Ferrell's 'Semi-Pro' elicits semi-laughs
By Nick Knittel, Contributor
March 7, 2008 | 6 a.m.
"Semi-Pro" may be the perfect lesson for what not to do in a comedy. Despite its seemingly golden premise, the amount of wasted talent and tedious jokes turn this champ into an abject failure for Will Ferrell and his crew.
The film seems promising as the credits slowly crawl onto the screen to the groovy tune of “Love Me Sexy," the mega-hit pop song performed by Ferrell’s character, Jackie Moon. Jackie, seizing the wealth and opportunity such a hit gives him (it is 1976, after all), decides to buy the Flint Tropics, a low-tier basketball team out of Flint, Mich., and becomes their manager, coach and even one of their players.
The Tropics are part of the American Basketball Association, the underdogs in professional basketball. When a merger for the top four teams is announced with the far more prestigious National Basketball Association, Jackie finds himself forced to do the one thing he has never done before – win.
If this sounds to you like almost every other sports comedy out there, you’re probably right. Such a simple concept is remarkably easy to maintain, but there is always something there that helps pull such a film out of the quagmire of cliché and into a more substantial realm, like a dynamic lead actor, crisp writing or absurd situations. “Semi-Pro” doesn’t really have any of these.
Ferrell looks like he is sleepwalking through his role. He doesn’t have the energy apparent in most of his previous work, making his delivery flat and the character of Jackie Moon come off as nothing more than a puppet delivering the occasionally funny one-liner.
Nobody else escapes the drudgery of the film either, despite the appearances of Will Arnett, Andy Richter, Woody Harrelson, Rob Corddry, David Koechner and Maura Tierney (the sole female presence who isn’t a cheerleader). It is shocking to see so many comedians elicit so few laughs.
The sole redeeming factor may be Andre Benjamin, otherwise known as Andre 3000 of OutKast fame, who plays Clarence "Coffee" Black, the best player on the Flint Tropics. Benjamin manages to give "Coffee" Black an extra dimension, some resemblance of a human instead of a cardboard cutout gracing the screen.
First-time director Kent Alterman, who previously made his way by producing films in Hollywood, directs “Semi-Pro.” According to IMDb.com, Alterman has one of the most schizophrenic lists of producing credits ever, bouncing from fantastic projects like “A History of Violence” and “Little Children” to the craptastic “Son of the Mask” and “Balls of Fury." “Semi-Pro” is such a product of his career, going in tone from absurdist to half-serious to parody and failing to work on any level.
Die-hard fans and Will Ferrell apologists may find more to “Semi-Pro” than others. Much like Ferrell’s other films, one needs a taste for the ridiculous or wacky to fully appreciate the comedy involved, but there are far more misses than hits with the gags. It’s hard to shake the feeling that other things are more deserving of your money than this film.
---
“Semi-Pro”
Speakeasy Rating: D+
Running Time: 90 minutes
MPAA Rating: R for language and some sexual content
Genre: Comedy