Funny, but no Dodgeball

Rating: 7/10 (7 April 2007)

Will Ferrel has fast become one of the most popular comedy actors in modern cinema. A few years back he was the man who did the great little cameos, the man who popped along on the rare occasion to deliver the most memorable sequence in the movie before running off with his pay check. Then something happened, suddenly he became popular. Anchorman displayed him as a force to be reckoned with, slowly but surely Ferrel became a lot more well known. And then something truly horrific happened, that truly horrific thing is simply called Bewitched. Despite being the best thing in a bad movie his career hit a stumble somewhat, he wasn't sure what comedies he should be in. He got a bit more on firm ground with Talladega Nights, but that didn't propel him to the extreme greatness I found him before Bewitched was made. With him also messing round with more serious roles in Stranger than Fiction I wondered if he could hit his stride once more. Well Blades of Glory sees him sprinting once more, its a shame then that no one else in the movie can keep up with him. You see while Blades of Glory is a very funny movie full of very funny ideas, its also a movie thats seriously lacking until the ending. The major problems are that the supporting cast are just way too forgettable. The main villains, while having amusing moments, aren't memorable, the coach is certainly no Patches O'Houlihan from Dodgeball, and the creepy stalker is so wasted an opportunity its almost pitiful. Jon Heder finally delivers a performance that is at least passable since Napoleon Dynamite, and as I've said Will Ferrel is simply brilliant.
So what goes wrong with Blades of Glory then? Mainlly its the hit/miss rate of comedy that affects it the most. The movie does have a lot of hits, and when it hits hard the movie is heading into Dodgeball greatness. The unfortunate thing is that for every hit you usually get a miss as well. And when the movie misses, it misses pretty badly. Thankfully the hit rate is still pretty good and the fact that these scenes are so damn funny you ignore the bad scenes makes it a still enjoyable experience. The supporting cast as I mentioned has problems as well. Will Arnett and Amy Poehler have the potential to be great villains, and the well staged finale sees them almost living up to their potential, but the fact that they're under-written and under-used is a big weakness. The central romance with Heder and Jenna Fischer is also a bit of a misstep as it never seems to be going anywhere and its not remotely believable.
Thankfully Blades of Glory has a superb finale that sees it at its comedic best. In fact had the entire movie had the wit and humour of the last twenty minutes then the film could easily be just as good as Dodgeball or Zoolander. The characters are also extremely likable, well the lead two are very likable at least. Heder makes his character interesting and still being reasonably funny, he at least tries to keep up with the comedic genius of Ferrel, he never reaches him but he has his moments when he almost does. Of course the genius behind it all is Ferrel, this might not be as good as his performances in Anchorman or Talladega Nights, but he's still clearly having a blast, and whenever he is either drunk or screaming you can't help but laugh like mad. But the scenes that truly show the comedic genius, have got to be the ice skating sequences, or at least any scene wearing ice skates (you'll know what I mean when you see it). Whenever the skates are on the movie excels, leading to the finale involving a routine to Queen's Flash Gordon. I was crying with laughter the minute I heard the song start.
Overall Blades of Glory is an entertaining movie that features great performances by Heder and Ferrel. Unfortunately it collapses under the weight of these two performers and nothing else can keep up with them. A great ending and some truly funny moments dotted around make it a movie well worth seeing. But don't expect anything amazing as it never reached Dodgeball territory.