Am I missing something here?

Rating: 3/10 (2 August 2007)

When I saw the ads for "Blades of Glory," I knew what to expect - another funny satire from the Frat Pack lads that wouldn't be anything great but would be filled with some good slapstick and at least have a handful of memorable gags.
Well, I was wrong. Although the approach is similar to comedies such as "Talladega Nights" and "Dodgeball," it's definitely the worst film I've seen so far of the "Frat Pack" series of films. It just isn't funny.
The problem is that the film is largely a one-joke premise. And it's poking fun at something that is more obvious than something like NASCAR or unpopular like the game of dodgeball - figure skating is such an easy thing to lampoon, but after five minutes of sight gags and jabs at the sexuality of the sport, where is there to go? A plot is formed: Will Ferrell is a bad-boy figure skater who, taking advantage of a legal loophole, joins forces with Jon Heder's androgynous super-skater to win the gold medal. Will Arnett and Amy Poehler play a brother-sister duo who become the mandatory Evil Overachievers and attempt to destroy the two skaters by having their sister (Jenna Fischer) go "undercovers" and break up the two men's relationship on the ice.
The plot is weak, and the movie knows it's weak, but that's not much of an excuse when your material isn't funny. I once loved Will Ferrell but I've quickly grown tired of him now - his shtick is becoming tiresome. At least Ben Stiller knows how to change various elements of his performances and can create something very funny like White Goodman in "Dodgeball" - but Ferrell is just playing the same shtick here that he's been doing for his last few films: an arrogant buffoon who squints his eyes a lot while acting dramatic, yells at people, and says stupid things that he doesn't realize are stupid while keeping a straight face. It was hilarious at first, but now it's really old.
Even a lot of the jokes are recycled. The movie mocks the intensity of those mini-biographies that appear at sports events and awards shows - too bad it was already done (far better) in "Zoolander." I also must say that I find Jon Heder to be quite annoying and I don't think he's a very talented comedic actor. It would have been much funnier to see Ferrell paired with someone of talented background - I'd even take Stiller playing his naive-type character again in place of Heder.
Will Arnett is WASTED - he was so hilarious on "Arrested Development" and his presence here is thrown away. Jenna Fischer has achieved a level of recognition on "The Office" in the U.S. - but this film proves that she won't have much lasting power. She has no absolutely no presence on screen and her character is so thin, unrealistic and - worst of all - totally bland that she comes across as being more insulting than the transparent love interests in Adam Sandler's early movies.
Fans will attack me for taking the movie too seriously. That's not the case. The problem is that the film mistakes being silly for being funny - like Monty Python minus their brilliant wit. The movie is so focused on being silly that it leaves its brains at the door, and that's the problem: recycled gags, unfunny and repetitive visual jokes and poor acting really sinks this. I suppose in the right hands it could have been a very funny sports parody like "Dodgeball" (which managed the balance of wit and silliness far better) but they really missed the mark on this one.