Valentine's Schmalentine's

So for the Valentine's Day post, I thought, do I try to pick from a billion crappy rom coms to write about? I decided against that and thought for a change I'll make a post about Winter Olympic themed flicks. It being Winter Olympics time and whatnot, especially since it's taking place this year in my lovely country. Sooo, happy Olympics, everybody!

Blades of Glory
I really like this one a lot. Cheesy comedy? Yes. Guilty Pleasure? Most definitely. Will Ferrell and Jon Heder star as two rival men's skating champions who get banned for life from skating. Ferrell is Chazz Michael Michaels, the bad boy of skating while Heder is Jimmy MacElroy, a wholesome, picture-on-the-Wheaties-box type champion. They discover they can still compete if they team up and skate as a pair, much to their reluctance. Odd Couple hijinks ensue. Also starring Will Arnett and Amy Poehler as their pairs skating nemeses, plus many more great comedic talents.

Cool Runnings
This film is a comedic story about the real life challenges of the Jamaican Bobsled Team that competed at the winter Olympics in Calgary in '88. Starring the late, great John Candy as a disgraced, former bobsled coach who reluctantly takes on the four men who wish to go to the Olympics as Jamaica's first bobsled team. Classic underdog story, as well as fish out of water story, being that well, there's no snow in Jamaica (duh). Very funny and another reminder that we lost John Candy much too soon.

The Cutting Edge
I admit I saw this once a longgg time ago and remember it vaguely, but hey, it fits. Moira Kelly stars as a temperamental pairs figure skating champion in need of a partner after a bad fall. After trying out several partners who are unable to deal with her attitude, her coach and her father stumble onto an ex hockey player (played by D.B. Sweeney) with no figure skating experience that may be a possibility. Classic rom com with a figure skating twist. Kate (Kelly) and Doug (Sweeney) are oil and water who often butt heads, but somehow end up having feelings for each other.

Better Off Dead
Okay, so this one might be reaching a little bit. Although not Olympic themed, it involves alpine skiing, so give me a break! In all honesty this one is a favourite winter movie of mine. John Cusack stars as Lane Meyer, a high school guy who gets dumped by his girlfriend, Beth. Lane decides that the only way to get Beth back is to beat the captain of the high school alpine ski team on the slopes, since he was the one who stole her away. Lane gets help training for the race from the French foreign exchange student hottie who's staying across the street and from his hilarious friend, Charles de Mar (Curtis Armstrong) who has one of the most classic lines in this flick. "Lane, I've been going to this high school for seven and a half years. I'm no dummy!"

So if you'd rather hit yourself in the head with a big chocolate heart over and over again than watch another predictable romantic comedy on Valentine's Day, curl up with one of these instead. Can't make it to Blockbuster or can't find it at the video store? Here's Cool Runnings and The Cutting Edge both in full on YouTube. Enjoy!





Happy Valentine's Day, dear readers........more ramblings to come........