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Semi-Pro

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Semi-Pro (2008)

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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 Rating: M [See Full Rating] Moderate sexual references and coarse language

Runtime: 90 mins

Genre: Comedies

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... 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 severely lacking in intellect of any kind. Typically set in the world of sports, these movies have allowed Ferrel free range to both mock and celebrate idiot masculinity. SEMI-PRO, Ferrell's homage to the wild, afro-picked splendor of the short-lived American Basketball Association, continues this trend, and finds him embodying yet another larger-than-life hunk a burnin' love in the form of Jackie Moon, R&B singer-turned-owner/player/coach of the hapless Flint, Michigan Tropics. As sports movies go, SEMI-PRO's story should be more than familiar to even the most casual fan. The Tropics are a lackluster franchise that place good times and flash over winning. However, when the league announces that they will be merging with the NBA and only taking the top four teams along, the Tropics buckle down and give true ballin' a shot. SEMI-PRO follows the comedic formula of other Ferrell movies and contains an equal amount of satire (tame-but-effective ‘70s goofs), slapstick (on-court brawls, zany stunts), and surreal non-sequiturs (an improvised poker game provides one of the film's most deliciously bizarre scenes), but it's not exactly interchangeable with Ferrell's other movies. Though the actor cuts loose as Jackie Moon, the film is decidedly an ensemble picture, with Woody Harrelson providing the movie's true protagonist, in washed up former NBA player Monix, and Andre Benjamin offering a charming turn as flashy NBA wannabe Clarence "Coffee" Black. Perhaps most interestingly, however, is SEMI-PRO's surprising attention to detail, though the Flint Tropics are a fictional team, the real ABA was every bit as wacky, unhinged, and, yes, entertaining as SEMI-PRO itself. [More]

Starring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Will Arnett, André Benjamin

Starring: Will Ferrell, Woody Harrelson, Will Arnett, André Benjamin, Rob Corddry, Maura Tierney, Josh Braaten, DeRay Davis, Jay Philips, Jackie Earle Haley, Andy Richter

Director: Kent Alterman

Director: Kent Alterman
Screenwriter: Scot Armstrong
Producer: Jimmy Miller
Composer: Theodore Shapiro
Studio: New Line Cinema

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Reviews for Semi-Pro

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141 - 154 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Arrange By:Fresh | Rotten | Comments | Name | Source | Date
 
 

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.

Full Review Source: ReelViews | comment Comment
02/28/08
James Berardinelli
James Berardinelli
ReelViews

At best Semi-Pro only manages to be semi-funny.

Full Review Source: Las Vegas Weekly | comment Comment
02/28/08
Josh Bell
Josh Bell
Las Vegas Weekly

Goes up for the dunk but misses the rim, the backboard and the point. Instead it manages to strike out and get sacked at the same time.

Full Review Source: KyleSmithOnline.com | comment Comment
02/27/08
Kyle Smith
Kyle Smith
KyleSmithOnline.com

the sports section simply isn't very stirring, and without a supporting cast dedicated to the humor, the film isn't consistently funny either.

Full Review Source: Sean the Movie Guy | comment Comment
02/27/08
Sean McBride
Sean McBride
Sean the Movie Guy

Only sporadically funny, ineffectual when it goes serious or sentimental, and, in the last analysis, is mostly mediocre.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
02/27/08
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

Semi-Pro tries for semi-sweet when bittersweet would have been better, semi-silly when full-bore absurd was called for. And the final score? Semi-funny.

Full Review Source: Orlando Sentinel | comment Comment
02/27/08
Roger Moore
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel

Cheap, lazy production. The directing is terrible and, more important, it's not funny. Who edited out the funny stuff?

Full Review Source: FilmsInReview.com | comment Comment
02/27/08
Victoria Alexander
Victoria Alexander
FilmsInReview.com

In the end, it's comedy comfort food, something powdered poured from a box.

Full Review Source: Village Voice | comment Comment
02/27/08
Robert Wilonsky
Robert Wilonsky
Village Voice

Most of the jokes are only half-written and it's rare that any of the visual gags have a real payoff.

Full Review Source: CinemaBlend.com | comment Comment
02/26/08
Joshua Tyler
Joshua Tyler
CinemaBlend.com

It’s rimshots all the way in this unexceptional Will Ferrell basketball comedy.

Full Review Source: Time Out | comment Comment
02/26/08
David Jenkins
David Jenkins
Time Out

Semi-Pro joins Anchorman and Elf as one of Ferrell's funnier efforts.

Full Review Source: ComingSoon.net | comment Comment
02/26/08
Edward Douglas
Edward Douglas
ComingSoon.net

It misses the point entirely of what a spoof is, offering sporadic chuckles and a whole lot of disappointment for what should have been a slam dunk

Full Review Source: Killer Movie Reviews | comment Comment
02/25/08
Andrea Chase
Andrea Chase
Killer Movie Reviews

Will Farrell loiters in the comfort of his signature punch-drunk delivery of outrageous lines and sight gags in a '70s era parody that extends the funk vibe of Judd Apatow's summer comedy "Superbad."

Full Review Source: ColeSmithey.com | comment Comment
02/25/08
Cole Smithey
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

If you liked Will Ferrell's previous comedies, you may like his new vehicle, which is poorly directed but recycles elements of the formula, now set in the swinging 1970s, conveyed through tacky fashion and especially bad hair.

Full Review Source: EmanuelLevy.Com | comment Comment
02/24/08
Emanuel Levy
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
 
 
141 - 154 (sorted by date; Australian critics are listed first)
Text View | |< << 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
all

Latest News for Semi-Pro

September 22, 2008: Ferrell Swears Off Sports Movies Opens in new window
Sick and tired of Will Ferrell sports movies? Good news: the actor has promised USA Today that he's done making them. More...

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June 01, 2008: Will Ferrell retro comedy reviolving around hijinks and hoops. Opens in new window
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