Blades of Glory
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
It’s Tokyo Olympics time, so we’re getting a little into the season here at Films Fatale. Each weekday will involve a film relating to the Olympics in any way. They can be sports films or other genres, and real or fictitious.
By 2007, Blades of Glory was already setting itself up to be a beaten dead horse, well beyond any signs of life or energy. Will Ferrell was coming off the super hot heels of Anchorman and the really funny aftermath of Talladega Nights, when it was apparent that his loud-voiced parade of unintelligible thought routine was here to stay; he had used this tactic before, but now he was in leading roles, and the films would revolve around this very basic recipe (which he never did quite as well as his Ron Burgundy days; also shoutout to his Alex Trebek gag on Saturday Night Live, which I still adore). Then there’s Jon Heder, who had a career jumpstart with the indie cult classic Napoleon Dynamite three years earlier, but he was finding himself pigeonholed as the same stereotype of cringe-inducing introvert, so that naturally followed into this film as well.
Put the two together, and you get a figure skating film that tries to tick off all of the boxes of the previous Ferrell films, whilst tossing in Napoleon Dynamite (that’s exactly why Heder was cast, let’s not kid ourselves) to see how he could flounder. The end result is a decent sports comedy that is made to be slightly annoying. Too many jokes feel forced or expected at this point, and none of the film feels like it matters outside of you watching the picture for this dynamic duo (or the other funny cast members, like then-couple Will Arnett and Amy Poehler, Jenna Fischer on her career rise, and others). The story itself seems okay: two disgraced single figure skaters have now decided to compete at the Olympics — after losing their hard earned medals — as a set of partners. They’ll do whatever it takes to earn their gold medals again, even if it’s moves that could actually kill them. See, this isn’t so bad on paper. You can expect some hijinks and industry-relevant jokes. However, Blades of Glory doesn’t care for that.
Blades of Glory was made for its two leading stars to the point that it lets both of them down.
What transpires is a comedy that struggles under the weight of its leads, who have been provided no support outside of one cue: “do that funny thing you did before, but again”. So the film feels stale as a result. Same old humour. No surprises. Very little service to any of the stars here, let alone the two names on the film’s poster, which promises something much more. We’re not transported to a new environment. A chicken can cross a road, a river, an astroid belt, or a canyon in hell: it’s still the same damn joke. To see what I mean, I can’t help but reflect on last year’s Eurovision, which also starred Ferrell, and also has enough of the same-old shtick to feel a bit redundant. However, the film also tosses curveballs at you: moments of true tenderness and spirit that are contradictorily beautiful in a goofy space. It’s not a perfect film, but at least it tried something fresh. Blades of Glory didn’t, and things would only get worse on this path once Semi-Pro and Mama’s Boy rolled around, which only prove my point: far too often do comedic performers get typecast to death in this day and age. Blades of Glory is a so-so crossroads for both, but it’s a telltale sign of exactly what is wrong in this genre often enough.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Ryerson University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.