By Mike Stuart
30/03/2007
Certificate: 15
Running Time: 93 minutes
Two rival Olympic ice skaters, played by Jon Heder (of Napoleon Dynamite fame) and Will Ferrell (of every mainstream comedy since the 90s fame), are permanently banned from the mens' single competition and stripped of their gold medals after they have a fight on the winner’s podium. Three years on and both skaters have worked themselves into a rut. That is, of course, until they are informed that a loophole would allow them to qualify as a pairs team, which they do. Hilarity ensues. Well, some hilarity. In all honesty, some of the jokes in Blades of Glory fall so flat that it is difficult to gather whether they were actually ever intended as jokes in the first place.
Ultimately, Blades of Glory is the exact film that you expect it to be. It slots neatly between the Zoolanders, the Dodgeballs, and all the other comedies which star one (or more) of the brat pack. Whether that is a good thing or not entirely depends on your tolerance for the genre, but you can’t fault the film for doing exactly what it promises to do.
The whole odd-couple-on-ice routine does wear thin quickly but the makers of the film are wise enough to keep it to a short and sweet 93 minutes so it doesn't outstay its welcome. It is a by-the-numbers sports comedy, and your enjoyment will depend highly on whether you think Ferrell is an overexposed annoyance or a comedic genius. But if you’re a fan of Ferrell and his ilk, you will probably love Blades of Glory. If not, just watch it for the laugh-out-loud hilarious decapitation scene.
Rating: 6 out of 10
Blades of Glory is released in the UK on March 30th 2007
David Jensen Photography:
https://www.davidjensen.co.uk/
