Blades of Glory (PG-13)
Mike:
Mike: Tonight I am reviewing the new ice skating comedy Blades of Glory
. Will Ferrell and Jon Heder as disgraced champions who team up in pairs figure skating.
Scott was unable to attend.
Mike: So what did I think?
I thought this movie was very funny. Not quite as funny as Ferrell’s last outing Talladega Nights, but still funny. In many ways it reminded me of Dodgeball. This was a silly, kind of gross comedy that has several funny moments that really stand out. There are many moments where you are not sure if you should laugh or just cringe. The funniest moment is straight out of South Park. I won’t ruin it for you, but you will know it when you see it.
Will Ferrell is a bit over the top as the “rock and roll”, slightly alcoholic skater Chazz Michael Michaels. This doesn’t mean he is not funny, but he tends to be more all over the place like his character in Anchorman. Jon Heder almost looks like a girl as the naïve, wonder skater, Jimmy MacElroy. Here he goes in a different direction than his famous Napoleon Dynamite character. Ferrell and Heder make a good team, especially when their characters don’t like each other.
There are a number of familiar faces throughout the movie. Craig T. Nelson shows up as a skating Coach. What? How does that happen? Can anybody see Nelson as a Coach? You may also notice familiar faces William Fitchner, Andy Richter, and Rob Corddry. The standouts are real life husband and wife Amy Poehler and Will Arnett as the archrival Van Waldenbergs. They are funny, evil and slightly wrong acting throughout. Amy is a highlight of Saturday Night Live every week and Will was a riot as the inept magician Gob on Arrested Development. The other character that will stick with you is their sister Katie played by Jenna Fischer. Fischer is well known for playing Pam the receptionist on The Office. This movie proves that they go out of their way to make her look plain on that show. In this film she is the perfect compliment to Heder’s shy Jimmy, but she proves that she can be very sexy also. Male Pam fans will stand up and take notice.
One great thing about this film is that they got the participation of many of the real people in the figure skating world. The announcers are Scott Hamilton and Jim Lampley. Hamilton plays it straight, while Lampley pokes fun by making some off the wall commentary. Real skaters Nancy Kerrigan, Sasha Cohen, Brian Boitano, Dorothy Hamill, and Peggy Fleming all make appearances as themselves. The skaters are all good sports about the proceedings. Cohen plays along especially well when Chazz Michaels throws her a piece of clothing. Once again, you have to see it to know what I’m talking about.
Mike: How do I rate this?
I give the movie 3 stars overall and 3 stars for comedy. It’s not the funniest movie I have seen in the past year, but it made me laugh quite a bit. Unfortunately, it’s not funny all the way through.
As the weather gets warmer, cool off with this icy comedy.
