Blades of Glory

There's little to be said about Blades of Glory that hasn't been said. Except...

There are so many ridiculous scenes, things that would NEVER be seen in the noble sport of ice skating! I mean, Jim Lampley as an announcer? He couldn't lift Brian Boitano's jockstrap. "These guys put the bone in Zamboni!" I mean...please!

It's so sad to see Nancy Kerrigan, well, anywhere. I think this movie dragged out every single female skater that's ever been in the sport. Poor Peggy Fleming must've needed the paycheck. Thank God we were spared Tonya Harding.

Will Ferrell is not a skater. However, Jon Heder is a natural. Natural blond, I'm not sure, but beautiful. Graceful. I totally believe him as the figure skater who was dumped by his father because he didn't score the gold, and slid into helping kids try on skating shoes in a shoestore. He's a thing of beauty, pure as the driven...ice.

One thing that makes this movie work is the restraint of Will Ferrell. Sure, he's manic and crazy in the lead role of a sex addict/ice skater whose manner makes MSNBC's Jim Cramer look like an introvert. But he's not in the entire movie, thank goodness, and keeping to his own quadrant allows the other actors to do their thing, do their one-liners, and shine.

Blades of Glory has a story, albeit a small one. And there are enough jokes to fill in the empty space. One of them has to be the "woman" in a male-male Skating Pairs competition, a pairing, it seems, not against the rules. Sounds like a hackneyed trick, but it really works here....and macho Will Ferrell gets to throw Jon Heder's lightweight frame across the room. It just sets up so many jokes, it's amazing.

Jon Heder for President! Or perhaps First Lady. I'm not sure.

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