Semi-Pro, Semi-Good
April 3rd 2008 03:13
THERE are a couple of thoughts that fly through the mind when one sees a poster for an upcoming Will Ferrel movie
One the one hand you have his hilarious performances in Zoolander, Old School, Blades of Glory and the more credible Stranger than Fiction. But then you also have to weigh your wallet when you think of some more mediocre role choices including Talladega Nights and (shudder) Bewitched.
Semi-Pro is a bit more a mixed bag. It is effectively Dodgeball, set in the 70s with much more obvious humour.
The period jokes were great, including an oh so retro fondu set and most of the humour was very random yet funny, but sometimes became just a bit too stupid which is a stretch for a Will Ferrell film.
So the story goes
Washed up singer/songwriter Jackie Moon (Ferrell) used the earnings from his raunchy hit Love Me Sexy to buy an ABA Basketball team The Flint Michigan Tropics, immediately making himself coach and captain.
But years later, The Tropics arent doing so well and when the NBA wants to dissolve the ABA, a mix of awkward twenty-somethings, married men, Andre Benjamin and Woody Harrelson (who was traded for a washing machine) now have to get into the top four ABA teams to make their dreams of an NBA career come true.
And in the middle of all of this is a bizarre love triangle, a confused hippie, a family secret and my personal favourite - two very biased commentators, one of whom is played by Will Arnett. And as usual, his sarcastic voice that all Arrested Development fans like to mimic was in good form and his comedic timing gave the film back a lot of what it lost through using juvenile humour.
On a technical level the film is tops. You really get a feel for how washed up the team is through the lighting and audio in the films opening an almost empty stadium helps but that aspect of the film could not have been better.
The Soundtrack is awesome. Theres a great mix of seventies music including Love Rollercoaster, Why Cant We Be Friends, and Will Ferrells own, very dirty, Love Me Sexy.
If youre a Will Ferrell fan, particularly of the Anchorman variety, you will love this film and be quoting the one liners from the rooftops but if you find films like A Night at the Roxbury trying, avoid this.
Overall I enjoyed it but its not my favourite Will Ferrell film and apart from a few very good moments it wasnt laugh-out-loud funny.
One the one hand you have his hilarious performances in Zoolander, Old School, Blades of Glory and the more credible Stranger than Fiction. But then you also have to weigh your wallet when you think of some more mediocre role choices including Talladega Nights and (shudder) Bewitched.
Semi-Pro is a bit more a mixed bag. It is effectively Dodgeball, set in the 70s with much more obvious humour.
The period jokes were great, including an oh so retro fondu set and most of the humour was very random yet funny, but sometimes became just a bit too stupid which is a stretch for a Will Ferrell film.
So the story goes
Washed up singer/songwriter Jackie Moon (Ferrell) used the earnings from his raunchy hit Love Me Sexy to buy an ABA Basketball team The Flint Michigan Tropics, immediately making himself coach and captain.
But years later, The Tropics arent doing so well and when the NBA wants to dissolve the ABA, a mix of awkward twenty-somethings, married men, Andre Benjamin and Woody Harrelson (who was traded for a washing machine) now have to get into the top four ABA teams to make their dreams of an NBA career come true.
And in the middle of all of this is a bizarre love triangle, a confused hippie, a family secret and my personal favourite - two very biased commentators, one of whom is played by Will Arnett. And as usual, his sarcastic voice that all Arrested Development fans like to mimic was in good form and his comedic timing gave the film back a lot of what it lost through using juvenile humour.
On a technical level the film is tops. You really get a feel for how washed up the team is through the lighting and audio in the films opening an almost empty stadium helps but that aspect of the film could not have been better.
The Soundtrack is awesome. Theres a great mix of seventies music including Love Rollercoaster, Why Cant We Be Friends, and Will Ferrells own, very dirty, Love Me Sexy.
If youre a Will Ferrell fan, particularly of the Anchorman variety, you will love this film and be quoting the one liners from the rooftops but if you find films like A Night at the Roxbury trying, avoid this.
Overall I enjoyed it but its not my favourite Will Ferrell film and apart from a few very good moments it wasnt laugh-out-loud funny.
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Comment by Barto
on In the words of Zoolander: "Who am I?"