Blades of Glory (2007)

Directors:

Josh Gordon
Will Speck

Writers (WGA):

Jeff Cox (screenplay) &
Craig Cox (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

30 March 2007 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Romance | Sport

Tagline:

Kick Some Ice

Plot:

In 2002, two rival Olympic ice skaters were stripped of their gold medals and permanently banned from men's single competition. Presently, however, they've found a loophole that will allow them to qualify as a pairs team.

Plot Keywords:

Competition | Ice | Fight | Figure Skating | Rivalry

Awards:

3 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

Will Ferrell	...	Chazz Michael Michaels
Jon Heder	...	Jimmy MacElroy
Will Arnett	...	Stranz Van Waldenberg
Amy Poehler	...	Fairchild Van Waldenberg
Jenna Fischer	...	Katie Van Waldenberg
William Fichtner	...	Darren MacElroy
Craig T. Nelson	...	Coach
Romany Malco	...	Jesse
Nick Swardson	...	Hector
Scott Hamilton	...	Sports Anchor
Andy Richter	...	Mountie
Greg Lindsay	...	Mountie
Rob Corddry	...	Bryce
Nick Jameson	...	PA Announcer
Tom Virtue	...	Floor Manager

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, a comic violent image and some drug references.

Runtime:

USA:93 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English | Japanese

Colour:

Colour

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

SDDS | Dolby Digital | DTS

Certification:

Ireland:15A | UK:12A | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14A (Ontario) | Germany:6 | Canada:PG (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba) | USA:PG-13 (certificate #43376) | Netherlands:12 | New Zealand:M | Singapore:PG | Switzerland:10 (canton of Vaud) | Switzerland:10 (canton of Geneva) | Finland:K-11 | Malaysia:U | Sweden:11 | Portugal:M/12 | Argentina:13 | Brazil:14 | South Korea:15 | France:Unrated | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Habitat 67, Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

DreamWorks SKG

Trivia:

The "loophole" at the center of the movie does not actually exist. International Skating Union regulations state that a pair team on the senior (Olympic) level is made up of a man and a lady (note that "lady" is the official terminology for a female skater).

Goofs:

Continuity: When Will Ferrell (Chazz) goes to see Jenna Fischer (Katie) in the hotel room, the door behind him goes from open to closed to open again.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Darren MacElroy: [watching a young Jimmy skate at an orphanage] I'll take him.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Semi-Pro (2008)

Soundtrack:

Flash's Theme

This film actually warrants a sequel!

From the very first second I laid eyes on the absolutely hilarious poster for this film, in my neighborhood multiplex a few months ago, I knew with extreme certainty that I'd be seeing it the very first week it opened. Caught it on Wednesday and I'm here to say the movie most definitely delivers on the promise of the poster, big time.

Jon Heder finally gets a role he can have some fun with for a change (which hasn't really happened since Napoleon Dynamite), and he's superbly cast as the sheltered and phobic Jimmy MacElroy, the perfect foil for Ferrell's sex machine on skates, Chazz Michael Michaels. Ferrell is fast becoming more and more adept at portraying genuine characters in his movies, not merely hollow caricatures, and he is clearly in his element here.

The beginning of the movie, the set-up, is wonderfully written, and the over-the-top tone that's established in these opening scenes is successfully carried throughout. The energy level stays high, the plot never gets tedious or bogged down, and, best of all, the routines that the two of them perform together as partners are truly hilarious and original. I was left wanting more, and that speaks volumes.