Light on humor, but heavy on theatrics

Rating: 6/10 (6 February 2013)

One of the newest things for comedies to satire are activities that have been officially called sports, yet they're activities we can't help but subtly sneer at. Balls of Fury gave ping-pong a quirky satire, The Big Year would go on to showcase the eccentric sport of birding (bird-watching), and Will Speck and Josh Gordon's Blades of Glory gives us a predominately genial, high-spirited comedy on the competitive nature of professional figure-skating. And who better to carry out the challenge than comedian extraordinare Will Ferrell and relative newcomer Jon Heder, still riding off of the Napoleon Dynamite fame three years after its release? What Blades of Glory reminds all of us of is Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby, one of Ferrell's previous comedies and, for those who enjoyed that film or whole-heartedly loathed it, could suffer by comparison for better or for worse. For one thing, Blades of Glory provides us with a glossier, more aesthetically attractive atmosphere, concocted off of set-pieces, stunning skate techniques, entertaining theatricalities, and a story of over competitive hatred between two professionals that transcends into bonding and teamwork. On my checklist, that's quite a lot for a satire on figure-skating to include.
The film opens by showing us the 2002 World Winter Sports Games, where we are introduced to the extremely talented and proclaimed sex addict figure skater Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and the equally talented, yet effeminate Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder). Both men get a few minutes to show off their true talent before getting into a huge fight on the ice, leading to their expulsion from figure-skating entirely.
Three and a half years later, Jimmy works at a sporting goods store, while Chazz, who has gained weight and become even more addicted on alcohol and sex. It would appear that their lives, now well past the line of obscurity, will continue to spiral in the downward direction, until an obsessed fan (Nick Swardson) informs Jimmy that he was only banned from individual skating and not from pair skating, thanks to a contract loophole. Jimmy nabs his old coach Robert (Craig T. Nelson), who gets him Chazz as a last minute partner so he can compete.
The remainder of the film centers on Chazz and Jimmy training for the big championship in figure-skating, with intentions to beat Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg (Will Arnett and Amy Poehler), the brother and sister pair who have become increasingly cunning and manipulative in their desire to win.
One of the most pleasing additions to Blades of Glory is its surprising lack of humor targeted at homosexuals. Don't misread that sentence, for it's still present, mainly toward s the clean and slightly feminine Jimmy. But with homosexuality bearing a notable presence in the figure-skating world, it's nice to see the film not take the easy way out and go for the unfairly-achieved gold.
Blades of Glory is about as good as a satire about figure-skating can be. The jokes are largely hit or miss, the performers are capable, if a tad uneven, and the direction by Speck and Gordon is at least efficient enough to take seriously. This isn't likely to go down in the books as a satire of epic proportions, but as far as slapstick, goofball comedies go, it's smart enough and snappy enough to show you a more earnest good time.
Starring: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Craig T. Nelson, William Fichtner, Jenna Fischer, and Romany Malco. Directed by: Will Speck and Josh Gordon.