Retro Review: Blades Of Glory (2007)

Blades Of Glory
2007
Cast: Will Ferrell, Jon Heder, Will Arnett, Amy Poehler, William Fichtner, Jenna Fischer, Craig T. Nelson
Genre: Comedy
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $145 million 

Plot: In 2002, two rival Olympic ice skaters were stripped of their gold medals and permanently banned from men's singles competition. Presently, however, they found a loophole that will allow them to qualify as a pairs team

'Ice, Ice Skating, Baby!'

Blades of Glory descended on the cinema and theater-going public over 10 years ago and thus garnered favourable reviews and recouped nearly $150 million, worldwide. An affectionate parody on the sport known as ice skating, this is a traditional underdog tale where the hero triumphs against all the odds. There was something that struck me about Blades of Glory, but what really impressed me was how watchable it became, thanks to the physical slapstick, visual wit, the amusing one-liners, an arch-nemesis duo for the guys to contend with, and how the story managed to hold up all the way through.  

The film surprisingly has multiple writers on board, Craig Cox, Jeff Cox, John Altschuler, David Krinsky: usually, this spells trouble and quite often, this can result in scattered and underdeveloped characters and story. Yet surprise surprise, their efforts have turned out to be one that is one of the best comedies of 2007, alongside Edgar Wright's Hot Fuzz. 

Chazz Michael Michaels is a ladies man (in an odd way) and sex-o-holic figure skater who is a rival to Jimmy MacElroy, whose life is run by his controlling father, Darren. After Chazz and Jimmy brawl on the podium during the world championship, they are each stripped of the gold medal and winnings and get thrown out of the competition for good. Chazz becomes a boozy, overweight guy and who doesn't give a damn, anymore. 3 and a half years later, Jimmy's stalker tries to find a way to get him back on the ice: it appears that there is a loophole whereby Chazz and Jimmy can compete in the contest -, providing they enter as a pairing. With the help of Jimmy's old coach, the two begrudgingly team up and train and prepare for their showdown with their new rivals, Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg.  

Figure skating as a subject and theme is one of the easiest and simplest concepts ripe for a comedy, or be it a film around; it all boils down to the execution and whether or not it touches on the tropes, conventions and the things associated with it, and it does so in a pleasing and entertaining fashion. Well, Blades of Glory succeeded and whilst this is wittier and funny and not ha-ha-ha funny, the slapstick and pratfalls, which ranged from amusing to almost raucously hilarious, helped the film a great deal.

There was a tad more slapstick here than in Anchorman, which was a huge sigh of relief and was something I demanded and expected more out of a Will Ferrell comedy. And in Chazz Michael Michaels, was a Will Ferrell character that displayed far more range, gusto and bravado and physical comedy than I have seen him put out. It may not be and is not is his best role; that it is another 'jerk'-like character.... yet humour-wise and in terms of the funny, this is (probably) his funniest I have seen of his, so far. Looking like he was having a hoot here and several times, he displayed the bonkers side of Ferrell, as well as Michaels's clueless, oafishness and manly-ness. Usually, his characters are abrasive, loud and can come across as overconfident -, but here with Chazz, there is a certain likability and charm that Ferrell exudes. He makes him likeable, but also a bit of a moron, but a moron who is appealing and a character we can root for.  

That and seeing Will Ferrell strutting and skating around on thin ice in an undersized and fetching red and snazzy leotard and with a bad- looking '80s style hairdo is an image that will be ingrained in my mind. 

Opposite Ferrell was Napoleon Dynamite's Jon Heder's prissy, nice guy image as Jimmy and the two polar opposites make for a curious comedy double act. Heder makes for a surprisingly good foil for Ferrell's larger- than- life onscreen persona and seeing this pairing break out into silly- looking poses and over-the-top flips and twists (courtesy of CGI) made me smile from ear to ear. The snarky brother and sister incestuous villains played by Will Arnett and Amy Poehler get in on the act, as they try to beat them at their own dastardly game. They could have been written in a way that they are throwaway and downright irritating to the core, but thankfully, Arnett and Poehler's turns are entertaining, despite their one-note characterisations. 

With the acerbic ness of Anchorman and its parody on figure skating, this is another good addition to Will Ferrell's filmography; its tone is akin to The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and its satirical take on magicians and acts of illusionary. The comedy garners considerable laughs and the broad feel and approach Blades of Glory opts for, makes it more entertaining than I'd expected. One scene has Chazz being chased by Stranz and when Stranz fires what looks like a harpoon gun, it hits the mascot, and he dies! Thus forth, there is a refreshing wittiness and zip to this comedy with almost every scene as it successfully pokes fun at the sport. It avoids going down the 'gross-out' route and continuously resorting to tasteless gags on bodily parts and functions and present things in a whimsical way too. Blades of Glory is also no stranger to cameos from figure skating greats that include Nancy Kerrigan. 

This is exactly how I wanted Anchorman to be like, as well as Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Bobby Ricky. Blades of Glory is not usually the type of comedy one would associate Ferrell with, but here he shows that he can cut it in the slapstick and conventionalist comedy stakes, and not just deliver in surrealist comedy. Ferrell steals the limelight, pulling out all the stops and is comedy gold, as he and the film embrace the silliness of it all and playing it all for laughs and doing it well, whilst treading on Zoolander's waters. 

