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Blades of Glory (2007)

Rating: 3 Stars (out of 4)

Skate Expectations

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Buy Blades of Glory on DVD

Will Ferrell is a rock 'n' roll ice-skater with a whirlwind sex drive, a heavy-lidded gaze and an ego twice the size of his brain. Banned from skating after fighting with his by-the-book rival (straight man Jon Heder), they are forced to become a pair in order to continue. Several skating luminaries appear in cameos. First-time directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck can't quite balance their spoof of the skating world with the "inspirational" story, the villains and the love interest, but Ferrell makes up for everything with his flawless delivery, both subtle and outrageous. He has by now established a bona-fide comic persona -- a deadpan channeling of the adolescent id -- that ranks him alongside Harry Langdon and the other great screen clowns.

Note: It appears that Ferrell and Heder did a little of their own skating, but the very difficult stunts were apparently done by body doubles with the stars' faces digitally grafted on.

AskMen.com: Blades of Glory

Starring: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Jenna Fischer, William Fichtner, Craig T. Nelson, Romany Malco, Nick Swardson, Luke Wilson, Andy Richter, Greg Lindsay, Rob Corddry, Katharine Towne, Scott Hamilton, Nancy Kerrigan, Brian Boitano, Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming, Sasha Cohen
Written by: Jeff Cox, Craig Cox, based on a story by Busy Philipps, John Altschuler, Craig Cox, Jeff Cox, David Krinsky
Directed by: Josh Gordon, Will Speck
MPAA Rating: PG-13 for crude and sexual humor, language, a comic violent image and some drug references
Running Time: 93 minutes
Date: March 30, 2007