Themes: Underdogs, Unlikely Friendships, Success is the Best Revenge
Main Cast: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, Jenna Fischer, Craig T. Nelson
Release Year: 2007
Country: US
Run Time: 93 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG13
Plot
Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, and Will Arnett headline this high-concept comedy concerning two male figure-skating rivals aching to compete despite having been banned from the sport. Their medals stripped after getting into a highly publicized fight at the World Championships, star figure skaters Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Heder) are barred from ever competing in the sport again. Upon discovering a loophole that will allow them to perform together in the pairs figure skating category, the two athletes determine to put their differences aside in order to pursue their gold medal aspirations. Amy Poehler, Jenna Fischer, Craig T. Nelson, and Rob Corddry co-star. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Review
Blades of Glory may well be the Will Ferrell movie for people who don't like Will Ferrell movies. It's hard to believe, since an outlandish sports comedy where the SNL vet plays a slovenly egomaniac probably sounds like the quintessential Ferrell flick. But where movies like Anchorman and Talladega Nights -- and even non-Ferrell sports comedies like Dodgeball -- depend on comedian improvisation, and on scenes in the script that delve into the truly bizarre, Blades of Glory actually sticks fairly rigidly to its story.
This has its benefits; Ferrell rarely indulges in his usual uncontrollable rants, and while he may be treading on fairly well-worn territory with his character, it's a persona that works well for him. Likewise, Jon Heder finds success in a role that's quite the opposite of Napoleon Dynamite, playing a dainty and elegant figure skater with a mane of blonde, Leif Garrett-like curls (though you'll catch him slipping into the Dynamite voice here and there, like a suppressed foreign accent). Unfortunately, while these concessions may tone down the elements that don't agree with non-fans of the cast, they also rob the movie of what many viewers are looking for. Co-stars Amy Poehler and Will Arnett are surely capable of extreme hilarity as an uncomfortably close rival brother-sister skating team, but the script provides them little dialogue besides words to further the plot, and we're even cheated out of seeing the entirety of their skating routine as Marilyn Monroe and JFK. The Office's Jenna Fischer is as adorable onscreen as ever, but she's given little opportunity to utilize her great comic timing (though we're offered the consolation prize of seeing her in a bustier).
There are plenty of funny moments, most of them dependent on the homoeroticism of male-male pairs skating -- which you can't really claim you didn't see coming. There are also, somewhat surprisingly, a number of skating in-jokes; pretty much every prominent American skater from the past 30 years makes an appearance, and you might notice that the secret, experimental move in Ferrell and Heder's routine is the exact same one from 1992's The Cutting Edge -- though it's much more impressive here, where we're given shady footage of it, previously only being legal in North Korea. In the end, Blades of Glory has what its target audience is looking for, it just doesn't have a lot of it. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide
