Blades of Glory

Two dudes + ice skates = comic gold

By Drew Tewksbury | Metromix

March 30, 2007

The phrase "great comedic pairs" may bring to mind Abbott and Costello, Sonny and Cher or even Bush and Cheney, but Ricky Bobby and Napoleon Dynamite? Fortunately, the inspired combination of Will Ferrell and Jon Heder creates an epic odd couple in the ice skating comedy "Blades of Glory."

Ferrell stars as Hasselhoffian bad-boy Chazz Michael Michaels, a sex-addict on skates, while Heder plays his blonde, by-the-books pretty-boy rival Jimmy MacElroy.

A nasty and unsportsmanlike brawl on the ice gets the two champions banned from the sport they love, forcing them into the lowly world of shoe salesmanship and ice wizardry. Their only hope for a comeback requires teaming up as the first men's pair to compete in figure skating.

"Blades of Glory" has all the signs of the latest product in the Will Ferrell franchise, including the usual underwear-clad strolls, but the performances of the supporting actors truly set it apart. Heder's mastery of physical comedy, as well as his rad dance moves, bolsters a fearless head-first dive into his ridiculous character. MacElroy really believes there's nothing unusual about performing an ice dance in a sequined peacock costume, and Heder entertainingly and unabashedly commits to the portrayal.

Real-life married couple Will Arnett ("Arrested Development") and Amy Poehler ("Saturday Night Live") steal their scenes as evil brother-sister skating duo, the Van Waldenbergs, and deserve even more screen time than they receive.

The film does exploit the homoerotic humor you might expect from any comedy with two male leads, but it devolves into much funnier sibling rivalry–style humor, perhaps modeled on the real lives of "Blades" screenwriter brothers Jeff and Craig Cox.

In the spirit of "Zoolander," "Kingpin" and "This Is Spinal Tap," "Blades of Glory" succeeds as a seriously funny spoof on an industry that takes itself a bit too seriously.