BLUE MAG

When you go to see a movie starring Will Ferrell and John Heder as the first male couples figure skaters all you really want to do is have a good time and laugh at silly people doing silly things. I’m not sure if there’s any deep or profound reason why we like to see people act foolish and dress up in weird costumes, all I know is we like it and it makes us feel good and “Blades of Glory” is full of people doing just that.

I have to confess that watching two men figure skate together wearing ridiculous costumes was one of the best times I’ve had at the movies in a long time. I laughed the whole way through and never felt like the movie dragged or wore out its welcome or ran out of ideas. Some of this glee may have something to do with the previous film I’d seen being “The Hills Have Eyes 2” but for the most part I feel confidant that the entire creative team behind “Blades” was trying as hard as they could to make an audience enjoy themselves.

(To avoid some sort of L.A. Times/Brian Grazer situation I should point out that I know the screenwriters Jeff and Craig Cox but if I hadn’t liked the film I simply would have avoided posting a review. However, I really liked the movie and am really tired of seeing “The Hills Have Eyes 2” posted all over Blue Mag.)

Directed by Josh Gorden and Will Speck “Blades of Glory” tells the story of two professional figure skaters one Jimmy MacElroy played by John Heder was raised by a billionaire to be a perfect skating machine and the other, Chazz Michael Michael played by Will Ferrell is the “bad boy of skating” complete with a sex addiction. These skaters’ rivalry leads to a mascot catching on fire and their banishment from the world of solo skate competition. Years later thanks to the obsession of Herder’s stalker (played by comedian Nick Swardson who you may remember from “Reno 911”) it is discovered the two can compete as a couple.

The movie escalates from there and introduces the villainous brother/sister team played by (a real life couple although not siblings) Amy Poehler and Will Arnett. These two are fantastic and I kind of want to see a sequel that just focuses on their weirdness. Jenna Fisher (from NBC’s “The Office”) portrays their long-suffering sibling and possible love interst for Herder. What’s great is the movie takes Fisher’s supporting character and does some really funny things with her. Also, in one scene she appears in fantastic lingerie which is … well … fantastic.

I have to make special mention of the costume designs by Julie Weiss. The outfits are amazingly funny in and of themselves. I can’t think of a recent film that has used costumes to create laughs and is as integral to the piece as a whole the way “Blades” does. Also the music selection for Ferrell and Heders skating performances are really sublime, especially the final show, which I won’t spoil here.