Semi-Pro

For the most part, I like Will Ferrell's comedy. I really do. I loved Talladega Nights, to be honest. I laughed throughout the whole thing. I had expected this to be a good bounce-back from Blades of Glory. I prayed that Mr. Ferrell just happened to make a flop and was back to making good movies. I was wrong.

I felt the plot itself was solid--I really like it as a non-comedic movie. But it insists on itself--it just begs to be laughed at. The problem with that is that it insists in all the wrong ways. For example, Shaun of the Dead is one of my all-time favorites, mostly because of the fact that it is a rather serious subject with scenes that could be seen as horrific and yet maintains to be laugh-out-loud hilarious every time I watch it. It insists on being a good movie, not on getting you to laugh at cheap jokes. That's where Semi-Pro went wrong. You have to either be ridiculous with a handful of serious elements (ala The Big Lebowski) or serious with a handful of comedic elements (ala Shaun of the Dead). Semi-Pro doesn't fit into either, because it's not good enough in either one of those categories.

I probably only laughed out loud maybe three or four times throughout the whole movie, and more out of a response to pure nonsense than actual comedic value. Like, "....what?!" rather than a response to pure hilarity. I am reminded of the "I'm on fire!" scene from Talladega Nights--hilarity. Ridiculous. Absolutely ridiculous--you just couldn't NOT laugh at it. This movie attempts to achieve the same ludicrous hilarity that Talladega Nights had...and fails miserably.

If you're a huge fan of Will Ferrell's comedy, or just Will Ferrell in general, then you may like this. Again, don't get me wrong, it's not a horrible movie, but don't expect anything epic. Unless, of course, you expect an epic fail, in which case you may be pleased.

So overall: decent movie, good storyline, great cast, horrible jokes and even worse comedic value lands it a 5 out of 10.

Semi-Pro takes place in the 1970s and is all about a small time basketball team named the Flint Michigan Tropics. The head coach, owner, and promoter is Jackie Moon (Will Ferrell) and he and his team dream of expanding to be part of the big time NBA. However Jackie is told that in order to actually have a chance at getting into the NBA, the Tropics have to get at least 2000 fans in their stadium by deadlines. The problem is that the Tropics do a little more dancing, fighting, and flailing around the court than actually playing the game. So Jackie hires a new team player named Monix (Woody Harrelson) who actually used to play for the NBA. From there on in it's up to Jackie, Monix, and the whole team to fire up some wild and crazy events for the crowd and actually learn to play the sport properly for once in order to reach their dreams.

Will Ferrell has made a bunch of funny movies already. Whether it be Anchorman, Talladega Nights, Blades of Glory, and Old School. I haven't seen all of them but I heard they were all funny, mostly because of Will Ferrell's comedic brilliance. Semi-Pro is a funny film but it's really only semi-funny, whereas the rest of Ferrell's movies were hilarious romps. Semi-Pro seems undercooked in the hilarious gag department offering a few very funny moments, but the rest of the movie only has little jokes that usually only offer giggles. My favorite moment in Semi-Pro is when Jackie Moon gets called on a foul by the ref (Also the church priest), and Jackie yells in his face an obscenity and "I'll kill your family!" Another scene that will end up a Will Ferrell classic is when he wrestles a bear, and it ends up attacking him and then getting loose in the stadium.

The music in Semi-Pro is awesome with its funky 70s soundtrack. There's also a song played through the movie sung by Jackie Moon called "Love Me Sexy", and it is as funny a song as Will Ferrell can bring. The rest of the cast includes Outkast's talented Andre Benjamin, Maura Tierney, and Will Arnett and Andrew Daly as two hilarious TV show hosts and broadcasters for the Tropics. Woody Harrelson does a fine job in Semi-Pro but he's never funny, all because the script makes his character Monix serious instead of funny. Maura Tierney really just sits around without much to really do, and even Andre Benjamin's character is made too serious to give us any laughs. I just don't understand why so many of the characters in Semi-Pro were so serious. This is a Will Ferrell comedy, everyone should have some funny moments. This problem is what makes Semi-Pro a mixed bag because only half the movie is really very funny, the rest of the movie is pulled down by far too much seriousness.

Will Ferrell and the musical soundtrack are what elevate Semi-Pro to the point where I can recommend it. Will Ferrell is still a very funny guy and I'm sure he has a lot more hilarious comedies on the way in the mere future. But Semi-Pro pretty much gives Ferrell all the funny moments, when his other movies like Anchorman gave the other characters classic moments as well. I give Semi-Pro a 2.5 out of 4, and a recommendation. It has its moments but is dragged down by far too many unfunny characters.

This movie hinges on one simple fact: do you or do you not just enjoy Will Ferrel?

If the answer to that is yes, then you will enjoy this a lot. Because there's not much new doing here: it's Ferell as another idiotic, self-loving, loud and beef-headed, dim-witted professional...insert obscure profession or athlete. This is just "Anchorman", "Ricky Bobby", "Blades of Glory", or what have you, except in basketball. If you enjoy those movies, and Will Ferrel's shameless antics (I'm not saying they're bad, I'm just saying I want to see him try something else now and then) then here's one for you.

But I also give kudos to the supporting players (like Woody Harrelson, who in a stroke of brilliance, is acting like he's in a real drama and not a spoof), the inspired 70's soundtracks and references. 6/10

When you watch a comedy -at least when I do- you want to laugh. If the movie doesn't make you laugh then is a bad comedy. If it does, then is a good one, even if it doesn't have any sense. This is the case, a good comedy, really funny, and yes, totally stupid but in a good way.

I never for a moment believed that this movie would be earth-shattering or mind-blowing. I expected it to be along the lines of "Talladega Nights" or "Kicking & Screaming," and it was. There were a few laugh out loud moments, and a few mildly amusing stretches, and then there were parts that just weren't funny at all.

But the overall experience wasn't that bad, considering I was just looking for a movie that would make me laugh and pass the night away on those rare date nights with my wife.

The only real complaint I had about it was the language. I thought some of the profanity was a bit excessive, especially considering past Will Ferrell movies. And that's really all the R rating is there for.