Ice Castles (1978)

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

It’s sentimental, ridiculously long and only occasionally funny

This is a coming of age storyline that you've seen in one form or another for decades. It takes a truly unique voice to make yet another one worth watching.

By the time the dramatic fireworks start popping off, each one feels earned.

In a small snowy Iowa town, beautiful blonde Lynn-Holly Johnson (as Alexis "Lexie" Winston) practices her figure skating. Meanwhile, cute wavy-haired boyfriend Robby Benson (as Nick Peterson) plays ice hockey. As the story progresses, we learn these two characters are high school students. Sweet 16-year-old Ms. Johnson is initially coached by gravel-voiced Colleen Dewhurst (as Beulah Smith), a figure skater in her youth (stated as 25 years ago) who runs the local bowling alley and ice rink. Johnson's widower father Tom Skerritt (as Marcus) is not too keen on her competing professionally, but she does anyway. On her way to the top of the rink, Johnson acquires well-known woman's skating coach Jennifer Warren (as Deborah Mackland) and her handsome sport-casting boyfriend David Huffman (as Brian Dockett)... Then, tragedy strikes..."Come on you pansies!" Ms. Dewhurst gets to shriek at a hockey game, "Don't check with your goddamn wrists. Let's have a little blood flow on that ice!" It's fun to see everyone "act" like they are watching ice hockey and figure skating...Too much of this film requires you to figure it out as you go along. We're led to believe Mr. Benson will be focused upon, but his role may have been built up to take advantage of Benson being the biggest box office star in the cast. Benson does play a big role in the third act, however. One of his inserted scenes features Benson lovingly lighted in his tight white briefs. Around this time, we have Johnson in a confused romantic relationship; considering how things turn out, you should consider that Johnson and the sportscaster were closer than it appears - at least, that's how Mr. Huffman and Benson play it out. The relatively minor "Theme from 'Ice Castles' (Through the Eyes of Love)" sung by Melissa Manchester and written by Marvin Hamlisch with Carole Bayer Sager received some award consideration, based mostly on their reputations.***** Ice Castles (12/31/78) Donald Wrye ~ Lynn-Holly Johnson, Robby Benson, Colleen Dewhurst, Tom Skerritt

I have Ice Castles on DVD as well as the old school "fotonovel" of the movie published back in the day. The movie is OK, but I am and always have been fascinated with "Beulah's Ice Castle and 5 Star Lanes", the rink and bowling alley. I would love to own such a place. Does anyone have any idea where this place is/was? I would love some info on that place. I have done all kinds of searches but came up empty! The other locations were interesting as well, Do any of you know where the various arenas are? Anyways...maybe the movie wasn't Oscar material, but it was a nice movie with a beautiful girl in it! I understand Lynn-Holly Johnson was in Ice Capades around this time. I wonder what she looks like today!

I loved this movie when it came out and just watched it again on TV tonight.Brings back a lot of memories of my time as a skater, not best, but OK.I was reading about the goofs in the movie and well anyone who is paying attention will realize that:The skating on the pond is not a goof, it is taking place over several days. There is no way any one will feel safe on skates again after such an ordeal. It takes time to rebuild your confidence. Any person who is a skater will realize that. So please take take that part out of the goofs.I gave it a 10/10 cause when you think back to the 70's making movies was not as technically easy as it is now a days with all the computer enhancements.I like the actors all did a very excellent job.

Director: Donald Wrye, Script: Donald Wrye, and Gary Baim, Cast: Robby Benson, Colleen Dewhurst, Tom Skerritt, Lynn Holly-JohnsonThis is the movie every girl who was in Junior high in the late seventies will vividly remember! The story about a young skater from a small Iowa town trying to make the Olympics against all odds and the tragedy that befalls her. Although a little sappy and often clichéd, this move is still enjoyable to watch. I know it is one of my wife's favorites and she wasn't even born yet when this film came out! Colleen Dewhurst owns a small bowling alley with a skating rink in it and she coached young Lexie. Tom Skerritt played Lexie's father. They wore both excellent in their respective parts. In my opinion, they are both very underrated actors. Robby Benson did fine as Lexie's boyfriend. He has been in many movies but I am not familiar with much of his work. As for Lynn Holly-Johnson, well she certainly has talent. She is a real skater and her looks and skating ability worked for this movie. She does get a little whiny though. In the film she did the following year, The Watcher in the Woods, one can see her limitations as an actress. I see her more as a skater than an actress. However, I have not seen her in any of her later movies.I have been to the Waverly, Cedar Falls area in Iowa where this movie was filmed and it is a beautiful area. It made a great setting for this film. I especially liked the winter scenes. This movie also had a very good musical score by Marvin Hamlisch. Of course, we all remember the theme song written by Hamlish and Carol Bayer-Sager and sung by Melissa Manchester. Donald Wrye has done many made for T.V. movies. I remember a movie done by him called Born Innocent which starred Linda Blair. Her follow up film to The Exorcist. This was a very depressing and downbeat movie. One last comment I would like to make about Ice Castles is the film's content. It would have made a great family movie but their was too much swearing and the content of the relationships would not make this film appropriate for small children. I thought I might add this because this is a film young girls would like. Evidently, Lynn Holly-Johnson was asked to do a nude scene but she refused. To bad---She was kind of cute!