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Even The Title is Hilarious
By bukkhead | March 18, 2008
FILM REVIEW: ‘BLADES OF GLORY’
Written by Jeff Cox and Craig Cox
Directed by Josh Gordon and Will Speck
Rated PG-13
93 mins.
Will Ferrell has hit on a formula: take a goofy profession, one with plenty of esoteric elements, add in a goofy guy, and support him with other goofy guys, and a few babes (but not typical centerfold babes, more the girl-next-door babe). Let the characters do whatever they would do, until the situation devolves and only the expertise of the profession can save the day. That’s a glib way to put it, but then again, these are glib movies. Talladega Nights, Ron Burgundy. Semi Pro, Even Elf and A Night at the Roxbury fit into this, in their own way. These are natural extensions of SNL sketches, with the extra depth that a movie allows. Actually, Ferrell’s not the first to do it: Austin Powers, Happy Gilmore, Superstar… all those SNL actors turned movie stars. But so far, Ferrell’s done it the most consistently, and the best. I watched Blades of Glory recently, and just about had an aneurysm.
These stories write themselves, and ironically, this gives Ferrell plenty of room to make it up as he goes along. Ferrell is Chazz Michael Michaels, the bad boy of men’s figure skating, compared to Jon Hedder as Jimmy MacElroy, the skating darling of the men’s singles tourney circuit. Arch rivals, of course, which means they have to hate one another, and have to become partners and friends in the end.
So you don’t watch these things for the plots. You watch them for the sight gags and the brilliant lines. These are elements that become distinctively Ferrellian—maybe another actor could do it, but not like Ferrell. When the two skaters pull off a move involving their jumping at one another and bumping chests in mid air, I literally fell off the couch. I actually had to pause the movie until I got my breath back (thank god I didn’t see this one in the theater). And the lines reverberate: “I see you got fat.” “I see you still look like a 15 year old girl, but not hot.” That’s comedy genius.
Of course, Ferrell couldn’t pull any of this off without a brilliant supporting cast. Hedder is competent, but look also for rival pairs skaters played by Will Arnett and Amy Poehler, and a stalker played by Nick Swardson. Often in a lesser film it’s the supporting cast you turn to save you from having otherwise wasted your time with a bad movie (such as Good Luck Chuck or Waiting). But here, it’s their rock-solid ability to match Ferrell’s energy that makes this movie more than just one man show.
I guess that’s the definition of synergy, and Ferrell’s nailed it, which is why comparisons to Sandler and Carrey fall flat (can you imagine either one, anymore, in a supporting role? And yet Ferrell shows up in everyone else’s movies too). Maybe that’s why even Nancy “this is the most corniest thing I have ever done” Kerrigan makes a cameo on the movie. See? With Ferrell, the comedy is authentic.
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