The Rant - Blades of Glory

Now I hadn't jumped on the Will Ferrell movie bandwagon until I saw Anchorman. After seeing Talladega Nights I was officially a fan. In anticipation of Blades of Glory, I seriously considered feigning illness to catch the first viewing, then I actually was sick the day before ruining those plans. From the trailers Blades of Glory looks like just another Ferrell movie where he plays a larger than life character, the kind that Randy Savage and the Village People would look at at and say "Damn, that guy's macho!" This character eventually falls from grace and finds redemption by the end of the movie. Well it is exactly that type of movie, but it doesn't matter. As someone who has sat through every Adam Sandler mildy-retarded savant movie and I sat through every formulaic moment of Blades of Glory and loved it. As usual this is not an actual review just some impressions:


A+++ on the soundtrack. The song listing includes "Con Te Partirò", Billy Squire's "The Stroke", Marky Mark's "Good Vibrations, Queen's "Flash Gordon", and a theme song by American Idol runner up Bo Bice.

Craig T. Nelson, who played the title character on the long running ABC series "Coach" has a supporting role in Blades of Glory playing...a coach.

They did such a great job creating a surreal figure skating world with the inclusion of Nancy Kerrigan, Brian Boitano, Peggy Flemming, Dorothy Hamil and Scott Hamilton. The skating vignettes were also very well done. I'm guessing they had a deeper satirical take on figure skating originally planned, but instead left it at surface parody and focused on the interaction between Jon Heder and Will Ferrell.

After watching the trailers I was worried Jim Lampley would be terrible as the Sports Announcer. He was great though and I don't have to shudder the next time he calls an HBO boxing match. He totally owned Al Micheals and Bob Costas performances in BASEketball ranks right above Brent Musburger and Dan Fouts in Waterboy and right below Bob Ueker in the Major League trilogy.

Will Arnett, who played the self-absorbed, dim, but conniving Gob on Arrested Development has a supporting role in Blades of Glory playing...a self absorbed, dim, but conniving rival skater.

The Iron Lotus ranks up there with the Triple Lindy as the move I want to see at the next Olympics.

As many times as I've seen Will Farrell's self destructive washed up loser act, I still can't help but cringe every time he gets started. I mean that in the best way possible.

There's an awesome bit were Arnett and Amy Poehler have just finished a Hip Hop ice skating routine that is just spot as on a mixture of the hip-hop and ice skating world. After a disappointing result Arnet says something to the effect of not only did we disappoint Marky Mark but we let the Funky Bunch down as well. Double fist pump yo, cause that's what MMATFBWD.

Jenna Fischer, who plays mousy, but smokin' hot pushover Pam, in The Office, has a supporting role in Blades of Glory playing...a mousy, but smokin' hot pushover. Okay running joke or not, for those who care, Jenna Fischer looks awesome in this movie and we get to see her felt up while in lingerie. That by itself makes it worth the price of admission.

Lastly, I hadn't seen Jon Heder in a movie since Napoleon Dynamite. I thought he did enough for me to stop thinking "Lucky" or "I'm pretty good with a bo staff". No small feat since I mentally yell "You shit on my house" every time I see Dr. McDreamy.