Will Ferrell trots out familiar persona
The comedian can certainly be appreciated for his dedication, if
not for his creativity. After all, you've seen this character
before, this Jackie Moon, the owner-player-coach of the Flint,
Mich., Tropics, a fledgling (and fictional) American Basketball
Association team. It's essentially the same self-serious,
delusional guy Ferrell plays in almost every movie he's made: Ron
Burgundy in barely there polyester shorts; Ricky Bobby in
nipple-clinging turtlenecks.
It makes you wonder where else he can go with the persona:
competitive Tiddlywinks, perhaps? But Ferrell does go for it, and
either you're with him or you're not.
"Semi-Pro" is consistently funnier and more of a cohesive
film, though, than the collection of gags that was "Blades of
Glory." And it has more than a few shadings of "Slap Shot,"
"Major League" and even "Kingpin." It's that
one-last-shot-at-glory premise - not that the sports element truly
matters in a sports movie like this. It's really all about the
silly vibe and the physical humor. (The script comes from Scot
Armstrong, who has co-written such comedies as "Old School" and
"Starsky & Hutch.")
The year is 1976, and Kent Alterman, a longtime New Line
executive making his directing debut, wallows in the period kitsch.
Leisure suits, bad mustaches, Sly & the Family Stone - no cliche is
left unturned.
Jackie is trying to keep the Tropics alive as the NBA is about
to absorb the four best teams from the ABA. (This actually
happened, by the way: the Nets, Spurs, Pacers and Nuggets made the
cut.)
Most of Jackie's promotional ideas are just completely out
there: leaping over a line of cheerleaders in roller skates and a
cape; wrestling a live bear in a cage; dressing his teammates in
flamingo and sea horse costumes for a halftime dance routine. But
some of his pranks also have to do with basketball.
He trades the team washing machine and brings in former Boston
Celtics bench warmer Ed Monix (Woody Harrelson) to help his
players, including the showboating Clarence "Coffee Black"
Withers (Andre Benjamin). But Ed is also in Flint to rekindle a
romance with his ex, played by Maura Tierney, whose new boyfriend
(Rob Corddry) happens to be Ed's biggest fan.
Yes, all the usual suspects turn up in "Semi-Pro." Besides
Corddry, there's David Koechner as the ABA commissioner, Will
Arnett as the Tropics' chain-smoking, Scotch-swilling color
commentator and Andy Richter as the team manager. But there are
also some inspired casting choices, including Andrew Daly as the
team's no-nonsense play-by-play guy and Matt Walsh as Father Pat, a
Catholic priest who moonlights as a referee.
Will Jackie lead his team to that coveted fourth-place spot?
Will Ed get the girl? Does any of this matter? There are enough
individual moments to keep you sufficiently distracted and laughing
the whole way through.
Oh, you may be wondering: How did such a doofus come to control
an entire basketball team? Jackie made his money with the insanely
catchy 1970 R&B hit "Love Me Sexy," a Barry White rip-off that
contains lines like: "Baby, wake up. We're naked. And we're
sexy."
It will be stuck in your head after the movie is over - you'll
probably remember it better than most of the jokes.
"Semi-Pro," a New Line Cinema release, is rated R for language
and some sexual content. Running time: 90 minutes. Two and a half
stars out of four.