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Though it may be more developed than TALLEDEGA NIGHTS, BLADES OF GLORY starts out like a mid-level speed skater, but ultimately limps across the finish line by embracing clichés instead of cutting them down. There are laughs to be had and far less awkwardly unfunny moments as star Will Ferrell’s previous sports spoof, but it never takes its premise further than some PG-13 potty humor.

Chazz Michael Michaels (Ferrell) and Jimmy MacElroy (Jon Heder, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE) are the premiere male figure skaters in the world. However, their personalities are like fire and ice. Michaels is a sex-addicted bad boy loner while MacElroy is an effeminate lyrical performer. After tying at a championship event, the rivals get into a brawl on the medals stand, which leads to their lifetime ban from their division. However, after their lives have fallen apart, they discover a loophole — they can skate in the pairs division. MacElroy’s former coach (Craig T. Nelson, TV’s COACH) convinces the former rivals to team up, forming the first male figure skating partnership. This infuriates brother-sister champs Stranz and Fairchild Van Waldenburg (Will Arnett, TV’s ARRESTED DEVELOPMENT & Amy Poehler, MEAN GIRLS). After MacElroy develops a crush on their younger sister Katie (Jenna Fischer, TV’s THE OFFICE), the Van Waldenburgs plot to rip Jimmy and Chazz’s partnership apart.

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It is hard to review or even watch this film without the memory of HOOP DREAMS coming to mind. Where that groundbreaking documentary blazed trails in uncovering the inner city push for children to strive for NBA stardom as the way out of poverty, this film has shades of that larger social issue, but mainly serves as a look at one coach and one great player and what happens along the way as they strive to win a state championship. My memories of HOOP DREAMS always fall back to the people and their struggles while HEART OF THE GAME just plays out like a great sports flick.

Bill Resler takes over the girls’ team at Roosevelt High School with the plan to run the full court press the whole game. He trains the players to be in better shape than their opponents. In his first season, he wins coach of the year, leading the girls to an undefeated season. At this time, Darnellia Russell was making waves across town playing ball in junior high. With pressure from her family, the tough-minded and confident African-American girl decides to travel across Seattle to attend the majority white Roosevelt in an effort to receive a better education.

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I haven’t loved any of Will Farrell’s film where he’s starred, but I have enjoyed everyone that I’ve seen. Ferrell is one of the funniest men working in films currently. He has great timing and delivery. That’s what makes TALLADEGA NIGHTS the most disappointing film he has made. A major part of the disappointment comes from the hints of greatest that lie everywhere, which are never carried out to their full potential rather replaced by lazy improv.

From a very young age, Ricky Bobby (Ferrell) wanted to “go fast.” When he gets his first shot on the NASCAR circuit, he makes a big impression. He, along with his best friend and teammate Cal Naughton Jr. (John C. Reilly, BOOGIE NIGHTS), quickly raises the ranks of pro racing. He gains the American Dream — fame, money, a hot wife. He becomes obsessed with being #1, due to his deadbeat father’s statement — If you ain’t first, you’re last. Then the dumb, cocky racer meets his toughest challenge — Jean Girard (Sacha Baron Cohen, BORAT), a gay, French, Formula One racer who Bobby’s team owner Larry Dennit Jr. (Greg Germann, TV’s ALLY MCBEAL) wants to make the next face of NASCAR. After a crash during his first race against Girard, Bobby fears racing again and soon loses everything in his life.

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Last year penguins danced in HAPPY FEET; now penguins catch the big wave in SURF’S UP. This animated mockumentary looks great and has enough heart and laughs to be a step up from Sony Picture Animation’s first animated film, OPEN SEASON. But more so than Sony’s MONSTER HOUSE, the film suffers a bit from having a stock hero, leaving the flare to the supporting cast. Nonetheless, the characters are likeable and the laughs are enough that this film is the best time I’ve had at the movies this summer so far.

Cody Maverick (Shia LaBeouf, HOLES) lives in Shiverpool, Antarctica and has dreamed of becoming a professional surfer ever since famed Big Z came to visit his town when he was a small child. A film crew interviews Cody as he sets out to prove his mother Edna (Dana Belben, HAPPY TREE FRIENDS) and older brother Glen (Brian Posehn, TV’s THE SARAH SILVERMAN PROGRAM) wrong and make it off the block of ice where he was born, succeeding as a pro athlete. Determined, he all but forces himself on talent scout Mikey Abromowitz (Mario Cantone, TV’s LAUGH WHORE), who works for the Don King-like surf promoter Reggie Belafonte (James Woods, SALVADOR). We learn that Cody’s idol Big Z disappeared during a surf tournament, leaving the arrogant Tank Evans (Diedrich Bader, TV’s THE DREW CAREY SHOW) behind as the reigning champion. Cody makes friends with laid-back Chicken Joe (Jon Heder, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE) and pretty lifeguard Lani Aliikai (Zooey Deschanel, THE HITCHHIKER’S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY), but a clash with Tank leaves Cody finally in the care of the Zen-like Geek (Jeff Bridges, THE BIG LEBOWSKI).

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Rocky has returned after 30 years in top form. Since the debut of the original film, the franchise has stepped further into ridiculousness with each subsequent installment. Sylvester Stallone wrote every episode and directed two through four. For years, the original looked like, at best, Stallone’s single artistic idea, and at worst, a total fluke. Now at 60, Stallone goes back to the emotion of that original film and delivers a gut punch to his critics. Instead of a sad joke to close out the series, he leaves us with a sad tale about a man who rose to great heights and then life knocked him down to Earth where he will have to spend the rest of his days.

