Semi-Pro (2008)

This movie is a perfect example of why Will Ferrel needs to find his purpose quick before he becomes irrelevant.

After sitting through this movie, I began to ponder why I did not like it. It had all the Ferrel-isms of movies past. Ron Burgandy, Chad Michael Michaels, Ricky Bobby, etc. all made an appearance. So, why had a classic formula failed so miserably here? And then it hit me. It's because Will Ferrel CANNOT carry a movie on his own. He is a great catalyst for the actions with in a movie, however he cannot be a movie. True, Ron Burgandy was a hilarious character, but what about his news crew? How many lines are quoted from this quartet of idiots? Or Chad Michael Michaels? Will Ferrel needs to remember his strength lies in a strong comedic ensemble. While he has demonstrated some actual acting talent, he still will never be able to carry a film on his own.

Fmovies: I never for a moment believed that this movie would be earth-shattering or mind-blowing. I expected it to be along the lines of "Talladega Nights" or "Kicking & Screaming," and it was. There were a few laugh out loud moments, and a few mildly amusing stretches, and then there were parts that just weren't funny at all.

But the overall experience wasn't that bad, considering I was just looking for a movie that would make me laugh and pass the night away on those rare date nights with my wife.

The only real complaint I had about it was the language. I thought some of the profanity was a bit excessive, especially considering past Will Ferrell movies. And that's really all the R rating is there for.

I always find that Will Ferrell's films can be a little hit and miss. He's either funny, or he tries a little too hard to be funny. Luckily, in the case of 'Semi-Pro,' he's the former. The film is clearly his vehicle, so whether it works or not is largely down to him. Here he plays Jackie Moon – the owner, coach and player of a low league basketball team who are about to get disbanded, unless they can scrape fourth place in the league.

For a start, you don't have to know or like basketball. I know nothing about it, but I enjoyed the film anyway. Yes, Ferrell is a little over the top here and there, but his performance never really borders on 'annoying.' It's not a long film, only an hour and a half, and most of it is packed with gags (all pretty adult in nature) and the majority of those work.

There are minor plot lines, but they're all secondary to Ferrell. Most other characters are only there to tee up Ferrell for him to deliver the punch line. Woody Harrelson is about the second most important character and he has a little more screen time. He's totally functional too, but Semi-Pro is still Ferrell's baby.

Basically, Semi-Pro won't win any awards. It's daft, loud and dumb, but ultimately very watchable if you're in the mood for a film like that.

Just beware of escaped bears!

Semi-Pro fmovies. 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.

Semi-pro will not go down in the anals of great comedies.

If you are looking for a plot synopsis, well this movie is not for you. It's pretty short on story and pretty high on funny bits.

The one thing I will say is that the film is not overpowered by Will Ferrell silliness. Oh don't mistake me there is some silliness but it is only part of a greater picture.

It has 4-5 hilarious scenes and many lines that will be quotable for a long time. I left the theatre laughing and repeating line with my friends. And really what more are you asking for in a Will Ferrell Comedy???

I really can't stand the site of Will Farrell, and I usually find him anything but funny. I hated Ron Burgundy and thought Elf was trite, but i have to say I pretty much laughed my way throughout this entire movie.

It was made as a comedy, which it excels at being, but it is also a really good period piece on the 70's (love the fro's). The story was also really good, a bit predictable but well done - I found myself caring about the characters and the out come of the story.

I was entertained throughout this entire movie, and i would add this movie amongst other American comedy classics such as Family Vacation, Uncle Buck or even Planes, Trains and Automobiles... all very different movies, but ones that made us laugh and kept us smiling.