Final Verdict: 

A sports flick that doesn't take itself too seriously, but at the same time embracing its traditions and roots of figure skating, whilst it is by no means groundbreaking and the second to third act becomes a tad mundane, Blades of Glory is most cases, a glorious and spontaneous display of this winter-based sport & the best film on ice skating that I've seen that basks under the light with good skating action, amusing comedy to delight and tickle viewers with and all along with an engaging and flashy turn by Will Ferrell.

And just as importantly for a comedy, it is a heap of fun.


Overall: 

Retro Review: Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy
2004
Cast: Will Ferrell, Cristina Applegate, Paul Rudd, Steve Carell, David Koechner, Fred Willard, Vince Vaughn
Genre: Comedy
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $90 million

Plot: Ron Burgundy is San Diego's top-rated newsman in the male-dominated broadcasting of the 1970s, but that's all about to change for Ron & his cronies when an ambitious woman is hired as a news anchor 

'Patchy Comedy, But Still Held Together By Ferrell'

When it comes to comedy movie stars, it seems as though each decade, there has been one performer who has dominated the Hollywood movie scene with a string of frequent hits: the 1980s belonged to Eddie Murphy in Beverly Hills Cop, Trading Places, Coming To America, 48 Hrs and in the 1990s arguably, and for me anyway, it was Robin Williams who struck gold with a string of comedies Mrs Doubtfire, The Birdcage, a comedic turn as the Genie in Aladdin, alongside his Oscar-winning dramatic turn in Good Will Hunting. & the 2000s saw the breakthrough of Saturday Night Live's Will Ferrell: the Irvine-born comic and actor came on the scene via Old School, Elf, Blades of Steel. But it was the success of The Legend of Ron Burgundy that truly put Ferrell on the comedy movie map, and for a while, he was huge and on a good run of form;  alas, his career was surging after this effort. 

Some of the misogyny in this film was a little disappointing to witness, which unfortunately became a norm from the early 2000s onwards in many comedies, whilst the comedy by Will Ferrell and courtesy of Judd Apatow is a lot less conventional and in the vein of the tomfoolery and broad farce of that of Robin Williams and Jim Carrey, but it is also witty in places from an entertainment point of view. In essence, it is a smarter and wittier version of the Farrelly Brothers humour and is far less malicious and mean-spirited in contrast. 

As a broad spoof on the 1970s and television news, it mocks these subjects rather well, without dumbing down too much. The characters are affectionate parodies of newscasters, with Ron who, despite his perverse attractions, is kind of charming too. Even if his character is a bit of misogynist. Will Ferrell is Will Ferrell who is less loud, but still, he is just as amusing in his own way, relying on the low brow antics and whilst this is his movie, his performance doesn't overshadow the remaining cast members. Ferrell, who also acts as a co-writer of Anchorman, plays Ron: a successful news anchorman who has a thing for Veronica: a female reporter who was hired by the station manager to increase and boost diversity, - but also, she is the same person targeted by Ron's colleagues to stop her from reigning in on their all-boys club parade. Tensions arise and it isn't long until the feuds and the in-fighting affect pretty much everyone involved. It is up to Ron to fix things and put them right. 

The support in Cristina Applegate, Steve Carell and Ant-Man's Paul Rudd hold their own opposite Ferrell. There are also cameos from Vince Vaughn, Luke Wilson, Ben Stiller, Jack Black, of whom is in one scene where he dropkicks a fake dog towards the end (!), and an uncredited Tim Robbins, who was in his first big notable movie, since, well 1994's The Shawshank Redemption. 

Despite her attractive looks, Veronica is no ditzy blonde, nor pushover who gives the guys a run for her money and Applegate infuses the character confidence and a strong female presence, as well as giving the film another angle in which to work with. Some of the humour that works well occurs when Veronica is having to contend with Ron and his buddies incessant sexist behaviour and she tries to put them in their place. 

Comedy-wise, it is very sly, scattering and patchy, and not laugh-out-loud funny; however, when it and the gags hit the target, they land more than they miss, which is a good sign. As mentioned, The Legend of Ron Burgandy lampoons the world of broadcast television news and to an extent the 1970s era, effectively. As the film went on, I realised this is mainly comprised of mini SNL sketch pieces that are stretched out and follow one after the after. This made the viewing experience a tad cumbersome.

Personally, it's not bad and it is thanks to star man Ferrell, who makes Anchorman work but he needed to bring out more of the funny, which this film could have done more with. It is a comedy where it could have been a whole lot better, although some people may find his rambling as Ron tiresome, this has some mildly amusing one-liners and one or two light-hearted scenes. If you are not a fan of comedy films in general, then most likely, you will not be into this movie, nor enjoy it as much, as the humour is not reliant on pumping out jokes, gags and slapstick every 10 to 15 mins. Which, for this film, it would have helped if it had far more consistent and better slapstick and comedy. The improv is okay, but again, it needed that for me to laugh out a lot more, which it didn't do; plus Judd Apatow's films don't do it for me. 

