"Some say that when these legendary champions competed, everyone else just went for the silver. Maybe so. The truth is, as a team, Gordeeva and Grinkov were in a class by themselves in their artistry and in their love and devotion to one another." - Scott Hamilton Ekaterina (Katia) Gordeeva & Sergei Grinkov remain the greatest pairs team ever to take the ice. They won two Olympic gold medals (1998 and 1994) and four senior World Championships (1986, 1987, 1989, 1999), the first of which they took when Katia was only 14 years old and Sergei just 19). They also captured three World Professional Championships (1991, 1992, 1994). They were, quite simply, perfection on ice. They partnered as children in the Soviet Union, became champions (several times), grew up, fell in love, married in April 1991, had a beautiful baby daughter named Daria on September 11, 1992, and were the image of perfection on and off the ice. On November 20, 1995, in Lake Placid, New York, all of that came crashing down when Sergei died of a heart attack on the ice with his beloved Katia at his side. Three months later, Katia took the ice by herself for the first time in well over a decade, skating a moving tribute to her beloved Sergei. She remains a solo skater to this day, and is beloved by many skating fans not only for her grace and elegance on the ice, but also for her courage off the ice.
This movie chronicles the life of these great champions up through the beginning of Katia's life on her own with Daria. It is based on the best selling book of the same name written by Katia. It is not so much a movie as a "docudrama" much of the movie is interviews with Katia and others who knew Sergei and video clips of the couple skating together. There are a few (only somewhat cheesy) reenactments of moments that were not caught on film, but for the most part, it's a documentary.
This story had a tragic ending, and if you've never seen it before, it will break your heart, but it is a beautiful love story. Even ten years later, it still resonates. Time has passed, Katia has remarried and has a beautiful new family, which makes the pain and sadness of ten years ago somewhat easier to watch. But G&G, their story and the perfection and passion they brought to the ice have not been forgotten. Figure skating still feels the loss of Sergei and G&G. They are timeless. This movie is a beautiful tribute to the life and career of someone who was, by all accounts, a wonderful man, and a powerful reminder that life is short and you should, as Katia said, "Try to find happiness in every day. And at least once, smile to each other every day. And say just one extra time that you love the person who lives with you. Just say, 'I love you.'"
