Deslizando a la gloria

From the very first second I laid eyes on the absolutely hilarious poster for this film, in my neighborhood multiplex a few months ago, I knew with extreme certainty that I'd be seeing it the very first week it opened. Caught it on Wednesday and I'm here to say the movie most definitely delivers on the promise of the poster, big time.

Jon Heder finally gets a role he can have some fun with for a change (which hasn't really happened since Napoleon Dynamite), and he's superbly cast as the sheltered and phobic Jimmy MacElroy, the perfect foil for Ferrell's sex machine on skates, Chazz Michael Michaels. Ferrell is fast becoming more and more adept at portraying genuine characters in his movies, not merely hollow caricatures, and he is clearly in his element here.

The beginning of the movie, the set-up, is wonderfully written, and the over-the-top tone that's established in these opening scenes is successfully carried throughout. The energy level stays high, the plot never gets tedious or bogged down, and, best of all, the routines that the two of them perform together as partners are truly hilarious and original. I was left wanting more, and that speaks volumes.

I wasn't expecting much from this movie for two reasons: a) Heder hasn't done anything funny since Napoleon Dynamite and b) I thought Will Ferrel's shtick would start to run thin. Both actors played the type of character I expected from them. Heder gave something similar to the Napoleon Dynamite character and Will Ferrell was Will Ferrell. What I didn't expect was the humor. Ferrel carried the show and played the funniest character by far, but Heder didn't drag him down like I thought he would and the two worked well together. Heder was Jack Lemmon to Ferrell's Walter Matthau.

As far as the supporting cast, Poehler and Arnett were good as the Machiavellian doubles team that are the skating rivals to Ferrell and Heder's characters, but no one else really stood out. Jenna Fischer was lackluster as Heder's love interest and Craig T. Nelson did not make for a funny or interesting character either. Two people I thought would have been able to shine in larger roles were Andy Richter and Rob Corddry. Both are funny guys, much funnier than Nelson or Malco, and were underutilized in this film.

The humor was low brow to be sure, just like in every other project Ferrell does, but I happen to like that sort of humor, so I enjoyed it.

When I first saw the trailer for this film I didn't think much of it. It looked as if it were just trying to cash in on the popularity of Will Ferrel after the success of Talladega Nights. Well, I was wrong, big time wrong. First off, almost every scene in this film is hilarious and the trailer does it no justice. Don't get me wrong, I love Will Ferrel films for the most part but this one looked like it would be an exception. Instead this film fits perfectly with my taste in comedies like Talladega Nights, Zoolander, Anchorman, Water Boy, Old School and Billy Madison. If you like these kinds of films you will love this film.

BLADES OF GLORY seems like a natural follow-up to Will Farrell's TALLADEGA NIGHTS, as its spirit and silliness are sure reminiscent of this wonderful comedy. However, here the setting is ice skating and Jon Heder ("Napoleon Dynamite") is also the co-star.

The film begins with Heder and Farrell tying for the gold medal in the world championship that is obviously supposed to be the Olympics. However, the Olympics are an extremely litigious organization and would have sued the studio for every penny they could get, so the Olympic trademark rings were changed and the word "Olympics" never were uttered in the film. Despite both men winning the men's individual gold, however, they were bitter rivals and began a hilarious fight on the podium--with horribly unexpected results. In retaliation, the men are stripped of their medals and banned from Men's Figure Skating. However, later they learn that this did NOT mean that they could not compete in pairs and they men create the most unusual skating team in history!! Now before you read on, it's very, very important that if you see the film you are the type person who can suspend disbelief. Sure, the moves they make aren't legal, two guys are NOT allowed to skate in pairs skating and the film is chock-full of impossibilities....and don't even get me started on the ending!! The bottom line is that if you are a nit-picking twit, you'll drive yourself crazy making sense of the impossibilities in the movie. My advice is to resist this urge strongly and just sit back and enjoy. The film is hilarious and it's amazing to see Farrell and Heder skate as well as they did (though it's obvious that some CGI was used--believe me, NO ONE could do much of what was done in the film!).

Original and exceptionally silly and stupid, this is a great "turn off your brain and enjoy" sort of film (much like TALLADEGA NIGHTS). While I often like very cerebral films and art films, sometimes I just need a liberal does of stupid and fun and this film fits the bill very nicely.

Blades of Glory is the story of Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrel) and Jimmy MacElroy (Heder), two rival ice skaters banned from competition after a podium brawl at an "Olympic" event. After Jimmy's stalker finds a loophole in the rulebook (yes, you read that right), the pair join forces to reclaim their rightful position at the top of the skating rankings.

While it follows the predictable rise, fall, and rise again pattern of most comedies, Blades of Glory is different enough to be memorable. The costumes are ridiculous, the set-pieces are brilliant (including a very awkward chase sequence involving a crossbow and an unfortunate mascot), and the performances, what these films hinge on, are excellent.

The Ferrel-Heder exchanges are drenched with homoeroticism, and their struggles to come to terms with each other's lifestyles (Ferrel: "I'm a sex addict. It's my cross to bear" and Heder: "If you can dream it, you can do it!") are funny enough to carry the film for large sections. The supporting performances of the Waldenbergs (Will Arnett, Amy Poelher, and Jenna Fischer) fill in the gaps successfully, their conversations charged with an unusual mix of villainy and incestuous desire. Then of course there are the skating scenes, which are quite a sight to behold, in all their spandex-and-diamonds splendour.

Overall, Blades of Glory is hilarious. Pretty much every aspect of it is fantastically overblown, and it keeps you laughing quite steadily for its 90-minute running time. Boom!