Movie Online - Review: Semi-Pro is R-Rated Fun

Review: Semi-Pro is R-Rated Fun

Friday, 29 February 2008

Finally, they've freed Will Ferrell. After average PG-13 efforts such as Talladega Nights and Blades of Glory someone finally had the bright idea of letting Will get back to what he's solid at: R-rated fare. I'm talking Old School here. Or maybe Will has just reclaimed his career. Whatever it is, I'm grateful. I went in expecting a few chuckles but left nodding my head proclaiming that the king was back.

The poster, Old Spice advertisements, or trailer easily sum up what this one is all about. ABA basketball is the theme, played for laughs, no serious history here. Will plays a gent named Jackie Moon, the owner/power forward for the team. Ferrell is joined by Will Arnett (Arrested Development), Andre 3000 (of OutKast fame), and Woody Harrelson. He's the owner of the Flint Tropics, a fictitious ABA team. The ABA is on the precipice of a merger with the NBA, which would make this about 1976ish. Oddly enough, I grew up with a team called the Miami Tropics (before the Heat), which made the Flint version all the more out of place to me. There are real ABA/NBA teams represented in the movie such as the Spurs, Nuggets, Pacers, and Nets. The central conflict of the film is Jackie's desire to get his team into the NBA.

What really works here is the cursing. That's an odd thing to enjoy in a movie but I suppose I've sat through one too many PG-13 films (Hello Live Free or Die Hard!) that were stingy with the F-bombs. I don't know where you stand on profanity, but if you're opposed to it you will have a miserable time here. Everyone else will have fun. When characters let F-bombs rip for no apparent reason it's funny because it's so out of place with most mainstream comedy we see these days (though the Kimmel assault on the F word has been a lovely thing to behold).

If you're a Ferrell fan this one is a no-brainer. Far better than Blades of Glory it only falters a few times when the script feels the need to inject "story." They would have been better off ditching that Hollywood requirement too. If you hate Ferrell this probably won't change your mind though the supporting cast is very strong throughout. Semi-Pro has a few great sight gags, many laugh-worthy asides, and a few dozen punchlines worth repeating (as the people behind me proved). If you want a comedy you could do far worse than this. Give it a try.

Grade: B+