Will Ferrell's movies all seem to be about the same, only the venues seem to change. This time, Ferrell heads to the hardwood to do a bit of basketball spoofing with "Semi-Pro," a film that's not quite the comedic sports movie one would think it to be. Surprised? You should be, but not pleasantly. As I was watching this energetic but uneven film unfold, I noticed that the story started to morph into a heartfelt, romantic comedy along the way. Hey, no one told me about this going in! I wanted some off the wall basketball action.
"Semi-Pro" takes place in the late 70s and it does well in capturing the vibrancy of the era, even if it is taken over the top. Ferrell's character, Jackie Moon, is central to this vibe having scored a chart topper entitled, "Love Me Sexy," a song that becomes so successful that he was able to buy a semi-pro basketball team because of it. And what a team it is. Using his creative vision, Moon brings a bit of variety hour showmanship to each game, trying to win the Flint Michigan Tropic fans with the kind of showtime that Magic's Lakers could have never related to. Moon's ambitious acts and wild personality are tested to the extreme when he finds out that the ABA is set to merge with the NBA and has no plans for his team to be included in the deal. Thankfully, he works out a situation where the top 4 teams in the ABA will be selected, making a case that it is the fairest way of deciding what teams make it over to the coveted professional league. The problem with that? His squad is at the bottom of the standings and no hope in sight.
Enter Woody Harrelson as Monix, a washed up veteran journeyman who now finds himself traded to Moon's Flint Michigan's Tropics for a household appliance. While Harrelson is great addition to the cast, his love saga takes the story in a different, contrasting direction from where the film should have gone. You see, he accepted to go to Flint in hopes of reuniting with an old flame who happened to live there currently. There is a bit of back and forth play with this situation that slows the movie down a bit and takes away precious screen time from the basketball action. When the hoopla does return, it sets up an underdog showdown against the ABA's best team in a final act that was fairly enjoyable.
Ultimately, there could have been a lot more accomplished on the court than off the court, and I think that is where some of the problems with "Semi-Pro" lie. it's a film that can't decide on what it wants to be and that's a risky bit of screen writing. Add to the fact that Ferrell's comedy is even more juvenile than ever (in parts) and that the setup to the final game was unsatisfying, you then you have a mediocre movie on your hands. Had Harrelson's on-court game been shown more than his off-court game, than at least there would have been some "White Man Can't Jump" humor to tap into. But, lets face it, Ferrell is the star of this show and the movie will go only where he wants it to...and in this case, that's the 2 star bin.
My final rating is that this is a film you can wait and catch on cable when the time comes. Believe me, you don't need the big screen for this action and it actually might present itself in a more entertaining fashion on television.
In the end, you get what you pay for with these Will Ferrell flicks.
