson (who is in serious need of an eyebrow waxing) wants Lexie not to feel sorry for herself, but the way he screams "Shut up!" at her when she asks for help getting up is really not going to help matters any.I wouldn't have bothered with this one again if not for Lynn-Holly Johnson; she made the whole film and she was a joy to watch. If I had a flower, I'd throw it.

Johnson plays fictitious figure skater Alexis Winston, whose widower father (Skerritt) reluctantly allows master coach (Warren) to take her to the big city for a chance to demonstrate her unique talents and compete in the national titles. She leaves behind her boyfriend (Benson) and local skate rink owner (Dewhurst) and is soon consumed by the trappings of high profile sport and fair-weather friends, wooed by a much older newscaster (Huffman) and forced to endure the spotlight of TV in addition to her rigorous training schedule. But just as she's about to reach the heights of success, she's felled prematurely in a shocking accident that robs her of her sight, and it seems, her dream. With the aid of family and 'true' friends, she attempts an audacious comeback.Set to the backdrop of Melissa Manchester's commanding theme song ("Looking Through the Eyes of Love"), "Ice Castles" is the "Flashdance" of the late seventies, with generally strong performances by the cast. Johnson's maturity belies her age, underrated Jennifer Warren delivers a strong performance as the perfectionist coach, while Dewhurst has a couple of intense scenes to display her range, notably where she confronts Johnson in the attic where she's apparently given up on life in favour of a shallow existence of self pity.Typical feel-good movie is elevated by Dewhurst's performance and the Oscar-nominated theme song (the rest of the soundtrack isn't bad either, e.g. "Midnight Blue" and "A Fifth of Beethoven"), but probably attempts to milk too much sympathy as films of this ilk often do from the audience. One of those films you probably wouldn't seek to watch, but nevertheless find yourself engaged to the end in spite of yourself.

Lynn-Holly Johnson and Robby Benson give smashing performances as an aspiring Olympic ice skater and her loving boyfriend. ICE CASTLES is an excellent film that's very romantic, touching and moving. It's a love story that ultimately tests the boundaries of true love. The music is good, too, especially "Through The Eyes Of Love," which is the song that plays over the opening credits. If you're wondering who's it's by, it's by Melissa Manchester. Before I wrap this up, I'd like to say that everyone involved in this film did an outstanding job. In conclusion, if you like love stories that are happy and sad at the same time, this is definitely a movie to see. You will really be touched by it.

Ice Castles is a story about a group of people who come together to triumph over tragedy. The best part is that it was made before the whole triumph over tragedy plot became so commonplace. Yes, it's a bit predictable, but still very touching. I watched this movie as a child and loved it. I watched it as an adult and loved it still. It has stood the test of time. It's a great movie for the family to watch and a great movie for parents to share with their kids. An uplifting movie with a wonderful message. Well cast and sweetly played, Ice Castles passes my personal sit-still test and provides a nice walk down Memory Lane. Movie bonus: beautiful scenery and a very pretty soundtrack.