Semi-Pro (2008)
91 minutes
Rated – R
Directed by Kent Alterman
Starring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Maura Tierney, Andrew Benjamin
Grade: D
Semi-Pro is not funny. This is because a number of elements don’t mix well in this jock-comedy. For starters, its R-rating should allow the film more mature jokes, maybe some that cross the line like a Judd Apatow production… but that didn’t happen. It was full of silly PG-13, obnoxious, naïve jokes with an F-bomb every other sentence. It was Will Ferrell just being Will Ferrell, and quite frankly I’m getting tired of him really quick.
While I’m on the topic, I find myself questioning every movie that Will Ferrell is in. He’s either very funny… or not. Unfortunately, the hit or miss seems to be following a spiraling pattern headed downward. To me, he hasn’t appeared in a good film since Stranger Than Fiction. But since that was a different role than what he became famous for, it doesn’t count, which makes his last good film… Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy. Yes, that’s the last film people remember Will Ferrell for, and yes, that was four years ago.
Back to the very unfunny Semi-Pro, Will Ferrell continues his arsenal of sports comedies after Talladega Nights and Blades of Glory, both movies not very good or funny. Well, at least he’s been consistent.
Will Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, owner/coach/ player/ pop-singer/ stunt-man/ bear wrestler/ choreographer/ etc. for the American Basketball Association team, The Tropics of Flint, Michigan. The team sucks, which translates to their nearly abandoned arena during their home games. But after word got out of a merger between the ABA and the NBA, The Tropics strive to make a top four spot so their franchise could join the NBA. With the help of former NBA champion, Monix (Harrelson), they go on a winning streak and have fourth place in their grasp.
As a sports movie, it never captures the heart or intensity of an underdog team racing to the top. And as a comedy, it underachieves greatly to deliver punch-lines and anything remotely funny. The only scene I found myself laughing at was when they started using the alley-oop. Besides that, there’s really nothing funny about the film.
Overall, the film had about three storylines, none of which carry any depth and just made the film worse than what it could’ve been if it just stuck with one. I don’t know whose story was more painful to sit through: Jackie Moon’s self-realization that he’s not a good owner/ coach/ player/ pop-singer/ etc, but a great marketer, the lost-love story between Monix and Lynn, or the childhood dream of Clarence Black to reach the NBA. To prevent myself from thinking about this film any longer, I’ll just state they were all equally bad. Will Ferrell has a lot on the line for his next comedy with John C. Reilly titled, Step Brothers. If this is another bust, which I assume it’ll be, I can legitimately say the Frat Pack leader is dead.
Posted by Rob Eng 
