“Blades of Glory” skated its way to a second gold medal this weekend with a combined two week total of $68 million. The ice skating comedy about male doubles competitors proved strong enough to hold off even the combined forces of Quentin Tarantino and Robert Rodriguez.
Will Ferrell has played everything from an anchorman to an elf, and Jon Heder is perfect as the ultimate dork. One would think that combining there comedic forces would produce unimaginable laughs, and for the most part it does.
There is one thing I need to make clear: I may be Will Ferrell’s biggest fan. We share the same birthday and I can quote all of his Saturday Night Live skits by heart, so this next part is not written with hate but with love and admiration for one hell of a talented man. “Blades of Glory” seems routine for Ferrell and one has to wonder how many times he can play the alpha male with his belly showing. The gag is always funny: use a macho voice and show your underwear, but I know he has more in him than this. Just watch “Stranger Than Fiction” and you will see a brilliant, subdued actor. Will Ferrell is funny in “Blades of Glory,” but the joke is starting to wear thin.
Jon Heder goes laugh for laugh with Ferrell and showcases his growing comedic repertoire. As the peacock costumed sidekick, he plays the part of the girl in a male doubles team the way any man would with disgust. Heder, best known for his role in “Napoleon Dynamite,” exhibits no fear as he is man-handled by his partner during the skating routines.
As for the routines, they are by far the funniest moments of the movie and probably not for the reason anyone thinks. The simple fact is that once you get past the absolute awkwardness of the situation, the skating is really good. Ferrell and Heder let loose and are able to make the unbelievable believable. The whole movie is a build up to the performances, which no doubt leaves the audience wanting more.
The supporting cast in “Blades of Glory” are mostly veteran improvisational actors and there addition helps keep the laughs flowing. Real life husband and wife, Will Arnett (Arrested Development and Amy Poehler (Saturday Night Live) provide the competition for our duo as a too close for comfort brother and sister skating pair.
Jenna Fischer (The Office) is adorable as Heder’s love interest and Craig T. Nelson (Coach) plays the once great coach seeking redemption in the skating world.
Laughs abound in “Blades of Glory” and its domination of the box office is deserved from my point of view. However, I am definitely waiting for this on DVD, as a PG-13 rating seems to have been the crack in the ice for what could have been a perfect ten performance.