Nothing, that is, save for the macho and swaggering Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell). He is the rock star of the skating world, his unabashed sex appeal more than the feminine, and some of the masculine, audience members can actually stand.

These two have met in the finals before, but this time at the World Championships the unthinkable has happened and MacElroy and Michaels have actually tied for first place. Needless to say, this doesn’t sit well with either man, the end-all be-all being they run roughshod over the proceedings and even set fire to the venues cute and cuddly winter sports mascot.

Now, banned from singles competitive figure skating for life, these two men must put their differences aside and do the unthinkable. Under the guidance of Jimmy’s former Coach (Craig T. Nelson), they will become the sport’s first male/male competitive pairs team. It will take hard work, dedication and a willingness to put their differences aside but, if they can do this, redemption will come in the form of the one thing both want more than anything on this earth: A Gold Medal.

This is Blades of Glory, the latest absurdist comedy starring Will Ferrell. Like Elf, Anchorman and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby before it, this one is for an acquired taste prone to enjoy the man’s (to my mind at least) dubious products. However, unlike those other three I’m going to give this film a pass, bits of it making me laugh just uncontrollably enough to not feel bad about giving it a mild shrug of approval.

But only a mild one. This is the type of comedy I have no problem forgetting to put on pause at home or running to the bathroom in the middle of at the theaters worrying I might miss something important. This film is as stupid as the day is long, Apparently written by committee (there are five credited writers), much of the picture sits there like a lump on a log, the jokes that do work so few and far between the freeze going on in my head was probably icier than the cinematic rink everyone was skating upon.

Thankfully, the stuff that is funny is brutally so. Better than that, Ferrell didn’t drive me completely up the wall like he usually does. In fact, I almost liked him here, and while I’m not about to admit either he (Stranger than Fiction notwithstanding) and Heder (Napoleon Dynamite be damned) are the greatest of comedians they certainly know exactly what they’re doing in this.

It helps considerably that so many real-life athletes (including Nancy Karrigan, Brian Boitano, Dorothy Hamill, Peggy Fleming and – in the film’s best bit – Sasha Cohen) are so willing to take the time to make fun of themselves. I was also quite taken with Will Arnett (who I thought was sensational on Arrested Development) and Amy Poehler (whom I usually detest) as arch rival skaters Stanz and Fairchild Van Waldenberg, the two of them as supercilious and silly as any pair I could possibly imagine.

Listen, I’m not going to tell you I loved this thing. Even if I did, I’m pretty positive those who have read me for a while would probably figure out pretty darn quickly I’m lying through my teeth. But, for an obnoxious comedy of this sort Blades of Glory isn’t half bad, and while I feel like I’m skating on thin ice saying so I’m reasonably positive it isn’t going to break and leave me wet wondering what the heck happened.

Film Rating: êê1/2  (out of 4)