Romany Malco - Jesse; Nick Swardson - Hector; Rob Corddry - Bryce; William Fichtner - Darren MacElroy; Scott Hamilton - Sports Anchor; Andy Richter - Mountie; Greg Lindsay - Mountie; Nick Jameson - PA Announcer; Tom Virtue - Floor Manager; Ben Wilson - Fox; William Daniels - Commissioner Ebbers; Zachary Ferren - Young Jimmy; Rémy Girard - Father St. Pierre; Steven M. Gagnon - Rink Official World Games; Chris Reed - World Games Paramedic; Luciana Carro - Sam; Nancy Kerrigan - Attractive Official; Ricardo "Smalls" Strickland - Frank The Security Guard; Luke Wilson - Sex Class Counselor; Katharine Towne - Female Sex Addict; David Pressman - Reporter - Montreal; James Michael Connor - Surly Reporter - Montreal; Craig Gellis - Jail Cell Inmate; Angela Chee - Newswoman; Hans Uder - Usher; Chad Brennan - Chazz Skate Double; Ethan Burgess - Jimmy Skate Double; Patrick Hancock - Stranz Skate Double; Tiffany Scott - Fairchild Skate Double; Brian Boitano - Federation Judge; Dorothy Hamill - Federation Judge; Peggy Fleming - Federation Judge; Phil Reeves - Father; Molly Marie Clinton - Alice; Matt Levin - Matt; Eloise Lynch - Female Fan; Fiona Gubelmann - Woodland Fairy; Smith Cho - Woodland Fairy; James P. Yorke - Skate Fox; Alysse Alcroft - Skate Woodland Fairy; Taylor Neff - Skate Woodland Fairy; Wendy Wilke - Skate Woodland Fairy; Matt Evers - Skate Tree; Keith Joe Dick - Skate Tree; Sunita Param - Reporter; Stephanie Courtney - Reporter At Sign Ups; Elliot Cho - Little Kid; Loretta Fox - Court Stenographer; Kyle Bornheimer - Rink PA Nationals; Jim Lampley - Co-Anchor; Sasha Cohen - Herself; Alison Martin - Female Judge Stockholm; Griffin Armstorff - Finnish Skating Prodigy; Armen Saakian - Skate Acrobat Chazz Double; Akop Manoukian - Skate Acrobat Jimmy Double; Grant Thompson - Wallet Mountie; Kelly Gould - Crying Girl; Margaret Roblin - Female Judge Montreal; Lisa Paul - Catholic School Girl; Lora Starkman - Girl Who Kisses Chazz; J.D. Cantrell - Future Skater; Kerry Rossall - Fire Extinguisher
Credit
Seth Reed - Art Director, Michele Laliberte - Art Director, Luis Aguilar - Animator, Chris Derochie - Animator, Terry Kalinich - Animator, Agata Matuszak - Animator, Brian Zheng - Animator, Peter Kohn - Associate Producer, Patrick Esposito - Associate Producer, Lara Breay - Associate Producer, Carl Fischer - Boom Operator, Harrison D. Marsh - Boom Operator, Juel Bestrop - Casting, Andrea Kenyon - Casting, Seth Yanklewitz - Casting, Sarah Kawahara - Choreography, Julie Brault - Choreography, Mike Nowak - Conductor, Colin O'Reilly - Co-producer, Julie Weiss - Costume Designer, Marylou Lim - Costume Designer, Peter Kohn - First Assistant Director, Erik Ajduk - First Assistant Director, Will Speck - Director, Josh Gordon - Director, Doug Coleman - Second Unit Director, Richard Pearson - Editor, Marty P. Ewing - Executive Producer, Laura Connolly - Hair Styles, Lisa Layman - Hair Styles, Mary Jo Fortin - Hair Styles, Valerie Nelson - Hair Styles, Jay Traynor - Location Manager, Hyemee Choi - Lighting, Martin Halle - Lighting, Alan Hernandez - Lighting, Amy Lee - Lighting, Jason Macza - Lighting, Jerry Tung - Lighting, Theodore Shapiro - Composer (Music Score), George Drakoulias - Musical Direction/Supervision, Lisa Layman - Makeup, Denise Fischer - Makeup, Sheree Morgan - Makeup, Simone Almekias-Seigl - Makeup, Sabine Roller Taylor - Makeup, Mitchell Dubin - Camera Operator, Ray Delamotte - Camera Operator, Eric Tramp - Camera Operator, Robert Mattigetz - Camera Operator, François Archambault - Camera Operator, Stephen Lineweaver - Production Designer, Stefan Czapsky - Cinematographer, Robert