BLADES OF GLORY (2007)

"Blades of Glory really does come through and it in no way discredits Will Ferrell for his talent. However, it still suffers from establishing a solid gag and riding it all the way to the closing credits."

- Dodd Alley

(3.5/5 Stars)

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When it comes to comedies, there is nothing that draws me in more than the sight of Will Ferrell reveling in flamboyance. The second I spotted Ferrell with a 1970's hairdo and mustache, I was onboard for Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. With this being said, the publicity for Blades of Glory had me at the Dreamworks logo. Standing like a true cocksman in a fiery costume and ice skates, I had determined from the get-go that this was the ideal vehicle for the SNL alum.

The film has debuted at #1 this weekend and I had the opportunity to invest my matinée dollars in 90 minutes of guffaws. Was it worth it? First thing's first: the premise.

Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) is a blonde, curly-headed figure skater who is at the top of his division and is backed by a mega-millionaire (William Fichtner) who adopts children for the sole purpose of exploiting their athletic abilities. His only obstacle is one Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell). Unlike Jimmy, who handles the ice with grace and femininity, Chazz powerfully tears up the rink with his masculine, sexual energy. He even licks the face of a lucky female spectator between twirls.

When Jimmy and Chazz lock horns, they are banned from ice skating. This is until they discover a loophole in the system. If Chazz and Jimmy join forces to compete in pairs, then they are legally able to rejoin the competition. The skaters, who still despise one another, agree to get back into the game under the guidance of a wise coach (Craig T. Nelson). The polar opposites become Fire and Ice, and attempt to beat sibling duo Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg (Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) for the gold medals.

As expected from usual Will Ferrell fare, Blades of Glory is a comedy that rarely takes itself seriously and only wants to make us laugh by bombarding us with obscure jokes about sex and puke. Therefore, I rate films like this on a scale from awkward silence to obnoxious laughter.

This being said, Blades of Glory is a funny film, but still does not achieve Grade A status. Will Ferrell is a master and spouting off random nuggets of perversion, and he does so her numerous times as a sex-addicted skater. However, the problem lies within the predictability of the script. As evidenced by the promotions, there are jokes about the homosexual tension between two men skating together. This includes Ferrell gracefully lifting Heder by his junk with a look of disgust on his face while "Don't Wanna Miss a Thing" by Aerosmith blares onto the ice rink. Did I find this funny? How can I not? This exercise in homophobia is priceless and Ferrell's expressions of repulsiveness take it to the next level. Unfortunately this scene sets off a chain reaction of homophobic gags that dominate the film. This includes a somewhat grating appearance by Nick Swardson as a groupie obsessed with Chazz Michaels. I couldn't help but wonder by its blatant male/male pairings if it was a plug gay marriage.

The repetitious nature of jokes does prevent Glory from really reaching my funny bone. However, props still go to the jokes that are effective and the actors who carry them out. Real-life spouses Arnett and Poehler could have had more screen time, but the duo still delivers some of the film's more clever gags. This includes a John F. Kennedy/Marilyn Monroe skating performance involving a bottle of pills as a prop. Luke Wilson even pops in with a deadpan, yet likable cameo as a Sexaholic Anonymous group leader. As for Jon Heder, what can I say? His flamboyance does manage to muster a few snickers, but I still fail to see comic talent in this guy. He still looks, acts, and sounds exactly like Napoleon Dynamite, and I think there are plenty of comical actors who would have been more effective in this role. I never thought I would say this, but bring in Chris Kattan!

Blades of Glory really does come through and it in no way discredits Will Ferrell for his talent. However, it still suffers from establishing a solid gag and riding it all the way to the closing credits. In this case, that gag is homophobia. I do give this film the green light because laughter is the best medicine, and they are definitely spurts of it scattered here and there. Just do not expect a masterpiece.

Questions? Comments? Just want to talk movies? Drop me a line at dodd@movieweb.com