MovieChat Forums > Ice Castles (1978) Discussion > Unintentionally Hilarious!

Unintentionally Hilarious!

posted 20 years ago by jwpappas
20 replies | jump to latest

I would love to remake this would-be-weepie & have Lynn Holly-Johnson skate into walls. That way at least this crap would be intentionally funny instead of being a camp classic like PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, VALLEY OF THE DOLLS & MOMMIE DEAREST. This LOVE STORY clone wanted to be 1978's Disease/Affliction Movie Of The Year but it was so dopey & overwrought that even the group of high school girls sitting in front of me in the theatre (back in 1978) laughed uncontrollably at the absurd melodrama. Especially the lamebrained idea that the fey voice of Robbie Benson could inspire someone to "great heights". In reality it can only provoke projectile vomitting. The only thing worse than going blind is being such a dipsh*t that you have to settle for a doofus like Robbie Benson for a boyfriend. The box office failure of this dud & the jaw dropping awful WALK PROUD saved American cinema from the further torture of another Robby Benson performance. The fact that this yellow snowball has made it onto DVD while great films from the 1970s like PROVIDENCE still remain in limbo is a sure sign that God has a sick sense of humor (& enjoys a few unintentional laughs like the rest of us!).

[–] etphonehomeyo 19 years ago

i like robby benson, but this movie blew. i cracked up the whole time.

go go go

[–] icechalkhands 19 years ago

I disagree, there were some funny parts but overall I thought the movie was great. I didn't really buy into the whole loveing feeling they were trying to give the movie but I like the overall feeling.

[–] jenifefa 19 years ago

Funniest moment: When Beulah tells Lexie she had the accident on purpose and Lexie looks up all crazy-eyed and says "Son of a b*tch!!!" It seems like such a clean family movie, but everybody swears all the time. Dopey Lexie cursing with that thick midwestern accent is hilarious.

[–] stubbyjr 15 years ago

Midwestern people don't have accents. They are educated proper pronounciation and are consistenly the top scorers among the nation in standardized tests pertaining to english and reading (probably everything else). Whenever I watch TV, it never seems like anybody on TV has an accent. Ironically, they all sound like people from where I live (Minnesota).
Maybe if you re-phrased "midestern accent" as "correctly pronounciated word useage as taught through a superior education system" then your statement would be lended a lot more credability.

[–] dawnm5 14 years ago

Thank you stubbyjr...:) I'm from Wisconsin, when I moved to the East Coast, I got picked on a lot for my "accent"...although my boyfriend seemed to pronounce everything wrong to me. :)

[–] BeansOnToast 14 years ago

Yes, Midwesterners do have accents--especially the north Midwest like Minnesota. Just curious: Did the cast in "Fargo" sound accent-less to you? They had very thick accents to everyone else. And most people on TV don't actually sound like you--that's just your perception. Astonishing.

[–] kikleven 14 years ago

First, Fargo is in North Dakota.

Secondly, yes, the people in that movie DID have accents, and it's a huge misconception that everyone in Minnesota talks like that. Sure, I come across people on occasion who sound similar (though not nearly as thick an accent, b/c it was exaggerated in that movie), but not the majority.

[–] sbrady53 9 years ago

It sounds like Benson and Tom Skerritt are trying to do southern accents in this movie--as if rural = southern.

And the film was shot in Minnesota, so why didn't they set it there? Iowa isn't even a Great Lakes state, let alone a hotbed of hockey.

[–] KingOfCheezWiz 18 years ago

I thought it was SO funny when they're all in the dressing room at the end, and Lexi says... "Poppa?" "Right here, honey." "Thanks for being my daddy." Does he really have any say in the matter? hahahahaha, that was great!!!!

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] Andy2007 10 years ago

"Thanks for being my daddy." Does he really have any say in the matter?

Some men don't bother to support their children, either emotionally or financially.

[–] sophitia72 18 years ago

I can't believe no one has mentioned any of these scenes which are unintenionally hilarious:

1) Near the beginning of the film when Lexi is in the changing room & all the other skaters are giving her strange looks. The reason? That AWFUL outfit with the STUPID collar with her name embroidered on it. The other skaters must have thought she was a 'special' girl who needed to have her name sewn on her clothes in case she forgets who she is.

2) That french skater that keeps falling down during her performance.

[–] JC_Aliss 18 years ago

Actually, if I remember correctly, you could hear the girls' whispers as she was in the changing room; they commented on if her hair was real (I'm guessing because it was SO yellow-blond) and someone else commented that her collar was "probably to cover a hickey". They were just being typical catty girls.

I did think it was funny the way she ran out of there on her skates. She was running so hard I swear I saw one of her blade guards fly off; that would RUIN the blade after just a few more steps!

I also thought Lexie's reaction to the French skater falling was a little overdone. I can see feeling bad for her, and insecure for herself as well, but sobbing uncontrollably in the bathroom? A bit much.

[–] Huskie_Jon 15 years ago

The movie totally overdid it with the French skater falling down multiple times. The first fall was tragic, but as she kept falling it just got more and more humorous.

It reminded me of Luke Perry skating on Saturday Night Live. I was waiting to hear Dick Button go "Ohhhhhhh!".

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] stubbyjr 15 years ago

Watching this on 16 mm film actually sounds like an awesome idea. It's unfortunate you had to grow up in such a disorderly school system. I suspect you may have grown up in a low income environment. When our school saw Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (on 16 mm), all the students were very respectful and I can vividly remember several aspects of it.

[–] 15 years ago

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[–] WarpedRecord 14 years ago

That is a very interesting and very weird recollection. Thank you for sharing it. High school is such an alien territory, so I believe every word of it.

[–] Kroyall1962 14 years ago

I liked it. Is it overwrought and sappy at times? Definitely. Still like it. Cheesiness can be good.

[–] Wuchakk 9 years ago

I would love to remake this would-be-weepie & have Lynn Holly-Johnson skate into walls. That way at least this crap would be intentionally funny instead of being a camp classic like PLAN 9 FROM OUTER SPACE, VALLEY OF THE DOLLS & MOMMIE DEAREST.

You don't know what camp is. "Ice Castles" might be melodramatic at times, but it's not campy.

This LOVE STORY clone wanted to be 1978's Disease/Affliction Movie Of The Year

True, but it's actually better than the overrated "Love Story," which isn't to say it's great.

but it was so dopey & overwrought that even the group of high school girls sitting in front of me in the theatre (back in 1978) laughed uncontrollably at the absurd melodrama.

A few lame or overwrought scenes doesn't make for a complete failure. Even great movies usually have a scene or two that are weak or dopey. It's your over-the-top criticisms that are overwrought. Speaking of which, it's funny that you call the movie "absurdly melodramatic" because you're panning smacks of just that.

the lamebrained idea that the fey voice of Robbie Benson could inspire someone to "great heights".

Since when do you need a deep voice to be inspiring? Benson was amiable and realistic in this movie, not to mention inspiring (for Alexis and her family).

In reality it can only provoke projectile vomitting.

Why sure!

The only thing worse than going blind is being such a dipsh*t that you have to settle for a doofus like Robbie Benson for a boyfriend.

You're so obviously jealous it's pathetic.

The box office failure of this dud

Since when is popular success the definitive sign of a good movie? Not that "Ice Castles" is great, but it's a decent drama with cutie Lynn-Holly and quality actors like Skerritt and Dewhurst, not to mention likable Benson and interesting insights on competitive figure skating.

My 150 (or so) favorite movies:
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls070122364/