Will Ferrell can be very funny. This is not one of those times. Tired and tawdry, this tedious misfire is a misjudgement on Ferrell's part, namely in terms of material.
Comment
03/31/08
Semi-Pro (2008)
21
%
Tomatometer
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Reviews Counted:151
Fresh:31
Rotten:120
Average Rating:4.5/10
Consensus: Semi-Pro is an intermittently funny, half-hearted attempt at sports satire, and one of Will Ferrell's weaker cinematic efforts.
Australian Theatrical Release:
Apr 3, 2008 Wide
US Box Office: $33,370,443
Synopsis: Over the course of a string of successful comedies that includes TALLADEGA NIGHTS and BLADES OF GLORY, Will Ferrel has perfected a type of swaggering, machismo-fueled character, heavy on ego and... [More]
Starring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Will Arnett, André Benjamin
Director: Kent Alterman
Reviews for Semi-Pro
1 - 20 (sorted by critic A-Z; Australian critics are listed first)
Top CriticCheap, lazy production. The directing is terrible and, more important, it's not funny. Who edited out the funny stuff?
02/27/08
Basically "The Will Ferrell Show," with the second-stringers relegated to the sidelines, fighting for scraps.
02/29/08
Semi-Pro stays true to the formula, and it's a pretty funny, good-looking comedy.
06/06/08
No huge laughs in Ferrell's foul-mouthed comedy.
02/28/08
The semifunny Semi-Pro is amiable enough, but you never feel there's much at stake.
03/31/08
Ferrell's character comedies spoof NASCAR, figure-skating and so on; but these films also reveal a sincere, envious love and fascination for the cultures and skills they mimic. These are wish-fulfillment movies...
02/29/08
At best Semi-Pro only manages to be semi-funny.
02/28/08
If you're on the prowl for a Ferrell yuk-fest, you'd do better renting one of his more successful comedies than spending money on this faux sports dud. Only die-hard fans of the SNL alumn will find anything worthwhile here.
02/28/08
It's long on shorts but short on punchlines.
02/29/08
What is most extraordinary about Semi-Pro is that someone actually provided money to produce it. The funding probably came from someone who did not - or could not - read the script.
02/28/08
Unfortunately, the outrageousness lessens in the second half of the film, becoming your straight forward underdog movie.
10/01/08
Chillingly devoid of laughs, and looks like some deconstructionist experiment, deliberately draining the comedy genre of jokes to show the parched, pointless story-skeleton beneath.
02/29/08
Top CriticVery probably the worst of Ferrell's starring vehicles.
03/06/08
Will Ferrell puts up enough bricks to build a hotel.
03/01/08
[Reaches] a point of such creative bankruptcy that Ferrell stands poised to become as tiresome a screen jester as Robin Williams.
03/16/08
It does get the funk out ya face for 86 minutes.
02/29/08
Semi-Pro is all fancy dribbling and passing, with nobody actually scoring.
02/29/08
Qualifies as a sort of cinematic comfort food: it's the mac and cheese of the cineplex.
07/01/08
Will Ferrell in short shorts. Isn't that enough to inspire you to see the movie Semi-Pro?
02/29/08
Latest News for Semi-Pro
September 22, 2008:
Ferrell Swears Off Sports Movies 
Sick and tired of Will Ferrell sports movies? Good news: the actor has promised USA Today that he's done making them. More...
June 02, 2008:
RT on DVD: Transformers, Starship Troopers To Invade; Avoid Jessica Alba's Eye
Look out! Starship Troopers and Transformers are about to assault your senses in HD, and soon you can choose Harold and Kumar's adventures. This week's new releases are... More...
June 01, 2008:
Will Ferrell retro comedy reviolving around hijinks and hoops.
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