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I have rarely
understood audience's obsession with Saturday
Night Live Players who break out into the
mainstream of film. The first season of
"SNL" actually had cast members
that were talented enough (at least in their
earlier days) to carry a film. Later seasons
offered fewer laughs and fewer talents.
Of those that came after, only a handful
actually had what it took to be a pseudo-star.
Eddie Murphy in his hey-day was extremely
funny (though nowadays he has become the
actor 'better heard and not seen' as his
voiceover work far outshines his horrendous
live action films). Then there was…..
oh wait…. That was it. You can't count
Billy Crystal because he was already a movie
actor when he signed up, as was Christopher
Guest. That really was it.
By now, some of you are saying, "But
what about Adam Sandler!!" Well, truth
be told, Adam Sandler is a talent less goofball
whose films are by and large awful. Any
bits of quality that I've caught in any
of his films are the product of his co-stars.
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I just don’t get why he is such a big star.
Michael Meyers is a bit better and at least has
some talent, but carrying a whole movie is just
something he shouldn’t do. More recently
we have the wave of films starring Will Ferrell.
I'll admit Ferrell is an amiable kinda guy, whose
interviews really kinda make you like the guy.
But I had seen him on "SNL" and never
imagined him starring in a movie.
Then things went nuts for him a few years ago,
when after several small roles he was pegged to
play a human raised in the North Pole in "Elf."
Since then he's starred in so many films I've
lost count. And up until the other night, I had
only seen Woody Allen's "Melinda and Melinda."
I just wasn't impressed enough with Will Ferrell
to take the time to watch any of his films. However,
I was intrigued when I heard about "Talledega
Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby." The thought
of a film making fun of the ridiculous world of
NASCAR caught my attention. I almost couldn’t
imagine being able to successfully make fun of
something that is in all respects as self-satirizing
subject. It's like making movie showing rednecks
to be stupid… what other choice is there?
I now have to draw you attention to the other
side of our household… my son. He loves
Will Ferrell and thinks his movies are the best.
I can’t tell you how many times he's tried
to get me to sit down with him to watch one of
them. I'm a loving parent and all, but I always
found a way to duck out of this particular father-son
event. But when the DVD for "Talledega Nights"
showed up, there was no getting out of it. At
least this one I wanted to see. But my son had
other plans. This brilliant little 13-year old
asked me how I could possibly review a Will Ferrell
film without watching any of his other films for
reference. I stared at him in wide-eyed shock
unable to give him an answer good enough to save
me.
So one weekend last year we 'enjoyed' a Will Ferrell
semi-marathon. We did not have all of his movies,
but had on hand "Elf", "Anchorman:
The Legend of Ron Burgundy" and of course,
"Talledega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby."
While I won't get into the first two movies here,
I will say that they were funnier than I expected
and in the case of "Anchorman", I could
appreciate the style of humor that Ferrell and
director Adam McKay were going for, but only laughed
out loud once or twice. Still, neither was a waste
of time and I like Ferrell a little more than
I did before. (My wife on the other hand, still
refuses to watch them and opted to go shopping
instead…) Of the three, "Talledega
Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby" was easily
the funniest and one that I'm not embarrassed
to say that I really, really enjoyed.
But now the time has come. The moment of truth.
A brand new Will Ferrell DVD has found its way
into my hands. Will I watch it and determine that
"Talledega Nights" was a fluke or would
I equally enjoy "Blades of Glory?" First
let me say that teaming Ferrell with Jon Heder
does seem like a good idea. Heder, who I thought
was oddly brilliant in "Napoleon Dynamite"
hasn't really been that good in anything else.
Putting him with Ferrell might be just the push
he would need as an actor to break out. I planned
to watch "Blades of Glory" with my son
(the only way I can watch one in my house…
my wife still insists on going out for the evening).
Though a handful of jokes fall flat, I honestly
have to say that I laughed every bit as hard as
I did during "Talledega Night." Ferrell
was still at the top of his game and Heder took
full advantage of his comedy partner's experience.
The plot of "Blades of Glory" sounds
so incredibly stupid that it is hard to believe
that it hasn't happened in the sport of figure
skating, however it won’t surprise me if
we see some headlines in the coming (out) years.
Ferrell stars as Chazz Michael Michaels, the best
of the best in professional skating. He's a man's
man, with an ego and a temper to go with it. Heder
is Jimmy MacElroy, an up-and-comer in and chief
Michael's rival. When a tiff turns into a brawl,
the two are stripped of their medals and forever
banned from professional skating. So when faced
with the possibility of retuning to the ice, how
can they possibly turn it down? The only problem,
they have to set aside their differences and skate
in the doubles competition.
The very idea of putting two guys into a doubles
skating competition is homophobic enough, but
director Adam McKay pulls out all the stops to
make sure that every uncomfortable situation physically
and mentally is explored. And a few that even
I never thought of. Ferrell and Heder play with
the material for all its worth, making "Blades
of Glory" both the funniest and stupidest
movie of the year. I really have to hand it to
these guys being able to deliver so many ridiculous
scenes with straight faces. And they aren't too
bad on the ice either.
The Paramount DVD for "Blades of Glory"
delivers and insane amount of special features
as well. There is a 15 minute making of featurette,
in which most of the cast is interviewed and talk
comically about the movie as if it is great art.
There are also featurettes that focus on Ferrell
and Heder's skate training and the ludicrous costume
designs. I was also pleased to see a short interview
with Will Arnett and Amy Poehler (who play the
villainous skating duo 'The Van Valdenburgs')
as well as an interview with real-life skating
champ Scott Hamilton.
Additionally, there are four deleted scenes, MTV
interstitials, a lengthy interview (with Ferrell,
Heder and Arnett), a gag reel and alternate takes.
Of these the alternate takes were the funniest,
with Ferrell showing off his talent for improvisational
humor. Then there is an odd little featurette
on the character 'Hector', who in the movie is
one of MacElroy's SuperFans.
While I still cannot consider Will Ferrell to
be the comedic genius that some folks do, I do
have a better appreciation for is brand of comedy.
As for films like "Talledega Nights"
and "Blades of Glory" that so hysterically
skew popular sports events… they are definitely
okay in my book. Especially when they do it in
such a fashion as those being made fun of don’t
catch the fact they are being made fun of.
Directed by: Adam McKay
Starring: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder,
Extras: Return to Glory: The Making of Blades,
Celebrities on Thin Ice, Cooler Than Ice: The
Super-Sexy Costumes of Skating, Arnett and Poehler
– A Family Affair, 20 Questions with Scott
Hamilton, Hector: Portrait of a Psychofan, Moviephone
unscripted with Will Ferrell, Jon Heder &
Will Arnett, Music Video: “Blades of Glory”
by Bo Bice, Deleted Scenes, Alternate Takes, Gag
Reel, MTV Interstitials, Theatrical Trailer, Photo
Galleries
Specifications: Widescreen (2.40:1), Dolby Digital
5.1 Surround Sound
Studio: Paramount
Release Date: 8/28/2007
Region 1
MPAA Rating: Unrated
Website
We'll give Blades of Glory a B+.
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