Unless I missed something profound in the scene in which Jon Heder, as poofy-haired skater Jimmy MacElroy, tugged a trail of cigarette-butt-covered toilet paper into his mouth using his tongue,
Blades of Glory isn't a work of high art. However, the flick, which topped the box-office totals during its first week of release, is stupidly diverting enough to pass muster with most fans of Will Ferrell, who literally pairs with Heder in the guise of horndog ice master Chazz Michael Michaels -- and it provides a few bonuses for viewers in this fair state. After MacElroy is banned from participating in men's singles competitions, his self-aggrandizing adoptive father, portrayed by William Fichtner, dumps him at the side of a pretend Colorado road and then drives off in a limo whose personalized plates -- they read "GO 4 GOLD" -- bear the familiar green-and-white mountain design. Later, MacElroy and Michaels skate as a team for the first time at an event in this Mile High burg. The crowd in the faux-Pepsi Center is silent and judgmental at first, but following the comically bizarre routine, they erupt in applause. Michaels/Ferrell milks the reaction by bellowing, "Denver! City by the bay!
John Denver!"
Yep: The rest of America is laughing at a mention of John Denver shortly after the Colorado legislature made his tune "Rocky Mountain High" the second official state song. There's not much glory in that for the "city by the bay." But it's pretty damn funny anyway. -- Michael Roberts
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