By today's standards in the post-2010s, Anchorman just doesn't have that commercial mainstream accessibility, I tried to see its appeal from that train of thought, but the humour, which was and is a key component in many of these comedies that I watch, was lacking. This is just me, but having grown up with Eddie Murphy, Robin Williams, Leslie Nielsen and Jim Carrey in the 1980s and 1990s back in the day, I'm so used to their own brands of comedy that are also accessible to general audiences; nevertheless, Anchorman most definitely stands as a certifiable cult comedy and the Judd Apatow style has its share of fans and admirers.

Final Verdict: 

When I tune into a Will Ferrell film, I expect considerable laughs, as well as partially stupid and silly humour, - and this wasn't as hilarious as I anticipated. Anchorman's own strength is finding satire in the exploration of news media, yet its weakness is that the comedy aspect just wasn't there in abundance, pretty much most of the time. As comedies go that is so gag-based, ultimately it depends on whether it works for you and you find it amusing enough. Comedy is a subjective experience; with film, it's not so much about whether one is in on the joke, but that it makes you laugh a lot. 

Unfortunately, Anchorman's big laughs just didn't materialise and absurdist humour doesn't equate to hilarity. Dumb can be funny, being dumb can lead to all manner of fun situations, but it felt like here as if it was being dumb and silly, without the funniness to back it up.  

Still, when Will Ferrell is onscreen, Anchorman becomes a tad amusing, as opposed to funny and he carries the movie with aplomb and considerable ease.  


Overall: 

Retro Review: Elf (2003)

Elf
2003
Cast: Will Ferrell, James Caan, Zoey Deschanel, Mary Steenbergen, Bob Newhart
Genre: Christmas Fantasy Comedy
Worldwide Box Office Gross: over $220 million

Plot: After inadvertently wrecking havoc on the elf community due to his ungainly size, a man raised as an elf at the North Pole is sent to the U.S in search of his true identity

'Express Your Elf'

A Christmas comedy steeped in tradition but also given the Will Ferrell treatment through his brand of comedy and humour, Elf sees the former Saturday Night Live comic unleash his child-like side as man-child Buddy seeks out what is his true worth as an elf.

Elf is more of a comedy about Christmas and less so a Christmas comedy and it's still an enjoyable romp.

Years before he established himself in the Daddy's Home movies, Ferrell starred in this festive comedy directed by actor Jon Favreau, who also gave us Iron Man & Chef. Raised as an elf, Buddy Hobbs was once a baby who found himself in Santa's toy sack and inadvertently into the North Pole. He grew up into a not so bright elf, but when he discovers he is human and not an elf, he goes in search for his biological father named Walter Hobbs, in the hopes of reconnecting with him. Walter, on the other hand, thinks Buddy is a bit of a nutter and thus, he is dismissed by pretty much everyone he meets. But Buddy is not going to give up in winning over Walter, Walter's son and wooing a love interest: a fellow store worker played by Blonde-haired Zooey Deschanel. 

Elf is a cartoon-like caper fish out of water tale come to life, which is also mixed in with animated stop-motion sequences that look terrific and the sight of Ferrell parading himself in yellow tights and Green elf suit & his cheerful demeanour as Buddy, is bemusing. 

& yet Elf is not quite the laugh fest I've come to expect and it doesn't topple Jingle All The Way, as far as festive comedy movies go as the comedy just wasn't always there & for me it doesn't feel as fun as that Arnold Schwarzenneger flick and the third and final act does make the film lose some steam, but it does have an endearing Holiday charm and spirit that illicit Christmas time that is very innocent and clean. The maple syrup with spaghetti thing was just too weird for my tastes though.

In the hands of any other director but Jon Favreau and star Will Ferrell, Elf would have been a complete bomb and it just wouldn't be anywhere as watchable. The film borrows a few ideas from other Christmassy movies, but the end product is more endearing, which is no bad thing and is less comedic. I will say that it has its heart in places, and the comedy was okay in places but it was inconsistent, whilst the story needed to be stronger and more convincing. 

Final Verdict: 

I am a tad disappointed that it wasn't as entertaining as I'd wanted and expected, given how well it did at the box office initially, but nonetheless, when it comes to capturing the festive spirit and feeling more Christmassy, Elf succeeds in that respect. 

As a comedy, it needed to have been better and yet it is mildly amusing, but the rest of the film ranged from okay to good with the schmaltz levels kept to a low. 

You really need to be able to tolerate Will Ferrell to dig this one, although he also deserved a slightly more meaningful and funnier script to go along with his performance & the heartwarming feel it evokes.

Elf is nice, endearing with clean humour that encapsulates what Christmas is about, but it is Will Ferrell who makes it worth seeing and as it is the ideal setup for his schtick. Elf is one of those movies that kind of sits there, but also it's not crap or bad. 

Still, given that Christmas movies have gotten lamer and worse since the early 2000s, but for 1 or 2 exceptions, Elf is still my favourite festive film of the 21st Century by a long distance. 

Overall: