11 May 2008

Blades of Glory (PG13)

After getting kicked out of the professional skating scene for brawling on the awards podium, ladies man Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) winds up the drunk star of a children’s ice show and germ-phobic golden child Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) is stuck selling skates to other spoiled children. Each seem destined to live out the rest of life in a state of mediocrity until Jimmy’s stalker fan, Hector (Nick Swardson), discovers the secret to his comeback: join forces with archrival Chazz as the first ever male-male pair skaters.

Recruiting the help of gun-shy former skating coach (Craig T. Nelson), Chazz and Jimmy set off to get the gold. You can imagine the hilarities that ensue during their training, two enemies trying to come together in a style that requires an intense intimacy and trust. Then add to the fact that the producers have put Ferrell and Heder together, and you have a virtual gut buster of a film. When you watch these two rather tall men taking to the ice and flipping each other around, you’d actually be surprised at how NOT gangly they look together.

Bringing together two rivals is one thing. Getting them to beef up their routine to beat the win-anyway-you-can reigning champion duo of Stranz (Will Arnett) and Fairchild (Amy Poehler) presents an even greater challenge. Novelty alone won’t win the competition. They need a secret weapon, some maneuver that only two men can pull off. Coach has just such the move, but the last pair he trained to do it lost their head, literally. Can Chazz and Jimmy find their groove and wow the skating world? You’re going to have to watch the movie to find out.

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