OLESYA SALNIKOVA
A&E Assistant
I used to have one of those childish aspirations to become an Olympic skater, following the tradition of dozens of Russian ice skating champions. Little did I know that apparently you have to wear a glittering sea-green jumpsuit and be a man. For example, actors Will Farrell and John Heder team up in the film “Blades of Glory,” which was released on DVD Aug. 28, as ice skating champs skating through disaster and into victory.
In the film, Will Farrell plays ice skating champion Chazz Michael Michaels, who is battling for the men’s singles title with arch enemy Jimmy MacElroy. As the two escalate into a spiral of mishaps, eventually getting themselves banned from the ice skating world, they reluctantly team up in order to win the Olympic medal from the self-obsessed Waldenberg sister-brother pair.
Comedies like “Blades of Glory” are basking in the limelight of American cinematography by elevating comedy to a different level – the level of extremity. These comedies are using jokesters like Farrell and Heder to create movies that lack any real depth or purpose. They are purely “funny,” with rather juvenile jokes and some crazy personalities.
Films like “Blades of Glory” rely explicitly on the dynamics of a handful of actors, who steal the spotlight with their lovable, yet extremely foolish on-screen personas. In the recent years, this comedy genre has allowed actors like Will Farrell, Vince Vaughn, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson to take center stage as stumbling, kooky and outrageous funnymen.
While each actor is undoubtedly talented, each has distinguished characteristics and a unique persona that manages to creep into every film. Not only is nearly every movie in this genre becoming repetitive, but the characters are turning out to be exceedingly predictable. Though this is not keeping people from watching the films, one has to question what effects they will ultimately have on the future and quality of film and thought.
And, the skating team of Farrell and Heder isn’t the only dynamic duo in the comedy world.
Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson pair up as party-hopping hooligans in “Wedding Crashers” (2005). They play two conmen who love women on the outside, but are really just a couple of guys looking for love on the inside.
And, then there are the modeling feuds, not unlike the ones in the ice skating world, in “Zoolander” (2001). The film features the same dynamic duo of Wilson and Stiller, as well as Will Farrell. Wilson and Stiller are most akin to the enemy-turned-best friend duo in “Blades of Glory,” with their unrealistic personas and bizarre mannerisms.
While these films are, for the most part, outrageously funny, it is becoming uninteresting to see the same faces on screen, as well as to hear the same jokes and relive the same gestures. And, since Wilson occupies a coveted spot in this comedy genre, viewers must question whether his recent breakdown will have an affect on the style or the actors who have fed off his energy for so long.
Maybe a new set of funnymen, like Steve Carroll and Paul Rudd, to name a few, will come to the forefront of American comedy in the near future.
Wilson has already postponed one of his projects. He was supposed to begin filming the comedy Tropic Thunder, which would have paired him with (surprise, surprise) Ben Stiller, but has recently dropped out — not a good sign.
Regardless of the genre’s future, these flicks can be a good time to relax and have some laughs. Just don’t expect to be blown away intellectually — these guys are not meant to make you think hard on the meaning of life. But, hey, it’s just comedy, right?
09-20-2007
