Blades of Glory

As guys, we've all experienced that moment where you are hanging out with the guys and suddenly realize that you've done something completely gay. And in the awkward moments that follow, and the inability to make it go away by ignoring it, there is the inevitable heterosexual act to throw it back into equilibrium. Generally, that act is something a caveman would do, like crush a beer can on one's forehead or startle the local seismic center by having the loudest release of flatulence. If you're a guy, you know exactly what I mean, and if you're a girl, you'll just have to trust me. Unfortunately, if you're the one doing the act, it is highly embarrasing; but on the other hand, if you're not the one doing the act, it is extremely humorous.

Blades of Glory is the story of rival male figure skaters played by Will Ferrell and John Heder. These two skaters are banned from the sport after fighting during the medal ceremony in which they tied for the gold medal. The only loophole they see to get themselves back into the sport is to compete in pairs figure skating. And the only partners they can find to compete with, is each other. What follows are moment lined up after moment of the awkward gay slip up and the heterosexual echo as described earlier, with a few moments of first date awkwardness and gross out comedy thrown in for good measure. For those of us not involved, as always, it was awfully funny. (Pun intended.)

I won't ruin the movie by trying to describe any of these moments, because the shock value is half the fun. Just know that at the end of the show you'll feel like you were a bagger at the grocery store, who has spent the past two hours catching cans, bags, and packages of gay/hetero. And as you walk to the car with your mind full of images of Will Ferrel both in, and out, of sequin laden spandex, you may wonder if you should go watch Die Hard to make up for seeing it.

3 Stars

Reign Over Me

Reign Over Me is the story of Charlie Fineman (Adam Sandler), who’s entire family was killed on one of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center during the terrorist attacks of September 11th, 2001. Expectedly, the incident breaks the man's heart and he has several mental problems because of this. The story is told from the perspective of Alan Johnson (Don Cheadle) who was Charlie’s roommate in dental school, and who hadn’t seen Charlie for several years and only heard of his tragedy through the media. Since dental school, Johnson (as he is referred to by his last name throughout the movie) had built a highly successful practice, while Charlie quits his after the crash. One day during his evening commute, Johnson happens to run into Charlie and reacquaints and befriends himself with Charlie and eventually gets him help.

There is an underlying story to the movie that these two men both have issues and that through their friendship, they are able to find their way through them together. Although Charlie’s problems are worn on his sleeve for the world to see, Johnson is successful in hiding his problems from everyone accept a psychiatrist that works in his building, who he waits at the curb for each night to ask advice. He has a wonderful life and loves his wife and daughters; however, he has been estranged by his partners because of some work issues, and has no friends outside of work and home. He longs for the chance to just have some “time with the guys” and just a bit of “space”. Hanging out with Charlie fills this need, and somewhat unexpectedly, Charlie also gives Johnson the courage to open up to his wife and confront his partners.

I don’t know if it was by design or just that I didn’t catch on at first, but there seemed to be a subtle shift of perception as the movie progressed. It was this shift that was the highlight of the show for me. I love it when movies do that. At the beginning of the show, Charlie seemed to be straight up crazy. But as you learned his story and understood more about him, you realized that he was in fact just extremely broken hearted. Whereas all those around him were confused and lost, Charlie knew exactly what he wanted and was coping with having lost his dream. As those around him began to realize this about Charlie, they too began to look inward to understand what they too wanted, and they began to wonder if it wasn’t in fact they themselves who were crazy and that Charlie was the sane one.

I thought that the movie was fairly sad for the majority of the time, but at the end I came away feeling that Charlie was very lucky. He knew exactly what he wanted and had achieved it, and although he lost it all, he at least had it for a while, which is more than most other people can say. That sense of accomplishment for Charlie, and the friendship formed between Charlie and Johnson are the strengths of this movie. It was somewhat saddening, dragged in some parts, and took on a difficult task with the subject matter, but overall it was an enjoyable show.

3 stars