Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) are rival figure skaters that must team up and, with the help of Coach (Craig T. Nelson of "Coach"), win the gold medal in the pairs division.
However, the brother-and-sister team of Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg, played by Will Arnett ("Let's Go to Prison") and Amy Poehler ("Mean Girls"), is standing in the way.
Jenna Fischer ("The Office") plays Katie Van Waldenberg, the youngest of the bunch and Jimmy's love interest. Needless to say, "Blades of Glory" is filled to the brim with star power. Luckily, the script is as hilarious as the cast.
First-time screenwriters Jeff and Craig Cox co-wrote the script, and it is packed with all types of humor.
Physical comedy is paired with ironic scenes, in addition to other sight gags. It is literally a full-blown comic assault with hilarity coming down from all sides for the entire 93-minute run time.
The world of figure skating is so alien to the common man that the writers were able to take every concept to the absolute limits of plausibility. The result is a film that is completely hilarious from beginning to end.
Physicality plays a large role in the film, with lots of comedic skating-related injuries as well as things you'd never expect to happen in a movie about figure skating.
Oddly enough, a number of professional skaters were on hand to add a hint of legitimacy to the film, which means that while the actors aren't performing most of the stunts, the stunts actually are, for the most part, real.
The casting is so dead on in every case that it isn't hard to imagine that the writers were probably picturing each actor as they were writing the scenes.
One of the flick's main strengths is that it allows each of the actors to be funny in their own way.
Ferrell is in top form this time around in his typical role as the guy who seems like a drunken idiot but has some redeeming talent.
While he doesn't use especially new material, the things that worked for him on "Saturday Night Live" are still funny, so it doesn't really matter.
Likewise, Heder is at his best when playing an almost normal man/boy, which he does really, really well.
Poehler and Arnett are both known for playing offbeat, morally questionable characters, and thankfully, nothing has changed.
Even Fischer, who is funny in a completely understated way, is given the chance to do what she does best.
What it comes down to is that every actor in "Blades of Glory" is typecast in the best possible way.
Simply put, "Blades of Glory" is just a great comedy in every sense of the word.
Reach the reporter at: zachary.richter@asu.edu.
