Blades of Glory (C+ or 2.5/4 stars)
We all know I love figure skating, so going to see 'Blades of Glory', directed by Josh Gordon & Will Speck wasn't going to be a hard sell. 2002: Two fierce figure skating rivals, Chazz Michael Michaels & Jimmy MacElroy (Will Ferrell, Jon Heder), are stripped of their gold medals when they break out in an argument on a World Championship medal podium. Because of their consistently repulsive behavior, they are permanently banned from men's 'singles' competition. But 3 1/2 yrs. later, it seems they've found a loophole in the system that will allow (if they can stand each other) them to qualify as a pairs team!
Chazz is overweight, piggish, freewheeling & a shameless rocker at heart. Oh, and he's a sex addict. Jimmy is more of a proper, conventional figure skater. He's sensitive, well-trained, disciplined, graceful ... though, his routines lack the flair that Chazz has innately. But they put their differences aside with this unique opportunity to re-enter the sport they love so much. In fact, they grow to respect each other, & form a solid friendship (all they have is each other). Thanks to their 'Coach' (Craig T. Nelson), they work hard, go to Nationals, and earn a spot to the WinterSport Games (fictional). But Coach informs them, to win, they'd need a maneuver so daring that it would catapult them to 1st place (similar to the 'Pamchenko' maneuver in the 'other' figure skating classic, The Cutting Edge).
This maneuver is called the Iron Lotus; and the only known attempt resulted in the man decapitating his female partner. Their obstacle to winning is the reigning pairs team of Fairchild & Stranz Waldenberg (Amy Poehler & Will Arnett). Not happy about the fast rising team of 'Chazz & Jimmy', they go to extreme measures to ensure that they retain their gold medal (can we say Tonya Harding knee-whack, anyone?) Here, some love triangles surface, plot contrivances abound, and Chazz & Jimmy have a huge blow-out over a girl. Will their partnership be patched up in time for their final routine? Could they survive the Iron Lotus anyway? Will Fairchild & Stranz have succeeded in tearing apart the team for good? Sit back, laugh, chomp on some popcorn, and watch the time go slowly by.
Simply, this is nothing more than a silly 93 minute diversion. I hope it hadn't aimed to be a truly comedic masterpiece, because it fails miserably. But it thrives in several instances: The 1st 15 minutes offer some riotous roars. Ferrell & (particularly) Heder have good comedic chemistry onscreen. Though, individually, they fail to sustain (particularly Ferrell). He's done elves, anchormen, skaters ... what to mock next, Will?
Oh, back to what's good ... The choreography, camerawork & effects (and actual skating by the actors) of the skating routines are quite impressive. As a skating fan, I enjoyed the cameos of Dorothy Hamill, Brian Boitano, Nancy Kerrigan, Peggy Fleming & Sasha Cohen. Jimmy's psycho stalker (Nick Swardson) kept me chuckling. And the finale is uproarious; putting a solid cap on a fairly blah movie. The thing is, the one-time jokes become repetitive as the film wears on. 'Blades of Glory' felt more like a 93 minute SNL skit, than it does a cohesively plotted movie. When all is said & done, I was satisfied. I'd watch it again. But it's not the biting, groundbreaking, courageous, outrageous satire that has been coming out of Hollywood lately ... not by a long shot.
Chazz is overweight, piggish, freewheeling & a shameless rocker at heart. Oh, and he's a sex addict. Jimmy is more of a proper, conventional figure skater. He's sensitive, well-trained, disciplined, graceful ... though, his routines lack the flair that Chazz has innately. But they put their differences aside with this unique opportunity to re-enter the sport they love so much. In fact, they grow to respect each other, & form a solid friendship (all they have is each other). Thanks to their 'Coach' (Craig T. Nelson), they work hard, go to Nationals, and earn a spot to the WinterSport Games (fictional). But Coach informs them, to win, they'd need a maneuver so daring that it would catapult them to 1st place (similar to the 'Pamchenko' maneuver in the 'other' figure skating classic, The Cutting Edge).
This maneuver is called the Iron Lotus; and the only known attempt resulted in the man decapitating his female partner. Their obstacle to winning is the reigning pairs team of Fairchild & Stranz Waldenberg (Amy Poehler & Will Arnett). Not happy about the fast rising team of 'Chazz & Jimmy', they go to extreme measures to ensure that they retain their gold medal (can we say Tonya Harding knee-whack, anyone?) Here, some love triangles surface, plot contrivances abound, and Chazz & Jimmy have a huge blow-out over a girl. Will their partnership be patched up in time for their final routine? Could they survive the Iron Lotus anyway? Will Fairchild & Stranz have succeeded in tearing apart the team for good? Sit back, laugh, chomp on some popcorn, and watch the time go slowly by.
Simply, this is nothing more than a silly 93 minute diversion. I hope it hadn't aimed to be a truly comedic masterpiece, because it fails miserably. But it thrives in several instances: The 1st 15 minutes offer some riotous roars. Ferrell & (particularly) Heder have good comedic chemistry onscreen. Though, individually, they fail to sustain (particularly Ferrell). He's done elves, anchormen, skaters ... what to mock next, Will?
Oh, back to what's good ... The choreography, camerawork & effects (and actual skating by the actors) of the skating routines are quite impressive. As a skating fan, I enjoyed the cameos of Dorothy Hamill, Brian Boitano, Nancy Kerrigan, Peggy Fleming & Sasha Cohen. Jimmy's psycho stalker (Nick Swardson) kept me chuckling. And the finale is uproarious; putting a solid cap on a fairly blah movie. The thing is, the one-time jokes become repetitive as the film wears on. 'Blades of Glory' felt more like a 93 minute SNL skit, than it does a cohesively plotted movie. When all is said & done, I was satisfied. I'd watch it again. But it's not the biting, groundbreaking, courageous, outrageous satire that has been coming out of Hollywood lately ... not by a long shot.