This season the comedy folk have decided to plonk their customary buddy-movie sports comedy into the world of champion figure skating. The set-up is simple. Two rivals - the angelic Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder) and sex-addict wild man Chazz Michael Michaels (Will Ferrell) are banned from their beloved sport, but discover a loophole that will allow them to compete again. The catch? It has to be as a pair. It's paint-by-numbers, but rather than fall into bland comedy hell, Blades of Glory has a few aces up its sleeve.

Ace one: the cast. Will Ferrell may be starting to be a bit overkill on films at the moment but he brings a cocky edge of absurdity to Chazz. And Jon Heder proves he's not just Napoleon Dynamite (as fabulous as he was). His amazing teeth and golden locks are enough to draw smiles alone, but coupled with a laid-back naivety and a penchant for wearing ridiculous costumes and he's a worthy contender to Ferrell for taking the comedy crown of the film.

Sweeping in to take the glory, however, is Will Arnett (Arrested Development) as the lads' main rival. His physical comedy is genius - just the way he holds himself, or lies on a sofa, is enough to make you grin. It's a great shame he isn't in this film as much as he should have been.

Ace two: the premise. Because despite the obvious sports-comedy formula, this is still two men ice skating together. There's plenty of opportunity to create comic scenarios that are unique to this sport. Macho posturing resulting in a bare-chested slide across grazing ice. Dubious new lifts involving hands on parts. Ridiculous routines. It's all there, plus some great surreal moments too.

Combine these two aces and you get a comedy that produces constant smiles, occasional chuckles and one or two guffaws. But though it's amusing with some great lines and performances, there's still the genre element that it can't quite break out of. This doesn't have the same spark as Zoolander or Anchorman, but it's still a welcome bout of fun for Spring.