Decent but not Ferrell's best (Semi-Pro (Blu-ray))

Member Name: shaneo632

Product:	Semi-Pro (Blu-ray)
Date:	25/07/09 (7 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Ferrell's energy

Disadvantages: Standard script

Will Ferell has produced plenty of hilarious outings such as Anchorman and Step Brothers, but Semi-Pro is among his less successful outings - it's a middling film that generates a few laughs but isn't really anything amazing. The film depicts the life and times of Jackie Moon, a singer who used the profits of a ludicrous single he wrote to buy a basketball team called the Flint Tropics, and also entered himself as their starting power forward.

The team soon enough get the shot at becoming an NBA franchise, but they must ensure that they can keep viewership up. Thus, in order to entice audiences, Moon implements a lot of crazy activities outside the game, such as setting up a bear wrestling match after the game. It could very well have become a satire on how the beautiful game has become commercialised, but instead it just rests on pratfalls and mostly lowest common denominator humour.

There is admittedly some charm from Ferell, as expected - his off the wall performance makes this watchable, and he does the very best possible with the script. Were the script tightened up, and given a more satirical bent, this could have been a winning satire - instead it's a pretty staid and formulaic Hollywood affair about an underdog team trying to make it in the big leagues.

Semi Pro is a fluffy, albeit fairly watchable basketball film, but only mildly amusing. Needless to say, any film starring Will Ferrell that leaves one stone-faced for most of its running time clearly isn't doing something right. Undoubtedly his worst film to date.

Summary: Ferrell makes this watchable