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Semi-Pro
is the fourth - and worst - sports related film starring comedian
Will Ferrell. He plays Jackie Moon, hit singer of the No.1 selling
record "Love Me Sexy", and owner, coach, and player of
the Flint Michigan Tropics, an appalling ABA team who spend most
of their time brawling on the basketball court. When the news breaks
that the ABA will be merging with the NBA, Jackie is over the moon,
only to be brought back down to Earth when he is informed that only
the top 4 teams will be invited to the big dance. To keep their
NBA dreams alive, Jackie and the Tropics must turn their season
around and start winning some ball games.
With Talladega Nights rocking its southern hick angle,
and Blades of Glory basking in its homosexual overtones,
Semi-Pro tries to milk 1970's culture for all it's got. The
only problem is that Anchorman did it much better.
For starters, there are just too many distractions. A subplot featuring
a burned out hippie (played by Jackie Earle Haley) irritates, and
a poker scene which tries to parody The
Deer Hunter and Dirty Harry over
stays its welcome, as do many other scenes which usually consist
of Ferrell going over the top, flailing his arms and screaming his
head off. Some control by director Kent Alterman was needed during
these moments.
This brings me to the films biggest flaw (and its lone drawcard):
Will Ferrell. As the shameless promoter who will (and does) wrestle
a bear to make some money, Ferrell puts on his weakest performance
in some time. However, just like the movies fictional team, an in
form Woody Harrelson (it is great to see him in starring roles again)
and Andre Benjamin carry the film. Will Arnett and Andre Daly's
commenting tandem provide much needed laughs in a film that just
does not deliver as consistently as it should in the jokes department.
A whacked out comedy that tries to hard, Semi-Pro is a disappointment.
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