Will ferrell stars in semi-pro an outrageous comedy set in 1976 against the backdrop of the maverick aba a fast-paced wild and crazy basketball league that rivaled the nba and made a name for itself with innovations like the three-point shot and slam dunk contest. Studio: New Line Home Video Release Date: 09/30/2008 Starring: Will Ferrell Andrea Bejamin Rating: R Director: Ken Alterman
The 1970s are back in all their excessive glory in Semi-Pro, an uneven but not uninspired Will Ferrell comedy about a professional basketball team that puts more energy into insane promotional schemes than playing well on the court. Ferrell stars as Jackie Moon, a former pop sensation who made enough money from a couple of hit records (the biggest: "Love Me Sexy") to buy Flint, Mich.'s the Tropics, a disorganized bunch of losers with one genuine talent named Coffee Black (Andre J. Benjamin). Despite knowing little about the game, Jackie is the Tropics' coach as well as a player, though his greater love is in coming up with such bizarre marketing stunts as wrestling a bear and attempting a motorcycle jump over a line of cheerleaders. When the Tropics look like they might be shut down, Jackie desperately agrees to let washed-up veteran player Monix (Woody Harrelson) take over coaching, turning the team's fortunes around--just a bit. The film's thin premise opens the floodgates to a series of absurd vignettes that suit Ferrell's silly-satiric brand of frat humor very well. There are choice moments, such as Jackie's table-shoving tantrum at a meeting of team owners (presided over by an aghast but tolerant commissioner, adroitly played by David Koechner), and his rapid escape from the Tropics' arena when he realizes everyone in the stands has won free corndogs (at Jackie's expense). Other performers shine, too, including Will Arnett and Andrew Daly as a glass-half-full/glass-half-empty pair of game announcers, and Maura Tierney as Monix's former love interest. The script is by Scot Armstrong (The Heartbreak Kid), and the film is the first directorial effort of producer Kent Alterman (Mr. Woodcock). --Tom Keogh
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 3.0 / 5.0
The Worst Movie I've Ever Seen:
Let me start by saying that I love bad movies. I appreciate when a film is so unable to be taken seriously that it winds up being funny, or adds to the value of its badness.
Then there are movies with huge stars, enormous budgets, and awful stories. These are movies which truly suck. Months ago I thought Spiderman 3 was the worst a movie could get, but it got on its knees and gave the cake to Semi Pro.
I enjoy Will Ferrell in Old School, Night at the Roxbury, SNL, etc. But this time he has gone... more info
So Silly:
I love Will Ferrell, but apparently can only take him in small doses. His SNL skits were hilarious, but a full length movie with him as one of the main characters? Way too much. Semi-Pro has its moments. Some of the dialogue is hysterical, but to hear similar types of backyard humor over and over gets old. This is worth watching on cable only.
It has its moment:
Not as funny as anyone expected. I love Will Ferrell most of his movies are fantastic, but clearly he really needed some money so he headlined this craptastic movie, it had a couple funny parts but mostly a dumbed down plot that moved slowly.
Here comes the Alley... and there goes the Oop!:
Short Attention Span Summary (SASS): Time: The `70s 1. Will Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, a one hit wonder who owns, coaches and plays with his basketball team the Flint Tropics.
2. As you would expect, the team isn't doing very well
3. Down and out, but not giving up, Moon negotiates a chance for his team to join the NBA
4. Maybe white men can't jump, but he trades a major appliance for Ed Monnix (Woody Harrelson) anyway
5. Coffee Black (Andre Benjamin) finds his form and... more info
