14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
I am slightly embarrassed at how hard I laughed at this movie., April 30, 2007
When going in, my expectations were neither high nor low. I guess I figured that, to use Will Ferrell movies as my metrics, it could not possibly be as good as Anchorman but it had to be better than Talladega Nights (Yes, Talladega Nights was THAT bad).
Sidenote: It's true. I basically set two extremes and figured it would fall in between. If you didn't happen to catch my common sense approach and think me a genius, you have fantastic taste in geniuses.
Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) is the by-the-book, media-darling for the sport of figure skating. Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) is the exact opposite, though his bad-boy, sex-object image still allows him to post scores comparable to those of MacElroy. One day they end up in a fight that gets them banned from competition until they come across a loophole. They can compete again, but under the circumstances they must compete in pairs...together. Basically, like Napoleon Dynamite, if you are looking for a plot to this movie you'll never find one. If you want a movie with a decent balance of physical comedy and Will Ferrell making crude jokes, Blades of Glory may surprise you.
As long as you take the movie at face value and remember that you are not seeing a movie that is geared towards providing any entertainment other than cheap laughs for dirty jokes, this is a movie you should enjoy. Any time you try to go beyond that and search for something more you will be disappointed.
If I may be so bold, it might have been the worst career move ever for Jon Heder to use his own voice in his role as the title character in the love-it-or-hate-it comedy Napoleon Dynamite. The popularity he gained by his part in that movie has given him new opportunities, but they have been small parts because, well, when Jon Heder is in a movie, you have Napoleon Dynamite in that movie. He may continue to fight the up-hill battle of shrugging that stigma, or he can accept his fate. Blades of Glory may have been the first step towards that acceptance. Rather than trying to play support in a cheesy RomCom, he took a "starring" role as the patsy in a slapstick comedy. I can describe his character by saying that he is a tortured soul who was adopted by a billionnaire sports fan who gives him every advantage to succeed in the sport of figure skating, but it is probably easier to put it in terms which are a little easier to understand: In Blades of Glory, Jon Heder is the butt of just about every joke. As that guy, Heder succeeds.
I never got hooked on "Arrested Development," but since its demise Will Arnett's name has popped up more and more. I expected that his part in Blades of Glory would be bigger than it was, but it was certainly big enough to see why his popularity is rising.
As long as Will Ferrell makes a movie like this every few years, I will forgive him for however many attempts he wants to make to break into "serious" roles. A few of his comedic roles since Anchorman have seemed forced. In Blades of Glory, like in Anchorman, Ferrell seemed really at home in the character. It was a part that just let him do what he does best. Maybe what I am saying is that when Will Ferrell is womanizing, it makes me laugh hysterically.
11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
HILARIOUS!!!!, April 16, 2007
This has got to be one of the funniest movies that I have ever seen. I laughed so hard that I walked out of this movie feeling as if I had done 200 crunches. There were very few low points in which the humor died down. Most of the time I was in tears, laughing hysterically.
The story is about 2 male skaters that are extremely competitive. Their scores were tied and they both shared the Gold medal spot for a brief moment. They began fighting which resulted in their removal from the men's single ice skating competitions for the rest of their lives. After failing to achieve any sort of happiness with odd jobs (Ferrell ends up skating for a children's ice show and Heder ends up working for an ice skating shop)they agree to skate together in the couple's skating competitions.
Ferrell plays a sex addicted, egotistical guy who seems to be very low on the IQ scale. Heder plays a soft, effeminate guy who has lived a very priviledged life (until he gets kicked out of men's skating and his adoptive father disowns him). The two personalities clash to no end.
My husband and I truly enjoyed this show. There are a lot of sexual references made in the movie but it's used in a hilarious way. I wouldn't recommend younger children watching the movie simply because of the references.
6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
couldn't stop laughing, April 13, 2007
I already liked Will Ferrell and Jon Heder before seeing this movie, but now I'm an even bigger fan. This buddy movie satirizing the championship ice skating world features gorgeous costumes, breathtaking choreography, cameo appearances from all your favorite skaters, really silky hair, bad kissing, and more gender busting sight gags than you can shake a skate at. I can't wait to get it on DVD just to watch the gag reel.
