Semi-Pro (2008)

User Rating:

5.7/10   

Director:

Kent Alterman

Writer (WGA):

Scot Armstrong (written by)

Release Date:

29 February 2008 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Sport

Tagline:

The Greatest Fro on Earth

Plot:

Jackie Moon, the owner-coach-player of the American Basketball Association's Flint Michigan Tropics, rallies his teammates to make their NBA dreams come true

Plot Keywords:

Nba | Team | Basketball | Michigan | Merger

Awards:

1 win & 4 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 8	6:30 AM	MAX
Wed. July 8	8:30 PM	MAX
Wed. July 15	1:00 AM	MAX

Cast

Will Ferrell	...	Jackie Moon
Woody Harrelson	...	Monix
André Benjamin	...	Clarence
Maura Tierney	...	Lynn
Andrew Daly	...	Dick Pepperfield
Will Arnett	...	Lou Redwood
Andy Richter	...	Bobby Dee
David Koechner	...	Commissioner
Rob Corddry	...	Kyle
Matt Walsh	...	Father Pat the Ref
Jackie Earle Haley	...	Dukes
DeRay Davis	...	Bee Bee Ellis
Josh Braaten	...	Twiggy Munson
Jay Phillips	...	Scootsie Double Day
Peter Cornell	...	Vakidis

MPAA:

Rated R for language and some sexual content.

Runtime:

91 min | 98 min (unrated DVD version) | 99 min (unrated version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Ireland:15A | UK:15 | Australia:M | USA:R (certificate #43605) | Singapore:M18 | Canada:14A (Alberta/British Columbia/Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:G (Quebec) | Singapore:NC-16 (edited for re-rating) | Philippines:R-13 (MTRCB) | Sweden:7 | Japan:PG-12 | Argentina:16

Filming Locations:

Flint, Michigan, USA

Company:

Donners' Company

Trivia:

In the film, Jackie Moon says that he had never vomited before, not even as a baby. In reality, Will Ferrell suffered from pyloric stenosis, a condition that causes frequent vomiting, as a baby. A scar on his upper right abdomen, from the surgery he had to treat this condition, appears in this and many other films.

Goofs:

Factual errors: Jackie Moon talks about PBS wanting to do a special about him never able to "puke" as a child. PBS did not air until 1970, not during the 1940s or 1950s: The time of Jackie Moon's childhood.

Quotes:

Monix: Vakidis, open the window will ya?
Vakidis: Yes, right on!
[does nothing]
Monix: Did you give Bobby Dee a handjob?
Vakidis: Yes, right on!

Movie Connections:

References Mother, Jugs & Speed (1976)

Soundtrack:

Never, Never Gonna Give You Up

Semi-Pro is only semi-funny, but Will Ferrell is still at the top of his game.

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.