Plot: It's a tale as old as time ... Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) is a cocky, sex addicted figure skater, and his arch-rival Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) is a sheltered ice-skating phenom. They get into a huge fight after a competition and both are banned from men's competitions. Through a loop-hole, they become a figure-skating pair and attempt to put aside their differences and capture gold. Who's it for: In an odd combination, I would say "Blades of Glory" is for teenage boys and fans of figure skating. The humor is mostly crude and there are tons of cameos from figure skating legends such as Scott Hamilton, Dorothy Hamill and Brian Boitano.
Expectations: I am stuck. I find myself wanting Ferrell to do something different such as "Stranger Than Fiction," but whenever I sit down to watch a comedy, I immediately believe greatness is possible if he is in it.
SCORECARD Actors: Will Ferrell as Chazz Michael Michaels: Ever since "Anchorman," Ferrell comedies seem to be all about being loud, obnoxious, arrogant and drunk. Expect more of the same with Chazz. After Chazz gets kicked out of ice-skating, he joins a Disney on Ice knockoff where his acting range consists of: grumble, grumble ... I'm drunk ... grumble. What's wrong with Frank the Tank? Ferrell needs to bring back a guy we can root for. His best scene comes when Chazz leaves a series of messages on Jimmy's phone, and we get to see a range of Ferrell personalities. Grade: 6
Jon Heder as Jimmy MacElroy: Quick, name two roles that Heder was good in ... no, you can't count "Napoleon Dynamite" twice. Actually, Heder throws himself into this role. He's complete with lip gloss, feathered blond hair and sparkles. And Chazz makes fun of Jimmy's manhood enough to keep it at a light chuckle. They just didn't explore the idea of Jimmy having an extremely sheltered life. Oh, and if you are wondering why Jimmy MacElroy sounds like a familiar sports movie name (at least I was), Roy McAvoy from "Tin Cup" is your answer. Grade: 5
Rest of the Cast: Amy Poehler and Will Arnett get the occasional laugh being the evil brother-sister skating pair, and it's nice to see Jenna Fischer ("The Office") in lingerie instead of a cardigan sweater. I expected more out of Craig T. Nelson as Chazz and Jimmy's coach. The two cameos from Luke Wilson and Andy Richter were pointless. Grade: 5
Overall: "Blades of Glory" doesn't get the gold, in fact, I think they just miss out on the bronze. The first routine of Chazz and Jimmy skating to "I Don't Want to Miss a Thing" steals the show and would have made for the best (and most expensive) SNL digital short of all time. Ferrell playing an an ass is getting old, and Jon Heder puts himself out there, but it seems like the laughs can only happen when the skates are on, and even then sometimes it's a struggle to stay up.
Overall Grade: 5