"Semi-Pro" is another Will Ferrell sports spoof movie. Set in 1976, Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, a former pop one-hit wonder (of course you get to hear his awesomely bad song "Love Me Sexy") who used his record money to become the owner, coach, promoter, and a player on the Flint Michigan Tropics of the ABA. When the ABA commissioner announces that the league will fold after the current season, and 4 teams will merge into the NBA, Moon manages to convince the other owners that rather than picking the 4 best markets to merge into the NBA, it should be based on performance, with the 4 top teams in the standings merging in. In an effort to fulfill his dream of making it to the NBA, Moon trades for former NBA player Monix, played by Woody Harrelson.
"Semi-Pro" is definitely not one of Ferrell's best movies. There are quite a few scenes that are obvious attempts to follow the Will Ferrell sports spoof formula to success, such as an obligatory near nude scene for Ferrell. The movie also has a few structural problems. For example, it can't quite make up its mind whether Will Ferrell or Woody Harrelson is the star of the movie. Monix feels like the main character, since he is responsible for leading the Tropics' turnaround, and he's the one that gets the romantic subplot. On the other hand, this is a Will Ferrell movie, so Ferrel's character gets a lot more screen time, and one of the casualties is that Monix's romantic subplot feels shallow and superfluous, even compared to the standards of this genre, which is a shame since this means completely wasting Maura Tierney's participation in the movie.
In the end, there are enough clever jokes and new scenes, that if you are a Will Ferrell fan like me, you will enjoy the movie. If you're so-so on Ferrell, though, you'd probably be better off skipping "Semi-Pro."
Final Grade: B
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
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