Blades of Glory (2007)

* * * *

If anything, Blades of Glory proves, once and for all, Will Ferrell is the funniest person in the world. Ferrell takes a movie that has no business being funny and fills it with scenes and quotes that will be rehashed over and over again. The trailers for the movie tell you everything you need to know about the plot, there isn't a single surprise or twist waiting for you in the theater. But unlike what I, and likely many people may thought going in, all of the jokes are not in the preview. In fact, Blades of Glory has some hilarious, dirty, adult jokes, and not all of them are Ferrell's. Napolean Dynamite, aka Jon Heder, is basically a feminine Napolean on skates. He doesn't bring anything new to the table, but with Ferrell by his side, this is his best non-Napolean performance. Amy Poehler, a loud-mouth who is rarely funny on Saturday Night Live, finally is worth a laugh. She and Will Arnett play a brother-sister skating duo that make incest funny again. Jenna Fischer, otherwise known as Pam from the office, plays a role somewhat similar to Pam. She is not quite as sarcastic, but be careful eating popcorn when she talks. She has the funniest line of the movie. Craig T. Nelson doesn't really do anything spectacular, but his somewhat serious role allows Ferrell's role to be that much more ridiculous. The storyline is no different than any other sports comedy, that being introduction to the characters at their height, a fall, and a rise back to the top met with a resistance that almost takes everything away. The difference between this and other sports movies is the writing. I expected a lot of "falling down, knocking things over" type humor, and there is a fair share. But what makes this movie a must-see is the hilarious lines that hit you over and over. It's not as funny as Anchorman or Talladega Nights, but it is in the same ballpark, and Ferrell fans will be pleasantly surprised.

Good For: immature people, Ferrell fans, a date, sad people

Bad For: old people

The Gallery
The Economist: * * *
The Surfer: * *
The Film Maker: * * *