Ferrell shoots an air ball with 'Semi-Pro'
Nobody plays the passionate, good-hearted idiot better than Will Ferrell.
He's assumed that role in numerous movies ("Talladega Nights," "Anchorman" and "Blades of Glory," to name a few). And he's at it again in "Semi-Pro."
Sporting a white man's afro and horrible 1970s fashion, Ferrell yells and makes funny faces for most of the movie (he was once quoted as saying that yelling makes things funnier, and he's kind of right).
He delivers many laugh-out-loud moments. The problem is, we've seen this Will Ferrell movie before. Just this time, it's about basketball.
Since less is more when it comes to comedy, Ferrell's stale movie formula is becoming a little less funny each time.
In "Semi-Pro," Ferrell plays Jackie Moon, a determined, sensitive, foul-mouthed yet lovable moron. Moon became a one-hit wonder with his song, "Love Me Sexy," and used his money to buy a loser American Basketball Association team, the Flint (Mich.) Tropics. Apparently, it's not enough that he owns the team: He also plays and coaches.
When the league prepares to merge with the NBA, the Tropics learn they will cease to exist unless they can finish in the ABA's top four. Thus begins the challenge of trying to win basketball games and attract more fans.
To accomplish this, they bring in star player Monix (Woody Harrelson) who convincingly plays the long-haired, washed-up basketball star. He hurts Moon's feelings by persuading team members that they need to focus on basketball fundamentals rather than pre-show shenanigans.
Moon, meanwhile, dreams up funny marketing ploys to lure more fans, such as wrestling a live bear and offering free corn dogs if the team scores a certain number of points (leading the crowd to cheer "Corn DOG! Corn DOG!"). A fun '70s music mix gives the predictable movie some extra energy.
The cast includes several Ferrell movie regulars, including Will Arnett, Andy Richter, Dave Koechner and Rob Corddry. The movie was written by Scot Armstrong, the same guy who wrote "Old School."
André Benjamin from the rap band Outkast plays one of the Tropics players, and, to add another touch of '70s, scruffy "Breaking Away" star Jackie Earle Haley has small role.
The movie's R rating is the result of some gratuitous swearing -- when Moon unleashes angry strings of cuss words -- and for an unnecessarily graphic sex scene where Monix messes around with a fan's wife.
While you'll laugh at Ferrell's physical comedy, this movie is no slam dunk. More like an air ball.
"Semi-Pro"
2 stars
Starring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, André Benjamin, Maura Tierney, Andrew Daly and Will Arnet
Directed by: Kent Alterman
Other: A New Line Cinema release. Rated R (language and some sexual content). 90 minutes.