FamilyFans Movies
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BLADES OF GLORY (PG-13)
Plot Summary: Two top ice skaters must learn to overcome their animosity and skate together as history’s first male/male figure skating pair.
Reason for the Rating: Crude and sexual humor, language, a comic violent image and some drug references.
There are times in life when we just want to laugh.
We want to forget about our difficulties, our busy schedules, and our everyday responsibilities. We don’t want to learn anything new. We don’t want our hearts to be warmed or our sense of social responsibility to be stirred. We don’t even really want to think at all. We just want to have a good time.
At times like this, all we need is Will Ferrell and Jon Heder in Blades of Glory. After watching this movie, all you’ll really take away from the theatre is your laughter. But if the timing is right in your life, then that will be just fine.
Frankly, I found Blades of Glory to be hilarious. The plot centers around Ferrell as male figure skater, Chazz Michael Michaels (what a name!), and his arch rival Jimmy MacElroy (played by Jon Heder). The two are the internationally dominant male figure skaters of their time. They are both Americans, but that is where the similarities end. Jimmy, the more feminine of the two, represents everything graceful and beautiful about the sport. His routines are like poetry in motion—he even releases a dove at the end of each one. Chazz, on the other hand, is the bad boy on ice, brazen yet powerful, the skater that makes the women swoon. The two alternate between first and second place at various competitions around the world, and needless to say, they don’t like each other very much. Actually, that’s an understatement. They hate each other so much that it becomes an all out war, leading them to get into a violent brawl while on an award podium, and eventually causing them to be banned from male figure skating forever.
Needless to say, they are
both devastated. They find themselves unfulfilled and forced to acquire dead-end
jobs that give them no satisfaction, until one day, one of Jimmy’s fans
discovers a loophole in the skating rules. Even though they have been banned from singles skating,
that ban does not apply to doubles skating. But with the annual World
Championships only a few months away, neither of them has time to find and work
with new female partners. Since there is no rule stating that competitors in
pairs skating must be male/female combinations, their only hope of winning gold
is to join together. That’s right, they form the world’s first male/male team,
and they are determined to fight their way to the top.
What follows is a hilarious caricature of the figure skating world, complete with over-the-top costumes, completely convoluted routines, and death-defying tricks. It’s a sport that’s ripe for parody, and this is accomplished with even more success because of the fact that several real-life professional figure skaters do cameos throughout the film. Scott Hamilton even plays himself as the resident sports anchor for all the big competitions, giving the movie an authenticity that makes all the other ridiculous aspects of the farce that much funnier. Of course, Jimmy and Chazz have a goal—they must reach the World Championship and defeat the current number one pairs team of the Van Waldenberg siblings (played with evil glee by Will Arnett and Amy Poehler) to regain status and respect in the world of skating. But all this “plot” is just an avenue through which more jokes can be told and through which Ferrell and his brand of humor can shine. The movie never takes itself too seriously, and that’s what makes it so fun.
Parents, one thing definitely needs to be noted about this movie, however: it is no innocent departure from Ferrell’s typical brand of goofy, sexual gross-out comedy. I’ve been operating on the assumption that Ferrell is a funny man. His comedy almost always makes me laugh, and I’ve liked most of his other movies. But if you don’t find yourself agreeing with me on this basic sentiment, then disregard everything good I’ve said about this film. On its most basic level, it’s no different from all the other Will Ferrell movies out there, and if you don’t like those, you definitely won’t like this one.
Although Blades of Glory managed to get a PG-13 rating, I would not recommend this movie for youngsters. It’s full of sexual comedy—Chazz refers to himself as a sex-addict throughout the film and certainly lives up to that title—and the language is definitely geared towards adults. Also, I won’t go into details, but it’s not difficult to imagine the endless opportunities for exaggeration when two men are lifting each other in the air and grabbing each other to perform upside down spins. You get the picture. It’s just not appropriate for kids or anyone who is easily offended by sexual humor designed to make you uncomfortable.
That being said, the humor
pointed at figure skating itself is pure gold; I found myself laughing out loud
throughout the entire movie. And while I didn’t walk away from the theatre
having learned anything new or having been moved by a poignant message, I did
find myself laughing again and again as I remembered Chazz and Jimmy on the ice.
Blades of Glory is an hour and a half of pure fun, and sometimes that’s all a movie needs to be. .
FAMILYFANS RECOMMENDS:
If you’re a fan of Will Ferrell’s offbeat brand of comedy, this movie will definitely please you. If you're not a big Ferrell fan, then this film probably isn't for you.
AFTER THE SHOW:
• What does this movie teach about loyalty?
• What do you think were Chazz and Jimmy’s greatest strengths, and what were their greatest weaknesses? Explain.
• Why was it important for Jimmy and Chazz to compromise when working together? How can you apply the idea of compromise to your own life?
AT
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