After losing all his wealth in the last film, Rocky (Stallone) has now lost his greatest love Adrian. He owns a small Italian restaurant in Philly where he retells the stories of his glory days to the customers night after night. He’s very lonely, but he tries to keep up a good front with his goofy humor. However, his brother-in-law Paulie (Burt Young, ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA) doesn’t want to reminisce about the past, because it’s too painful for him to remember how he treated his loved ones. Rocky’s son Robert (Milo Ventimiglia, TV’s GILMORE GIRLS) works at a stockbroker firm where the large shadow of his father is cast over him at all times.

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Combining the inspirational inner city teacher tale with a drug abuse story, HALF NELSON bucks all the stereotypes of the similar tales that came before. The film is brought to life with complete dedication by the central performers Ryan Gosling and Shareeka Epps.

Gosling (THE NOTEBOOK) plays Dan Dunne, a middle school teacher in the inner city, who also happens to be a semi-functional drug addict. He coaches the girls’ basketball team, which includes Drey (Epps). Dunne is an unconventional teacher, who strives to make his students think rather than sticking to the school board approved material. His passion for teaching is one of the traits that attracts fellow teacher Isabel (Monique Curnen, LADY IN THE WATER) to him. However, when his now clean ex Rachel (Tina Holmes, TV’s SIX FEET UNDER) shows up, it’s the start of Dunne’s downward spiral, which begins with Drey discovering him smoking crack.

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Ever since their success with THE ROOKIE, Walt Disney Pictures has carved out a nice niche for themselves with a host of inspirational sports films. For the most part, they have all worked quite well.

INVINCIBLE is based on the true story of Vince Papale (Mark Wahlberg, THE DEPARTED), a bartender who never played college football who tries out for the Philadelphia, Eagles during an open try-out and makes the team. Papale is down on his luck — big time. He can’t keep a steady job teaching and his wife has just left him. And to make matters worse his beloved Eagles stink. College coach Dick Vermeil (Greg Kinnear, AS GOOD AS IT GETS) is hired to turn the Eagles around. As a good-will gesture to the Philly fans, he holds an open try-out. At first Papale is not interested in trying out, but his friends push him. Papale’s talents stand out and he is the only person at the open try-outs to be invited to training camp. Now Papale has to balance between holding his own against the more experienced players, his newfound celebrity and the pretty barmaid Janet Cantrell (Elizabeth Banks, SLITHER).

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This gambling tale is at its best when it is simply watching the way the world of sports betting works. Brandon Lang (Mathew McConaughey, AMISTAD) is a Division 1 college football quarterback clearly heading pro until a bad knee injury sidelines his dreams of the lavish life. While trying out for any team that will let him, Lang works in Las Vegas as a 900 number recorder. When one day he gets a shot at the sports line, he injects his own picks, which average an 80% accuracy. After which he gets a call from Walter Abrams (Al Pacino, THE GODFATHER), who runs one of the hottest sports picking services in the U.S.

Their business is legal because they do not take bets; only advise betters on whom to bet on. Lang’s talent at picking winners is unmatched, so Abrams lavishes the young man with money and a beautiful apartment while training him to become a salesman. In the process, Abrams transforms the non-cursing, non-betting Lang into a sports car driving, cocky persona named John Anthony. Abrams looks at Lang as the son he never had often including him in outings with his wife Toni Morrow (Rene Russo, THE THOMAS CROWN AFFAIR) and ultimately building his business around the young man.

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Famed CHINATOWN writer Robert Towne made his directing debut with this film, which deals with high-level competitive sports and lesbianism.

Chris Cahill (Mariel Hemingway, MANHATTAN) is a talented young hurdler, who loses a big preliminary meet because she is scared by how good the other athletes are. After the race, Chris is lambasted by her coach/father. Pentathlete Tory Skinner (Patrice Donnelly, former pentathlete) recognizes Chris’ talent and encourages her that evening when she finds Chris breaking down. As they kick back that night with some beers and a joint, they discover that they have a sexual attraction to each other. Tory pressures her tough coach Terry Tingloff (Scott Glenn, THE RIGHT STUFF) to train Chris. Eventually, Terry pushes Chris to participate in the pentathlon as well. This creates a great tension in the romantic relationship between Chris and Tory. Terry begins to fear that the relationship is holding Chris back or even worse sabotaging her.

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Matt Buckner (Elijah Wood, LORD OF THE RINGS) has been recently kicked out of Harvard where he was studying journalism. He was charged with drug dealing, which was not true, but he was unable to stand up for himself against his powerful roommate, whose father is a senator. Lost at what to do next, Matt travels to England to visit his sister Shannon (Claire Forlani, MALLRATS), who has married a Brit named Steve (Marc Warren, TV’s BAND OF BROTHERS). Steve’s younger brother Pete (Charlie Hunnam, NICHOLAS NICKLEBY) is the leader of the local soccer gang… oh wait, I’d be beaten for that… football firm called the Green Street Elite.

These fans unite in support of their teams, getting drunk and usually getting in bloody fights with firms for opposing teams. At first, Pete wants nothing to do with the Yank Matt, but he decides to take him along to a match nonetheless. Pete’s right hand man Bovver (Leo Gregory, TRISTAN + ISOLDE) is greatly skeptical about allowing Matt to hang with them.

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