Blades of Glory

Starring: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, William Fichtner

Directed by: Josh Gordon, Will Speck

RS: 2of 4 Stars

2007 Paramount Pictures All Movies

The odd-couple joke is right up front: Will Ferrell as Chazz Michael Michaels, the skater as macho slob, and John Heder as Jimmy MacElroy, the twit on ice. "You look like a fifteen-year-old girl, but not hot," says Chazz to Jimmy. When a brawl at the 2002 World Figure Skating Championships gets them banned from the sport, they find a loophole that allows them to compete as the first-ever men's pair. That's the one joke, with crotch and gay bits aplenty, on which Ferrell and Heder spin comic variations until the script leaves them dizzy from the strain. Directors Josh Gordon and Will Speck distract us with tricky stunts. The villains, an incestuous brother and sister played by real-life marrieds Amy Poehler and Will Arnett, are a hoot. And Office honey Jenna Fischer is welcome as Jimmy's love. But Blades takes a hard fall long before it can even nab a medal for fluff.