Mattigetz - Cinematographer, John L. Jacobs - Producer, Ben Stiller - Producer, Stuart Cornfeld - Producer, Craig "Pup" Heath - Recording, Blake Cornett - Recording, Benton Roman - Research, Kristen Davis - Set Designer, Lynn Christopher - Set Designer, Guy Pigeon - Set Designer, Jane Wuu - Set Designer, Stephen Christensen - Set Designer, Robert Johnson - Set Designer, Tammy Lee - Set Designer, Mark Mangini - Sound/Sound Designer, Petur Hliddal - Sound/Sound Designer, David MacMillan - Sound/Sound Designer, Scott Irvine - Stunts, David Sadowski - Stunts, Jason Dungjen - Stunts, Yuka Sato - Stunts, Christian Fletcher - Stunts, Whitney Coleman - Stunts, Aaron Walters - Stunts, David Schultz - Stunts, Michael Hansen - Stunts, Kyoko Ina - Stunts, David Pelletier - Stunts, Jamie Sale - Stunts, John Zimmerman - Stunts, Doug Coleman - Stunts Coordinator, Allen Robinson - Stunts Coordinator, Marc Desourdy - Stunts Coordinator, Irene Litinsky - Unit Production Manager, Marty P. Ewing - Unit Production Manager, Jeff Cox - Screen Story, Busy Philipps - Screen Story, Craig Cox - Screen Story, Jeff Cox - Screenwriter, Dave Krinsky - Screenwriter, John Altschuler - Screenwriter, Craig Cox - Screenwriter, Steve Simon - Production Assistant, Denise Anderson Poore - Production Assistant, Tracie Laymon - Production Assistant, Cyndi "Cutter" Martin - Production Assistant, Michelle Schrauwers - Production Assistant, Laura Twors - Production Assistant, Adam Miller - Production Assistant, Lily Garcia - Production Assistant, Nicole Abranian - Production Assistant, Morgan Ahlborn - Production Assistant, Liam Harty - Production Assistant, Beth J. Linden - Production Assistant, Daniel Marcus - Production Assistant, Bryan Murphy - Production Assistant, Dillon Neaman - Production Assistant, Kevin P. Roy - Production Assistant, Michael Kowalski - Visual Effects Supervisor, Jamie Dixon - Visual Effects Supervisor, Mark Freund - Visual Effects Supervisor, Robert Hackl - Visual Effects Supervisor, Dale Fay - Visual Effects Supervisor, Richard Malzahn - Visual Effects Supervisor, Chris Holmes - Visual Effects Supervisor, Mark Breakspear - Visual Effects Supervisor, Petra Holtorf-Stratton - Visual Effects Supervisor, Piero Mura - Sound Effects Editor, Rod Bland - Model Effects, Louis Leung - Model Effects, Casey Rolseth - Model Effects, Mark Thielen - Model Effects, Robert Durnin - Technical Director, Ben Steele - Technical Director, Greg Hayden - Additional Editing, Karl Sisson - CGI Effects, Scott Rathner - First Assistant Camera, Dennis Seawright - First Assistant Camera, Louis Massouras - First Assistant Camera, Chris Trillo - Grip, Jeff Tomhave - Grip, Jason Newton - Grip, Douglas Wall - Grip, Steven Guerrero - Grip, Stephen M. Foss - Grip, Wayne Kosky - Grip, Justin Blum - Grip, Robert "BC" Chinello - Grip, Alan Downs - Grip, Grant Goza - Grip, Bob Leitelt - Grip, Scott Whitmore - Grip, Greg Wong - Grip, Thomas S. Drescher - Music Editor, Jeff Mee - Post Production Coordinator, Marci Rosenberg - Production Coordinator, Athena Kouverianos - Production Coordinator, Thomas Hayslip - Production Supervisor, Trish Gallaher Glenn - Properties Master, Lise Pharand - Properties Master, Terry Haskell - Properties Master, Andy Nelson - Re-Recording Mixer, Anna Behlmer - Re-Recording Mixer, Sheila Waldron - Script Supervisor, Gary Romolo Fiorelli - Second Assistant Director, Dethan Mowat - Second Assistant Director, David Michaels - Segment Producer, Scott R. Fisher - Special Effects Coordinator, Matt Kutcher - Special Effects Coordinator, Eric Tramp - Steadicam Operator, Melinda Sue Gordon - Still Photographer, Suzanne Hanover - Still Photographer, Mario Pochat - Supervising Animator, Michelle Eisenreich - Visual Effects Producer, Chris Del Conte - Visual Effects Producer, Randall Starr - Visual Effects Producer, Ashley Clark - Visual Effects Producer, Ladd Lanford - Visual Effects Producer, Rodrigo Ortiz - ADR Editor, Charleen Steeves - ADR Mixer, David Lucarelli - ADR Recordist, Jack Lineweaver - Art Department Assistant, Gary Warshaw - Assistant Art Director, Stephen Thorp - Assistant Chief Lighting Technician, Catherine Kagan - Assistant Location Manager, Mike Brewer - Assistant Location Manager, Ryce Hetherington - Assistant Production Coordinator, David Nico - Assistant Production Coordinator, Gloria Murphy - Assistant Properties, Mick Cummings - Buyer, Philip Volkolff - Camera Loader, Kate Caldwell - Casting Assistant, Jaqueline Palmquist - Casting Assistant, Huston Beaumont - Chief Lighting Technician, Jean Courteau - Chief Lighting Technician, Bob Blackburn - Construction Coordinator, Blanche-Danielle Boileau - Costumes Supervisor, Nancy McArdle - Costumes Supervisor, Deborah M. Davis - Costumes Supervisor, Stéphane Laroche - Costumes Supervisor, Maileen Williams - DGA Intern, Ralph Osborn III - Dialogue Editor, Michael Hertlein - Dialogue Editor, Tom Jones - Dialogue Editor, Hugh Waddell - Dialogue Editor, Gary A. Williams - Dolly Grip, Kenny Davis - Dolly Grip, John L. Dardis - Electrician, Patrick Hoeschen - Electrician, Juan Morse - Electrician, Antar Abderrahman - Electrician, Jesse Mather - Electrician, Nicole Gallardo - First Assistant Accountant, Sean Thompson - First Assistant Editor, Christopher Moriana - Foley Artist, Catherine A. Harper - Foley Artist, Donald Flick - Foley Editor, Elliot Koretz - Foley Editor, Neil Pontecorvo - Greensman, Dan Moore - Key Costumer, Barbara Chennault - Key Costumer, Rejean Forget - Key Hairstylist, Larysa Chernienko - Key Make-up, Wayne Sheppard - Leadman, Jessica Elbaum - Personal Assistant, Matt Eppedio - Personal Assistant, Liz Mahoney - Personal Assistant, Adam Bagger - Personal Assistant, Tova Dann - Personal Assistant, David Jacobson - Personal Assistant, Erica Palm - Personal Assistant, Lynn Sconyers - Personal Assistant, Zac Unterman - Personal Assistant, Charlie Ward - Personal Assistant, Elizabeth Czyzewski - Post Production Assistant, R.C. Fill - Post Production Assistant, Nancy Partheniou - Production Accountant, Kathy Petty - Production Accountant, Lora Umphress - Production Accountant, Michael Dennehy - Second Assistant Accountant, Kristen Gomez - Second Assistant Accountant, Maggie Martin - Second Assistant Accountant, Robin Nicole Williams - Second Assistant Accountant, Peter Geraghty - Second Assistant Camera, Timothy R Price - Second Second Assistant Director, Leonard Morganti - Storyboard Artist, Mark Moretti - Storyboard Artist, Tom Whelpley - Transportation Captain, Robert Chesnut - Transportation Captain, Tommy Tancharoen - Transportation Coordinator, Paul Stroh - Transportation Coordinator, Perpetual Motion Pictures, Inc. - Visual Effects, Digital Dimension - Visual Effects, Pacific Title & Art Studio - Visual Effects, Soho VFX - Visual Effects, Rainmaker Animation and Visual Effects UK - Visual Effects, I.C.O. Entertainment - Visual Effects, Jay R. Hart - Set Decorator, Robert Greenfield - Set Decorator, Martine Kazemirchuk-Giguère - Set Decorator, Kevin E. Patterson - Cable Person, Peggy A. Names - Cable Person, William H. Phen - Construction Foreman, Deluxe Catering, Inc. - Craft