A moderately amusing French comedy about an ice hockey movie being made on an ice rink. Most of the humor is of the falling-over variety and the characters are all stereotypes. There are far too many jokes about slipping on ice. Toussaint tries hard to work the film-within-a-film idea (the film crew also has a TV crew making a documentary of the movie at the same time). There is one totally gratuitous sex scene thrown in for good measure. It has a few inspired moments but on the whole it's a good idea stretched out too long.
7 Reviews
cute little comedy
villamondial14 December 2001
While not the most elaborated story we liked this movie. Its a light entertaining film and it never pretends to be more than just a little comedy. Event though the director uses mostly only cliches for the characters, the movie is consequent in its style. Slapstick with a very cool French tone and quite funny. Oh, yes -the story: a film crew uses an ice hockey game as the backdrop for a love story. 95% of the movie shows the film crew and the Lithuanian ice hockey players and the American Hollywood star and the ice rink manager who dreams of his famous past as ice-dancer on location - the ice rink.
A real bad movie
pleinelune12 July 2002
This is one of the worst movies I've ever seen, and I've seen a lot of movies. Yes, it's true there are some jokes, but most of the time it's just incredibly boring. Don't waste your time on watching this! Without Tom Novembre or Bruce Campbell it would have been nothing. It's only because they were in it that I gave it 2/10.
Bring this to a party and be a hero!
spazmodeus14 April 2003
Warning: Spoilers
I picked up this DVD at my public library, intending to watch it on my own when I need to relax. The same night, a bunch of my friends and I were invited for a movie-in night, and I mentioned I have a French film about hockey with Bruce Campbell. They were skeptical, but since they couldn't agree on what to watch, we watched Ice Rink. I was just hoping that it wouldn't be too embarassing, because I'd get blamed...
What I didn't expect was that the movie would be absolutely brilliant. Nobody else did either. By the end, I was being cheered, toasted and clebrated as a movie-genius. For the rest of the night, we couldn't stop making Ice Rink jokes and references. After considerable merriment, we came to the following conclusions:
1. There might not be anyone in Europe who knows less about hockey than the French. The Greeks are their only competition. (This fact made the movie so funny... the director was keenly aware that Frenchmen on hockey skates are like fish out of water, except much funnier.)
2. Every movie is improved by the appearance of Bruce Campbell. Yes, EVERY movie. In this one he was awesome. He played the role of the "all buisiness" American actor, but despite the fact he was depicted as intensely American (arriving in a big black limo with a USA jacket), his character turned out to be the most sane and reasonable person in the movie. I took this to be another poke at "Frenchness".
3. "Ice Rink" should have its own cult, like Spinal Tap and similar classics.
4. I was very clever for bringing this movie to the party.
I won't include any spoilers--only advice. If you want to be the hero of a gathering, be kissed by people you barely know, and respected as someone with a finger on the pulse of world filmmaking, bring this movie. Just pretend you came across it "browsing" and that you thought it "looked like an interesting longshot." You'll be a hero too!
What I didn't expect was that the movie would be absolutely brilliant. Nobody else did either. By the end, I was being cheered, toasted and clebrated as a movie-genius. For the rest of the night, we couldn't stop making Ice Rink jokes and references. After considerable merriment, we came to the following conclusions:
1. There might not be anyone in Europe who knows less about hockey than the French. The Greeks are their only competition. (This fact made the movie so funny... the director was keenly aware that Frenchmen on hockey skates are like fish out of water, except much funnier.)
2. Every movie is improved by the appearance of Bruce Campbell. Yes, EVERY movie. In this one he was awesome. He played the role of the "all buisiness" American actor, but despite the fact he was depicted as intensely American (arriving in a big black limo with a USA jacket), his character turned out to be the most sane and reasonable person in the movie. I took this to be another poke at "Frenchness".
3. "Ice Rink" should have its own cult, like Spinal Tap and similar classics.
4. I was very clever for bringing this movie to the party.
I won't include any spoilers--only advice. If you want to be the hero of a gathering, be kissed by people you barely know, and respected as someone with a finger on the pulse of world filmmaking, bring this movie. Just pretend you came across it "browsing" and that you thought it "looked like an interesting longshot." You'll be a hero too!
A hilarious film
ab-229 August 2001
This film just cracked me up. The movie is about a not so experienced film crew making an ice hockey film. The only problem is that they are entering it in the Venice Film Festival and they didn't even finish making it. Will they be able to make it or not? The Ice Rink was just hilarious. I don't know how else to describe it. Bruce Campbell is just great as Sylvester. I found this film to be funnier than Clerks (sorry, but Clerks wasn't my type of comedy). This film I recommend to all without hesitation.
10/10
10/10
Amusing ice-skating pic
Guy3313416 August 1999
LA PATINOIRE (The Skating Rink) is rather amusing. For starters, not too many movies are made on this subject (particularly in Europe), so the material is guaranteed fresh. The subject matter including ice hockey is very popular in most industrialized countries and is therefore ripe for a good screenplay. This film delivers it, and features hilarious performances by its stars. These include Tom Novembre as the director of the movie being filmed at the skating rink, and Marie-France Pisier in top-form as the film's egomaniac producer. Also skating through the ice are Jean-Pierre Cassel, a nostalgic ex-Olympic skating champ who owns the rink, and the film within this film's leading man and girl (paring off a conceited American star and a temperamental French skater). The comedy is heightened by the arrival of the Lithuanian National Hockey Team and their antics. In short, a fresh and funny French comedy which appeals to all audiences.
A hilarious foreign film
ab-230 August 2001
The Ice Rink was a laugh riot. The movie is about a not so experienced film crew. The director (Tom Novembre) will do anything to just get a scene. The main actor (Bruce Campbell) and main actress (Dolores Chaplin) are having a romantic relationship in and out of the movie. To make matters worse the produce of the film is trying to get the film done in time for the Venice Film Festival. When you put all of these together you get one hell of a laugh riot of a film. This movie was just so funny. I laughed from beginging to end. I recommend this film to all because I know you will not be disappointed.
10/10
10/10
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