Funny idea......not so well-executed

Rating: 5/10 (7 April 2007)

Will Ferrell's movies almost never fail to make me laugh out loud, so naturally I was eager to check out this flick. After seeing "Old School," "Anchorman" and "Talledega Nights"--how can I go wrong? Though I wouldn't totally blame Ferrell for this film's shortcomings, I was pretty disappointed. The premise is great. Many funny ideas can derive from the sometimes-ridiculous sport of figure skating. I think the filmmakers figured, "We have a movie about a two-male figure skating team starring Will Ferrell. What else do we need?" What we're left with is a bit of a one-joke comedy, with only a few laugh-out-loud moments. Maybe if Ferrell co-wrote the film, like he did with "Anchorman" and "Talladega Nights," the gags would've been sharper. I can tell some of the sight gags probably sounded funnier on paper, and of course some of the sight gags are simply repetitive and go on way too long (i.e.: a scene involving Will Arnett chasing after Ferrell, both wearing ice skates).
As I mentioned in my review for "School for Scoundrels," I'm convinced that Jon Heder is only good at playing Napoleon Dynamite. Let's face it, the character he played in that movie was very broad and doesn't require as much real acting chops as is needed in the roles he's been taking lately. He has minimal acting skills and doesn't have great comic timing. When he's not portraying an over-the-top character like Napoleon, he's simply bland. On the bright side, the gorgeous Jenna Fischer has a supporting role in the film. I've always thought she was pretty when watching her on "The Office," but after seeing her in skimpy lingerie....I'm practically in love with her. My God, there is not a more beautiful sight than Jenna Fischer in skimpy lingerie! If there is a compliment I can give to the film, it's that the two main characters were not written as homosexuals. I'm sure some writers would've taken the safe route and had them play flamboyant homosexual figure skaters, since it's the stereotype that almost all male skaters are gay (though I'm sure a substantial number of them are). So if you're a Will Ferrell fan like me, you might be disappointed. I wasn't looking for a biting, satirical, intellectual comedy. I was just looking to laugh my head off, and in that regard, the film falls flat.