Service/Catering, Raymond Bulinski - Craft Service/Catering, Hat Trick Catering - Craft Service/Catering, Tory Littman - Craft Service/Catering, Andrea Galleguillos - Craft Service/Catering, Chris Arnold - Driver, Jerry Stroh - Driver, Mark Jones - Driver, Jorge Vasquez - Driver, Maxwell R. II Johnson - Driver, David Barraza - Driver, Mike Birnkrant - Driver, Virgil Dosher - Driver, Larry Fee - Driver, Robert A. Garcia - Driver, Stanley R. Holmes - Driver, Gary J. Johnson - Driver, Fredrick Johnston - Driver, Michelle Jones - Driver, Bud Lacy - Driver, Rock LeRoy - Driver, Michael McGhee - Driver, Victor A. Moore - Driver, Larry Motes - Driver, George Barsum Nadian - Driver, Jorge A. Salazar - Driver, Darren Mann - Foley Mixer, Gary Burritt - Negative Cutter, David Hayles - Set Medic/First Aid, Mike McKean - Set Medic/First Aid, Jennifer Shepard - Special Effects Technician, Dennis Yeager, Sr. - Special Effects Technician, Kenneth Van Order - Special Effects Technician, Joseph Branam - Special Effects Technician, Steven Davidson - Special Effects Technician, Matt Disarro - Special Effects Technician, Roland Fullajtar - Special Effects Technician, Scott Inoue - Special Effects Technician, Leo L. Solis - Special Effects Technician, Dennis Yeager II - Special Effects Technician, Brett Barett - Special Effects Technician, Robert Ulrich - Supervising ADR Editor, Michael D. Gay - Visual Effects Editor, Meghan L. Noble - Visual Effects Editor, Shelley MacLean - Visual Effects Editor, William Eliscu - Graphic Design, Prologue - Graphic Design, Pacific Title - Title Design, Prologue - Title Design, Mike Piccirillo - Art Department Coordinator, Bob Berman - Assistant Editor, Nathan Gunn - Assistant Editor, Byron Wong - Assistant Editor, Bridget Cook - Department Head Hair, Mary Ann Valdes - Department Head Hair, Steve Artmond - Department Head Makeup, Toni G - Department Head Makeup, Andy Sisul - First Assistant Sound Editor, Thomas Dadras - Compositor, Bob Wiatr - Compositor, Carol Ashley - Compositor, Louis Kim - Compositor, Wing Kwok - Compositor, Jim O'Hagan - Compositor, Riley Bernard - Compositor, Danielle Rubin - Compositor, John Campuzano - Compositor, Alan De Castro - Compositor, David Geoghegan - Compositor, Patrick Keenan - Compositor, Brad Kalinowski - Compositor, Sandra Roach - Compositor, Brian Fisher - Compositor, Martin Hilke - Compositor, Brian Smallwood - Compositor, Matt Lane - Compositor, Tracey Baxter - Compositor, James Cain - Compositor, Martyn Culpitt - Compositor, Mike Diltz - Compositor, Wade Ivy - Compositor, Cristian A. Kong - Compositor, Allan Lee - Compositor, Tom McHattie - Compositor, Josh Mossotti - Compositor, Enrico Perei - Compositor, Christine Petrov - Compositor, Shervin Shoghian - Compositor, Sebastien Veilleux - Compositor, Harry Moreau - Lead Compositor, Justin Jones - Lead Compositor, Mathew Krentz - Lead Compositor, Erik Bruhwiler - Lead Compositor, Ryan Smolarek - Lead Compositor, Raffe Arnott - Rotoscope Artist, Juliana Wade - Rotoscope Artist, Sam Nixon - Matchmove Artist, Drew Shields - Matchmove Artist, Kenny Tam - Painter (digital), Tom Nagy - Painter (digital), Dheer Chaudhary - Painter (digital), Nadav Ehrlich - Painter (digital), Mitch Gates - Painter (digital), Bryan Howard - Painter (digital), Anna Ivanova - Painter (digital), Derick Loo - Painter (digital), Toshiko Miura - Painter (digital), Hailey Moore - Painter (digital), Michaela Orzea - Painter (digital), Jorge Razon - Painter (digital), Keith Sellers - Painter (digital), Phi Train - Painter (digital)
